Phrase -That's mighty white of you/mighty white of you-Racist -???

[Sabre]

Again, you're just saying what it means rather than getting at the origin.

Strange, if one does enough searching they could run across this:

"There is no known origin for the term 'white lie.' White has been used to signify purity, good, or harmless for millennia, and it is possible that the expression 'white lie' is hundreds of years old."

 

[trixare4kids]

I haven't heard "that's mighty white of you" in years. I suppose that's a good thing. Origins, the 1970(s)? It doesn't sound nice, does it?

I never really gave the meaning of this idiom much thought until now. I googled it, and google says "That's mighty white of you, with the meaning of "thank you for being fair."

It implies any race but the white race can't be fair. Both bigoted and racist, IMO.

Play the white man is a phrase used in parts of Britain meaning to be decent and trustworthy in one's actions. A similar American expression is That's mighty white of you, with the meaning of "thank you for being fair". The phrase is commonly used by natives of Yorkshire and the humber.

https://www.google.com/search?q=tha...rome..69i57.7392j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

 

[trixare4kids]

Times change;

Free, white and over twenty-one; was common when I was growing up as was the OP’s example

You look like a starving Armenian; another callous one, given the history

Nervous as a n***** on Election Day


The above remarks are not at all condoned today, but were commonly used at one time.

I've never heard any of these before.

Curious. What part of the country were you from when growing up?

 

[JANFU]

That could be the reason that you think it is racist...

Not at all.

 

[Rexedgar]

I've never heard any of these before.

Curious. What part of the country were you from when growing up?

How old are you?

Quid Pro Quo


.......a sleepy little southern town called DC. 1952-1972; the city is unrecognizable to me now.

 

[Bodi]

Not at all.

I like to explore all possibilities ...

 

[trixare4kids]

How old are you?

Quid Pro Quo


.......a sleepy little southern town called DC. 1952-1972; the city is unrecognizable to me now.

Old enough.

Ever heard that one before?

 

[Rexedgar]

Old enough.

Ever heard that one before?

Maybe not?

I know we are not supposed to ask; I answered your question as I figure it may help you clarify why you had not heard these sayings. I have no desire to know your age other than to clarify why you have never heard of the colloquialisms. They have been out of political favor/correctness for some time and you being of an age when these were un PC would explain why you had not heard of them.......anyway your call..

 

[trixare4kids]

Maybe not?

I know we are not supposed to ask; I answered your question as I figure it may help you clarify why you had not heard these sayings. I have no desire to know your age other than to clarify why you have never heard of the colloquialisms. They have been out of political favor/correctness for some time and you being of an age when these were un PC would explain why you had not heard of them.......anyway your call..

Maybe.

"I'm old enough to know better."

 

[Grand Mal]

I don't think it's racist. I just think it's in poor taste and I wouldn't use the phrase.

It's so racist it ought to be illegal. Saying that should get you a ride in the Paddy wagon.
Uh, wait a minute...

 

[Logician Man]

I'm curious about the origin of "white lie."

That compelled me to ponder the origin of 'Indian giver.'

 

[lurchadams]

It's so racist it ought to be illegal. Saying that should get you a ride in the Paddy wagon.
Uh, wait a minute...

Lighten up oh victim of reverse discrimination.

 

[Xelor]

That's mighty white of you/mighty white of you-Racist????
Yes
No

Some links for those unfamiliar with the phrase
mighty white of you - Wordwizard

https://www.google.com/search?clien.....0.0..0.0.0.......0......gws-wiz.VkFGMsGrFbU

Red:
Sometimes, yes. Sometimes, no. It depends on the behavior/remarks under consideration. For example:

• Yes:
  • In the US --> When one says "that's mighty with of you" in a complimentary way about a behavior/remark that is not innately within the purview of white elocution/behavior, the "mighty white" reference implies that non-whites don't exhibit similar courtesy/gentility; thus saying "that's might white of you" suggests the speaker harbors and ascribes to some measure of bigoted notions whereby whites are seen as somehow better than non-whites.
• No:
  • In the US --> When one makes ar remark that implicitly (or explicit) propagates, exhibits, condones or inculcates notions of whites being rightly thought of/treated as being innately superior to non-whites, and, in turn, someone says, "That's mighty white of you," the "mighty white" reference isn't racist itself and instead refers to a racist behavior.

Why would anyone declare "that's mighty white of you" when "that's kind of you" is comparably complimentary, equally clear, and creates no vagueness or ambiguity about the nature of the speaker's mindset? The only reason that comes to mind is that the person just doesn't care whether others glean a potentially inaccurate sense of his/her character and personality as goes race and its role in the human condition.

 

[Anarchon]

It is racist, bigoted, and funny, all three. Your poll sucks.

 

[HonestJoe]

That's mighty white of you/mighty white of you-Racist????

Words don’t discriminate against people, people discriminate against people.

No word or phrase is fundamentally racist, only the intent and context in which they’re used are. After all, how would we discuss whether the phrase is racist if we couldn’t use it, even in this context? It seems likely there was an element of racism in the phrases origins and it could certainly be used with racist intent but it could also be used in innocent ignorance or without racist intent (like we are here).

Terms like “You people”, “boy” or “black” obviously aren’t fundamentally racist out of context but are used with clear racist intent all the time. Attacking the words isn’t going to solve anything.

 

[TrumpTrain]

"That's mighty white of you" is not racist, its funny. Good Lord, Liberals have no sens of humor. They really do want a gray Communist society where all speach and politics are controlled and Life is a thing to hate.

 

[ecofarm]

Context?
2 white people- one says it to another?

If I, white, say to another white, "that's mighty white of you" I mean "how not generous but pretending to be generous". Fake graciousness. Pretending.

Example:

"Let me help you..." *does nothing*.

"Mighty white o ya".


It's commentary on the failure of the majority power to render justice. It's about social dynamics, not race.

 

[gfm7175]

It is implying one race is superior, so yes.

While I agree that "that's mighty white of you" is a racist statement, I disagree with all popularized definitions of racism.

Racism doesn't require superiority of race, nor does it even require derogatory language. Racism is a composition error (which is a logical fallacy asserting that something is true of the whole because it is true of a part of the whole) involving people as the class and a genetic trait as the property.

In this case, one is arguing that all white people are a certain way because it's true that some white people are a certain way. It is a composition error involving people as the class and a genetic trait (skin color) as the property. The person making that claim (no matter their skin color) is thus making a racist comment.

 

[Skeptic Bob]

While I agree that "that's mighty white of you" is a racist statement, I disagree with all popularized definitions of racism.

Racism doesn't require superiority of race, nor does it even require derogatory language. Racism is a composition error (which is a logical fallacy asserting that something is true of the whole because it is true of a part of the whole) involving people as the class and a genetic trait as the property.

In this case, one is arguing that all white people are a certain way because it's true that some white people are a certain way. It is a composition error involving people as the class and a genetic trait (skin color) as the property. The person making that claim (no matter their skin color) is thus making a racist comment.

To me that is more prejudice than racist.

 

[gfm7175]

Context?
2 white people- one says it to another?

Doesn't matter... it is still a racist comment...

It is making a composition error involving people as the class and a genetic trait as the property...

 

[americanwoman]

Weird, I have never heard that statement before but it does sound pretty racist.

 

[gfm7175]

To me that is more prejudice than racist.

I'm not sure how my definition of racism would instead be prejudice... You'd have to define prejudice for me... I'd say that prejudice is having pre-conceived (unfounded) notions towards something. Racism is, rather, based off of conceived notions, but notions that are conceived in a fallacious manner ("something is true of the whole because it is true of part of the whole" [otherwise known in Logic as the Composition Fallacy]). That's why this "that's mighty white of you" comment is racist, not because of 'race superiority' or 'derogatory language'. Racism is one branch of the Composition Fallacy, which is a logic error.

 

[gfm7175]

I haven't heard "that's mighty white of you" in years. I suppose that's a good thing. Origins, the 1970(s)? It doesn't sound nice, does it?

I never really gave the meaning of this idiom much thought until now. I googled it, and google says "That's mighty white of you, with the meaning of "thank you for being fair."

It implies any race but the white race can't be fair. Both bigoted and racist, IMO.

Both the text I put in red and the text I put in bold are absolutely correct.

It is bigoted because it is a composition error involving people as the class, and it is also racist because it is a composition error involving people as the class and a genetic trait (in this case, skin color) as the property.

Yet, I typically stick to solely claiming racism, since claiming bigotry in cases like this becomes redundant (as racism is a specific form of bigotry), but yes, it is technically both racist and bigoted.

 

[JANFU]

If I, white, say to another white, "that's mighty white of you" I mean "how not generous but pretending to be generous". Fake graciousness. Pretending.

Example:

"Let me help you..." *does nothing*.

"Mighty white o ya".


It's commentary on the failure of the majority power to render justice. It's about social dynamics, not race.

Same as using the N word or Gypsy?

 

[TrumpTrain]

That's mighty white of Kanye