The ethics of reporting a racist friend..?

**MaximiIian** · November 15, 2019, 04:57 AM

If he's racist, he's an a-hole. I would be wary at considering such a person to be a friend to start with.

**AqD** · November 15, 2019, 01:25 PM

Originally Posted by the Black Prince

Some examples include -
disabled wheelchair users shouldn't be allowed on planes unless they can afford to pay the extra cost of carrying their wheelchairs and providing their assistance - airlines shouldn't have to cover that themselves

Which is not a crazy thought. Fare by weight + space is quite fair especially considering I'm small and light myself.

Originally Posted by the Black Prince

Is it right to report a private conversation to his manager and provide chat logs if required?

Sure, report someone for having a different opinion to the government because it says all such ideas are not acceptable.

Can't you see where it will lead us? I start to suspect there might be some hidden agenda behind left advocates

**Gromovnik** · November 20, 2019, 01:41 AM

Originally Posted by AqD

Which is not a crazy thought. Fare by weight + space is quite fair especially considering I'm small and light myself.

Sure, it's not crazy per se. But it is horrible. Horrible in a sense that a decent person would be ashamed of such thoughts.

**Finlander** · November 23, 2019, 04:37 AM

You could report your friend, not directly to the company but perhaps to organisations that are supervising the discrimination happening in the UK who could have more reasons to investigate similar cases happening in the whole industry. We do not know if he acts according to his racist views that he is saying to you or not, but at least to me his bigoted views are decreasing the trust in the solidarity of the system. If you go to the organisations instead, in this way you have could have a clear conscious about reporting a possible case of discrimination of minorities but neither are you directly ratting out your friend without valid proof of wrong doing.

Meanwhile you can warn him out that his views are dangerous not only to himself, but also to the company and the stability of the society. You can advise him not to do wrong doings in his work that may cause further harm to him or others. Maybe indeed he just express his own frustration to you but does not really act accordingly to what he is saying.

**MaximiIian** · November 29, 2019, 07:33 PM

Originally Posted by AqD

Sure, report someone for having a different opinion to the government because it says all such ideas are not acceptable.

No one said anything about government control until you brought it up. We're talking about people being held accountable for what they've done and said.

And racism isn't just "a different opinion", it's an institutional phenomenon that harms people. It is rooted in oppression and bigotry, and isn't an abstracted "opinion".

**AqD** · March 14, 2020, 06:53 PM

Originally Posted by Gromovnik

Sure, it's not crazy per se. But it is horrible. Horrible in a sense that a decent person would be ashamed of such thoughts.

Well I'm not decent and cannot be burdened by such nonsense. You're not a businessman I see

Originally Posted by MaximiIian

No one said anything about government control until you brought it up. We're talking about people being held accountable for what they've done and said.

And racism isn't just "a different opinion", it's an institutional phenomenon that harms people. It is rooted in oppression and bigotry, and isn't an abstracted "opinion".

You can't hold someone accountable without government. Also OP has no evidence that his friend has done anything racist. Is expressing racism or thinking a crime now?

Do you seriously think governments should be given the right to purge all our negative thoughts like that? Sounds very 1984 to me.

**ggggtotalwarrior** · March 14, 2020, 11:15 PM

Yeah, see I have to agree with the general consensus. I know this is an old thread but figured I'd put my two cents in.

The guy may have said some scummy things and you may be re-evaluating your entire friendship with him, but on the other hand is him expressing hateful opinions without any evidence of him acting on those opinions worth ruining his life for? If anything it seems more likely doing that would make the guy double down on and become even more deeply rooted in such behavior if he were to blame it for him losing his job, and he'd cut you off entirely for doing it to him, leaving you no opportunity to influence/change his mind in a more productive manner. Reporting him to his job just seems more like trying to take a self-righteous act to reassure oneself that they are in the right while having the worst actual consequences for everyone. The guy loses his job if action is taken, nothing is done to actually change his opinion, and if anything he becomes more racist as a result. Being the bigger person rather than vindictive is how you convert people back to sensibility.

**mishkin** · March 15, 2020, 03:24 AM

Originally Posted by ggggtotalwarrior

Yeah, see I have to agree with the general consensus. I know this is an old thread but figured I'd put my two cents in.

The guy may have said some scummy things and you may be re-evaluating your entire friendship with him, but on the other hand is him expressing hateful opinions without any evidence of him acting on those opinions worth ruining his life for? If anything it seems more likely doing that would make the guy double down on and become even more deeply rooted in such behavior if he were to blame it for him losing his job, and he'd cut you off entirely for doing it to him, leaving you no opportunity to influence/change his mind in a more productive manner. Reporting him to his job just seems more like trying to take a self-righteous act to reassure oneself that they are in the right while having the worst actual consequences for everyone. The guy loses his job if action is taken, nothing is done to actually change his opinion, and if anything he becomes more racist as a result. Being the bigger person rather than vindictive is how you convert people back to sensibility.

Why do you assume that continuing the friendship relationship will be more educational than a dismissal from your job, a direct consequence of your way of acting?
Do we know that he is not a convinced racist or an idiot who thinks he is right when he makes racist comments? Maybe (probably imo) his way of thinking is not going to change, either by soft comments or by a dismissal caused directly by his way of thinking.
How do you know that at the slightest friendly hint that he should not behave like a racist he is not going to cut off the relationship with him? (because he, in his eyes, will become a sanctimonous woke idiot or something like that).

If there is a firefighter in your company, you call him when a fire starts. If there is a racist, you tell the responsible person to act accordingly. End of story in my opinion.

**Aexodus** · March 16, 2020, 05:21 PM

As long as he's not being a

to anyone I wouldn't worry.

**MaximiIian** · March 16, 2020, 07:53 PM

Originally Posted by AqD

You can't hold someone accountable without government.

That's nonsense. Society exists between the state and the individual, and can produce its own kinds of sanction.

Is expressing racism...a crime now?

It should definitely be shamed and a reason for social ostracism.

**Gromovnik** · March 19, 2020, 03:58 AM

Originally Posted by Aexodus

As long as he's not being a

to anyone I wouldn't worry.

But he is.

**mishkin** · March 19, 2020, 07:57 AM

the fact that some people think that you can be racist, homophobic or sexist without offending anyone is something that always amazes me.

**Akar** · March 19, 2020, 08:17 AM

Would you say it ... offends you?

**Aexodus** · March 19, 2020, 02:02 PM

It’s not about being offensive i asked about him basically being an all round ass.

**mishkin** · March 19, 2020, 03:52 PM

Originally Posted by Aexodus

As long as he's not being a

to anyone I wouldn't worry.

Originally Posted by Aexodus

It’s not about being offensive i asked about him basically being an all round ass.

Dont understand. The only problem is if he has some kind of full pack? Racist, pedo and bully? Some combination like that? Or are you saying it's not a problem that he's racist as long as he's reserved or polite or something?

**Gromovnik** · March 20, 2020, 01:37 AM

Originally Posted by mishkin

Dont understand. The only problem is if he has some kind of full pack? Racist, pedo and bully? Some combination like that? Or are you saying it's not a problem that he's racist as long as he's reserved or polite or something?

Oh, a lot of people have no problem with racists as long as they're "polite".