Trial begins over flight attendant's allegedly racist rhyme

By The Associated Press

(1/21/04 - KANSAS CITY, KS) — A federal trial in Kansas City focuses on allegations that a comment by a Southwest Airlines employee was racist.

 

A 2001 flight from Las Vegas to Kansas City was waiting to depart when flight attendant Jennifer Cundiff tried to get passengers to be seated. Over the intercom, she announced, quote: "Eenie, meenie, minie moe; pick a seat, we gotta go."

 

Two black sisters on the flight say the rhyme was racist. Louise Sawyer and Grace Fuller say they suffered physical and emotional distress.

 

Their lawyer says it was discrimination, even though a racist word sometime associated with the rhyme wasn't used.

 

Cundiff says she had no idea why the rhyme would have been considered racist. She says it was directed at all those who weren't seated, not just Sawyer and Fuller. And she says she'd used it before on other flights, in an attempt at humor.

 

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/news/012104_APnat_rhyme.html

Wow. That's all I have to say. Wow.

disgusting how people can sue over this.

That reminds me of the episode of The Apprentice where the black woman made a snide remark about another person and this girl said "It's the pot calling the kettle black." and the black woman railed about it being a racist remark.

I think it has two do with the second line of the rhyme.  Since it was only the first line and wasn't used in any racist way, I am not sure I understand where the basis for the lawsuits stems...

the reason they might find it offensive was because it didnt always go catch a tiger by the toe.

420.. what's the point? Please delete the above post.

I think it has two do with the second line of the rhyme. Since it was only the first line and wasn't used in any racist way, I am not sure I understand where the basis for the lawsuits stems...

 

(I deleted the wrong post of mine above)

420.. what's the point? Please delete the above post.

i have never said that word aloud and im sorry if it offeneds you i will delete it i was just saying why they might find it offensive.

i have never said that word aloud and im sorry if it offeneds you i will delete it i was just saying why they might find it offensive.

Doesn't offend me.. I just think you could have proved your point without it. Not to mention... you know eventually someone would have commented.. "racism on the board too.."

That reminds me of the episode of The Apprentice where the black woman made a snide remark about another person and this girl said "It's the pot calling the kettle black." and the black woman railed about it being a racist remark.

Word.

 

Orumasa was the first who came to mind as soon as I read.

 

Damn, it was surreal when she said it, considering how otherwise smart she is.

countersue these b****es

What a load of s***. Two black ladies are suffering emotional, physical distress from a flight attendant saying "Eenie, meenie, minie moe; pick a seat, we gotta go."

 

First, how in the world can saying that cause physical distress? Second, because the chorus wasn't directed towards the ladies AND didn't contain any racial slurrs this frivalous lawsuit should be thrown out. I give it a week before the judge stops this nonsense and tells the two ladies to f*** off.

pysical distress? how is it physical distress? man, that is ridiculous... oops, i used the word "man", i hope that doesn't offend any women. i sure women think it is ridiculous too.

pysical distress?  how is it physical distress?  man, that is ridiculous... oops, i used the word "man", i hope that doesn't offend any women. i sure women think it is ridiculous too.

Chisoxgrl is a feminist....so you might be in trouble

Now in this world every little thing is considered racist. Hell, I remember when I was at an annual BBq, and this dude who saw his favorite food pork and beans, and his purto rican/mexican dude comes in and he says "pass me some pork n beans" and he got offended. I'm mixed with mexican myself and I didn't find that offensive one bit. I'm really tired of everyone's petty reactions of whats racist or not. It's a shame after all these years that racism would still be talked about in our time. Ridiculous.

thi9s reminds me of women who file fake domestic abuse charges against their husbands and boyfriends....then it comes out in court that it didnt happen and it makes it that much tougher for a woman who really was abused to get someone to believe her in court..

 

these things make it that much harder for everyone to take a real claim of racism serious..cause now you have try and sift through the claim and see if its bull or not...

Trial begins over flight attendant's allegedly racist rhyme

By The Associated Press

(1/21/04 - KANSAS CITY, KS) — A federal trial in Kansas City focuses on allegations that a comment by a Southwest Airlines employee was racist.

 

A 2001 flight from Las Vegas to Kansas City was waiting to depart when flight attendant Jennifer Cundiff tried to get passengers to be seated. Over the intercom, she announced, quote: "Eenie, meenie, minie moe; pick a seat, we gotta go."

 

Two black sisters on the flight say the rhyme was racist. Louise Sawyer and Grace Fuller say they suffered physical and emotional distress.

 

Their lawyer says it was discrimination, even though a racist word sometime associated with the rhyme wasn't used.

 

Cundiff says she had no idea why the rhyme would have been considered racist. She says it was directed at all those who weren't seated, not just Sawyer and Fuller. And she says she'd used it before on other flights, in an attempt at humor.

 

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/news/012104_APnat_rhyme.html

WHAA WHAA f***ING WHAA

 

 

If she'd used the rhyme I heard in "Pulp Fiction" eenie meenie miene moe catch a n***** by the toe...... then they would have had a point, but if these two sisters have such a glass jaw that something like that offends them then it boggles my mind how they made it that far in life.

WHAA WHAA f***ING WHAA

 

 

If she'd used the rhyme I heard in "Pulp Fiction"  eenie meenie miene moe catch a n***** by the toe......  then they would have had a point, but if these two sisters have such a glass jaw that something like that offends them then it boggles my mind how they made it that far in life.

Oh my god, he said the "N" word. He must be a racist...... not being black and all. YOU BETTER DELETE THAT POST!.

 

I guarantee those two ladies are either unemployed or hold a job that pays s***. Couple weeks ago when that one women thought she lost her lottery ticket in the snow, I thought she was scum (as with these two ladies). Didn't need proof to make that assumption, but when she admitted the story was false it only validated my belief.

 

Best way to explain this incident: Some people just walk around with the race card in their back pocket.

Oh my god, he said the "N" word.  He must be a racist...... not being black and all.  YOU BETTER DELETE THAT POST!. 

 

I guarantee those two ladies are either unemployed or hold a job that pays s***.  Couple weeks ago when that one women thought she lost her lottery ticket in the snow, I thought she was scum (as with these two ladies). Didn't need proof to make that assumption, but when she admitted the story was false it only validated my belief. 

 

Best way to explain this incident:  Some people just walk around with the race card in their back pocket.

I'm Sorry Flash if my previous request struck a nerve... but it's my opinion that the use of the word just isn't necessary to get the point across. I'd ask the same of Nuke and you.. but somehow I doubt it would do any good... <_>

WHAA WHAA f***ING WHAA

 

 

If she'd used the rhyme I heard in "Pulp Fiction"

the Pulp Fiction version is *the* version of that counting saying - every other way you have heard it is an attempt to clean it up since the civil rights era began, before the births of most of you. So any referance to "eenee meenie..." recalls the racial slur, at least for persons of a certain age. And its orgin, the poem itself, comes from the slave trade. So, Nuke, that is exacty what those women heard.

 

I was not offended by Nuke's use of the term, that word, in his post, in that particular post, since he was using in (a bit insensitively) in a more academic and not in a name calling way. Yet Steff shows us that any use is offensive to some, and to that we need to be sensitive.

 

I think that if anyone were to use the N word as name calling we would agree it was hate speech. Believe it or not, but this is the way it is: the use of the word "f*g" (and its synonyms) as name calling is the equivilant to use of the word "n*****" and thus is offensive and hate speech when used in name calling. Not acceptable, not allowable. Lots of other non hate tinged words can be used in insulting one another. A suggestion: use the term "suburban white boy" in any insult in which one may wish to use the N or the F word. If the motivation of using one set of words is held to be non offensive, using "suburban white boy" will be equally non offensive. If anyone has a problem with using "suburban white boy" as an insult, then that is the point of why the other terms are considered offensive and not allowed.

 

Should these women have sued? In America that is their right. The court will sort it out. That is the American way. That is the best way.

I guarantee those two ladies are either unemployed or hold a job that pays s***.

I'll take you up on that bet.

To be honest with you.. I am not the least bit offended by the word. I just think that usage of it here in a sarcastic manner opens up a door for it to be used more nonchalantly. That's one word I think would be better off on the filter. JMO, though.

To be honest with you.. I am not the least bit offended by the word. I just think that usage of it here in a sarcastic manner opens up a door for it to be used more nonchalantly. That's one word I think would be better off on the filter. JMO, though.

clarification noted -

the Pulp Fiction version is *the* version of that counting saying - every other way you have heard it is an attempt to clean it up since the civil rights era began, before the births of most of you.  So any referance to "eenee meenie..." recalls the racial slur, at least for persons of a certain age.  And its orgin, the poem itself, comes from the slave trade.  So, Nuke, that is exacty what those women heard.

 

I was not offended by Nuke's use of the term, that word, in his post since he was using in (a bit insensitively) in a more academic and not in a name calling way.  Yet Steff shows us that any use is offensive to some, and to that we need to be sensitive.

 

I think that if anyone were to use the N word as name calling we would agree it was hate sppech.  Flash, believe it or not, but this is the way it is: the use of the word "f*g" (and its synonyms) as name calling is the equivilant to use of the word "n*****" and thus is offensive and hate speech when used in name calling.  Not acceptable, not allowable.  Lots of other non hate tinged words can be used in insulting one another.  A suggestion: use the term "suburban white boy" in any insult in which one may wish to use the N or the F word.  If the motivation of using one set of words is held to be non offensive, using "suburban white boy" will be equally non offensive. If anyone has a problem with using "suburban white boy" as an insult, then that is the point of why the other terms are considered offensive and not allowed. 

 

Should these women have sued?  In America that is their right.  The court will sort it out.  That is the American way.  That is the best way.

The court will sort it out if these two go through with a lawsuit. If there's any justice in the world the case will be thrown out and the 2 will be made to pay court costs and severly reprimanded for wasting the courts time.

I'm flying Southwest into Chicago tomorrow, I'm kinda worried that a flight attendent may harass me with a racist remark...