LoneStarMike From United States of America, joined Jul 2000, 3641 posts, RR: 38 Posted (10 years 3 months 1 week 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 6352 times:
From the Houston Chronicle:
Trial set in Southwest "racist rhyme" suit 02/10/2003
Apparently, two black pasengers were insulted when a Southwest FA said over the intercom "Eenie meenie miney moe - Pick a seat we gotta go" because historically, the rhyme used to be "Eenie meenie miney moe - Catch a n_____ (deragatory term for African Americans) by the toe".
HlywdCatft From United States of America, joined Jan 2001, 5321 posts, RR: 7 Reply 1, posted (10 years 3 months 1 week 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 6324 times:
Corocks From United States of America, joined Feb 2001, 1199 posts, RR: 0 Reply 2, posted (10 years 3 months 1 week 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 6306 times:
Tom in NO From United States of America, joined Nov 1999, 7194 posts, RR: 40 Reply 5, posted (10 years 3 months 1 week 4 days 20 hours ago) and read 6224 times:
And if the lawsuit follows recent examples, the alleged 'plaintiffs' will sue not only Southwest, but also the Las Vegas airport operator, Boeing, the air traffic controllers on duty that were no doubt making the FA rush her pre-flight, the aircraft refueler, and the passengers seated in the next row back.
This sounds like Johnnie Cochran territory.
Tom in NO (at MSY)
"The criminal ineptitude makes you furious"-Bruce Springsteen, after seeing firsthand the damage from Hurricane Katrina
TxAgKuwait From United States of America, joined Aug 1999, 1803 posts, RR: 48 Reply 6, posted (10 years 3 months 1 week 4 days 20 hours ago) and read 6215 times:
If the seatbelt where you sit doesn't fit you must acquit
HlywdCatft From United States of America, joined Jan 2001, 5321 posts, RR: 7 Reply 8, posted (10 years 3 months 1 week 4 days 20 hours ago) and read 6207 times:
yeah this is the first time i heard this poem with the N word in it. I always thought that it was tiger.
Clipper471 From United States of America, joined Jan 2002, 726 posts, RR: 0 Reply 9, posted (10 years 3 months 1 week 4 days 20 hours ago) and read 6165 times:
AIRLINERS.NET CREW DATABASE EDITOR
"Grace Fuller, 48, and her sister Louis Sawyer, 46, were returning from Las Vegas two years ago..."
The purpose of the suit is to try to recoup what they lost gambling in Vegas, I'm sure. I wonder how much they lost? Brilliant.
Ual777contrail From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 10, posted (10 years 3 months 1 week 4 days 20 hours ago) and read 6144 times:
hlywd,
I agree, we use to say that little diddy when we were trying to find out who was going to be "it" first while playing hide and seek in the summertime as a kid.
Mls515 From United States of America, joined Jun 2000, 3069 posts, RR: 9 Reply 11, posted (10 years 3 months 1 week 4 days 19 hours ago) and read 6100 times:
Same here with the tiger. I never heard it with the "n-word" in that, and I even lived in Texas, Alabama and Mississippi as a kid.
Laxflyer From United States of America, joined Feb 2000, 158 posts, RR: 0 Reply 13, posted (10 years 3 months 1 week 4 days 18 hours ago) and read 6035 times:
Amazing! Here we have two sisters who no doubt use terms as "Cracker and Honky" when referring to white people and then get offended when a FA tries to inject some fun into flying. Thats the US legal system for you. It reminds me of the time when I stepped off one of my flights to chat with an agent I hadn't seen for a while. During the course of chatting I asked what our return load was and she replied, "Full and those people are standby." Those people happened to be a black family. Daddy heard the words, "those people," and he had to confront the agent asking her, "What do you mean those people?" Of course he had to accuse her of being racist and threaten to sue, threaten to write a nasty letter, threaten to own the airline, etc. Nothing ever became of it, just another attempt of someone trying to get something for nothing. He did however provide us with plenty of laughs that day. I sincerely hope these two clowns get a jury who also find the lawsuit foolish and toss Martha and her remaining Vandella right out on thier keesters. Hopefully they'll land on Al Sharpton.
Jhooper From United States of America, joined Dec 2001, 6195 posts, RR: 13 Reply 14, posted (10 years 3 months 1 week 4 days 18 hours ago) and read 6013 times:
Why isn't this protected speech?
Last year 1,944 New Yorkers saw something and said something.
AWspicious From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 15, posted (10 years 3 months 1 week 4 days 17 hours ago) and read 6006 times:
As a tiger, I'm highly insulted by this historical little ditty. Perhaps, Kellogg can recommend a good lawyer.
Funny thing, the version I knew had the 'n' word... and that was in Trinidad - B-wee land.
And what's this about being insulted because they're called people. Can somebody please help me understand this one. You call then 'N' - They're insulted. You call them 'People' - They're insulted. What do they want to be called?!?! I really need to know the answer to this, because, in this day and age of political correctness, I've got to bring my daughter up to speed on how she is to describe herself. After-all, I can't have her living in the dark ages. Oops..... Is that a bad thing to say?
Goingboeing From United States of America, joined Dec 1999, 4875 posts, RR: 19 Reply 16, posted (10 years 3 months 1 week 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 5912 times:
Couple of things - Johnnie Cochran doesn't work on a contingency basis. And I hope that SWA appears in court, offers to inform all FA's to cease singing the song, thus "righting the wrong", and with the main reason for monetary damages being thrown out, ending the case. You ever see the look on a lawyers face who worked on a contingency basis and got a settlement like that? It ain't pretty.
The story was in yesterdays Kansas City Star and one of the ladies is claiming that it caused her to have a grand mal seizure after she got home. I don't know how long this link will be active, but here it is:
Airsicknessbag From Germany, joined Aug 2000, 4723 posts, RR: 38 Reply 17, posted (10 years 3 months 1 week 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 5876 times:
"The court agrees with plaintiffs that because of its history, the phrase `eenie, meenie, minie, moe' could reasonably be viewed as objectively racist and offensive."
I wonder why US lawyers have such a stellar reputation and are loved by everybody...
"The jury will have to decide whether Southwest denied Sawyer and Fuller the same enjoyment that others experienced on that flight."
WN provides enjoyment to their pax? Good to hear that, what kind of enjoyment?
"It was like I was too dumb to find a seat."
Bad bad seats, hiding from that lady, tsk tsk. I guess not only WN´s stewardesses are racist, but also their seats.
"She has ´unexplained memory gaps´ about the flight."
Yeah, she doesn´t remember when she lost common sense...
"Because she did not have health insurance, she did not seek medical attention, she said."
Maybe she should get health insurance rather than be going to Vegas...
"Southwest attendants, frequently employ humor on flights."
Oh my God, why isn´t that cruel and unusual practice outlawed???
Jtamu97 From United States of America, joined Mar 2001, 655 posts, RR: 2 Reply 19, posted (10 years 3 months 1 week 4 days 9 hours ago) and read 5693 times:
That is insane! You cannot say anything now a days without someone misconstruing it. I did consult my attorney before posting this message in fear the same people might come after me for not using a contraction and actually spelling out cannot...Perhaps I am insulting some less intelligent person ..Also on behalf of the Americans for Tigers Movement, I am going to march on Washington and demand the word Tiger be removed...Funny thing is Tigers don't really have toes anyways ....See we can all be ridiculous, I just don't understand why some people have to make a living out of it. I hope this does not deter the Flight Attendants from still joking around..That is the fun part about Southwest
Jtamu97 From United States of America, joined Mar 2001, 655 posts, RR: 2 Reply 21, posted (10 years 3 months 1 week 4 days 9 hours ago) and read 5643 times:
I'll let someone else run with that..Don't want to get sued myself, plus think I could only round up about 300 Tigers or so
Sllevin From United States of America, joined Jan 2002, 3376 posts, RR: 6 Reply 22, posted (10 years 3 months 1 week 4 days 4 hours ago) and read 5467 times:
Now, I'm from the west, but I do consider myself fairly well educated and civilised, and I never knew the origins of that ditty. I remember singing it all the time when we were kids.....
FSPilot747 From United States of America, joined Oct 1999, 3599 posts, RR: 14 Reply 23, posted (10 years 3 months 1 week 4 days 4 hours ago) and read 5454 times:
I think the Judge should throw them in the slammer and lose the key just for wasting his time.
Dan2002 From United States of America, joined Dec 2002, 2055 posts, RR: 5 Reply 24, posted (10 years 3 months 1 week 4 days 3 hours ago) and read 5420 times:
The new WN flight attendant set of laws.
In her report, Cundiff wrote, "The statement I made on Flight 524 was not racist or discriminating, and I am offended that because I have white skin suddenly I am a racist. Maybe those that run around pointing fingers yelling racist should stop and turn that finger around."
And when i read it i think it should be stuck on the so called "victims" foreheads.
And that is if they arent still bedridden or able to remember where their foreheads are.
dan2002
A guy asks 'What's Punk?'. I kick over a trash can and its punk. He knocks over a trash can and its trendy.
25 Corocks: She has Epilepsy, but has no health insurance, real smart. No health insurance but spent time in Vegas. "Com-on lucky seven, mama needs some health in
26 Zrs70: When I first learned about the origin of this poem 15 years ago, I stopped using it. Period. Similaryly, I stopped using the expression "to gyp" someo
27 Flyinghighboy: Well this is the first time I've heard about that phrase that it was "nig..." I always thought it was tiger as well down here in Australia. We used it
28 NWA Man: How long before Greg comes on this thread and says the suit is justified? Methinks no more than an hour... N-Dub
29 SegmentKing: and it only took her 2 years to file the lawsuit............
30 HlywdCatft: Most of the people who scream racism to everything are racist themselves
31 EA CO AS: I have a funny feeling that WN may rein in their flight attendants from making rhymes and such if these two idiots actually win their case for big buc
32 Beefmoney: This is what bugs me. If you watch BET (Black Entertainment Televison) and you watch the black comedians they feature you will notice one major thing.
33 Lowfareair: I can't wait for these two to fly UA and then sue cuz they were flying in the back of the 'bus(row 22 or so on the 319) so UA is therefore racist. Or
34 Redngold: This makes me furious the more I read about it. -->We're late but we're black so we should be allowed on the plane anyway -->The rhyme was aimed at me
35 HlywdCatft: How does Johnnie Cochrane have time to do this case with Southwest? I thought he was too busy going after the Detroit Lions for not interviewing any b
36 FlyingTexan: I got a call once from a passenger of Asian decent. He stated ranting and raving that AA racially discriminated against him on LAX-LAS. He was a prote
37 XFSUgimpLB41X: i always thought it was catch a tiger by its toe... I need to be able to sue people for sueing about stupid things that piss me off. Get me my lawyer!
38 FSPilot747: Yeah the more I think about it, the more stirred up I get. These jerks are a disgrace to humanity. FSP
39 AerMickey: Nothing would be better than to see the Ole' attorney walking through the doors of the court room. None other than the man who transformed SWA into th
40 Dash8tech: When I was in the Navy - a highly culturally diverse arena - we had a gentlemen, a white fella that got into trouble for calling a black shipmate the
41 Jmc1975: The truth is, nobody was called a nigger onboard the flight. But it's becoming more obvious that there were two passengers on that flight who were ver
42 Goingboeing: AerMickey - If Herb's the lawyer, I'm taking the day off to sit in court and watch.
43 PROSA: It's funny, I heard (and used) the Eenie Menie etc. rhyme many times as a child, and I never imagined that it was anything except "catch a tiger by th
44 707cmf: Lowfareair > Or if WN asked them if they would like their coffee 'black'. Like your men ? Antoine, airplanelover
45 Gr8slvrflt: Growing up in the South in the sixties, I definitely heard the racist version many times. I can see how these two ladies would have been offended, esp
46 Corocks: Actually I have always heard it as catch a 'Lion' by his toe.
47 Goingboeing: There is a website that addresses the "racist" issue at: It says in part: "In fact, looking at samples from people who learned the rhyme in 1953, 1965
48 B747-437B: For the record, my Catholic school in India taught me the "nigger" version as late as the early 1980s and probably still does so. The first I heard th
49 LoneStarMike: Here in the U.S. there is a morning talk show called The View, with Meredith Viera, Star Jones, Joy Behar and Barbara Walters. Barbara wasn't on the s
50 Laxflyer: I find it even more sad that two black women who have nothing better to do then to file a stupid lawsuit over a comment that was meant as nothing more
51 Gr8slvrflt: What is so sad is that so many on this forum continue to make offensive remarks and are trying to turn this into an "us vs. them" situation. While I a
52 Goingboeing: laxflyer - from everything I've read, most black people are embarrassed by this lawsuit.
53 Ahlfors: The question I would have for these two women is that if the flight attendant who had said the rhyme was African American, would they have sued the ai
55 IslandHopper: FlyingTexan...LOL! What's the story behind this plane? How did they manage to get a confederate flag on their plane without causing an uproar?
56 Laxflyer: Have you ever watched the Jeffersons? Have you ever watched a black comedian? Always racial slurs against white people. The point is I don't feel the
57 EGGD: I heard it as 'eenie meenie miney moe, catch a baby by its toe, if it squeals, let it go, eenie meenie miney moe...' And i've heard tiger as well.. Bu
58 David B.: "Polly wanna cracker" will be a racist term and all parrots would have to be executed. nope, most parrots don't like crackers Oh My.......looks at all
59 4holer: Gr8slvrflt, Would then your nickname also be derogatory and in poor taste if someone sued you because they were offended? You see, this one person som
60 Legalman: gotta add my $.02. first, if any attorney took this case I'd be the first inline to have him disbarred. You gotta love this "politically correct" nati
61 Goingboeing: Legalman - Read a few posts up, the one posted by LoneStarMike - here - I'll save you the effort: Star Jones, who is African American, said she though
62 Legalman: Goingboing- It was a joke poking fun at our immature government and press.
63 Jmc1975: David B. What in the heck are you talking about?????????????
64 Srbmod: People of African descent wonder why they are disliked so much......... Right here is a very good example. Why work, let's sue a major company with a
65 Rjnut: the trial is in Kansas City, KS(wyandotte county) which has a large black population, unlike johnson county ,where the two live ,so look for a sympath
66 Marcus: Have you ever watched the Jeffersons? Have you ever watched a black comedian? Always racial slurs against white people. The point is I don't feel the
67 Goingboeing: Rjnut, after OJ, I can't say that anything is guaranteed. But I don't think KCK folks have much in common with folks in LA.
69 Jmc1975: You know, the term "African-American" is a misnomer. What would you call a white person from South Africa who immigrates to the US? African-American.
70 XFSUgimpLB41X: I have an african american student...and she is white. Grew up in South Africa and came over here. I think she acctually does mark African American wh
71 GD727: This suit can't make it through. The FA that made that announcement was obviously not referring to the old poem using the "N" word. The passengers jus
72 Hkg82: Talk about an over-reaction. This is absurd & I hope the suit is dismissed in court.... Hkg82.
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..Also on behalf of the Americans for Tigers Movement, I am going to march on Washington and demand the word Tiger be removed...Funny thing is Tigers don't really have toes anyways 
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