Racist Furniture

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

A Couch Don Imus Should Avoid

April 11, 2007 10:45 AM

Dana Hughes Reports:

While all of America may be talking about the slurs of radio shock jock Don Imus, Canada is dealing with its own outrageous race scandal. But unlike Imus, no one's taken responsibility for the Canadian fiasco, which introduced a young girl to the "N" word that she had been lucky enough never to have heard before.

ABC News spoke to Doris and Douglas Moore of Toronto about what happened when they purchased a set of dark brown couches for $1300 and were told the couches were high-quality imports from Italy. But when they arrived, her 7-year-old daughter made a startling discovery. On the shipping label, next to "color," it read: Ni**er-Brown.

Doris Moore says she was in the kitchen when her daughter called out, "Mommy, what's ni**er brown?"

Doris, who is originally from Ghana, says she didn't believe her daughter at first and went to look at the label herself to confirm. When her daughter asked her the meaning of the word again, she was forced to explain a painful word that she had hoped to shield her daughter from as long as possible. She says her daughter "had never heard the word before. Never," not even in schoolyard taunts.

So far, no one has wanted to take responsibility for the slur. Moore immediately called the furniture store, Vanaik, from where she and her husband purchased the couches, but received no response. So she contacted a local television station, Toronto's City News, who tracked down the store manager. He told a reporter from the station he was sorry for the label but blamed the supplier, Paul Kumar of Toronto-based Cosmos Furniture, who also ships furniture to the United States. In media reports, Kumar said that the label was placed by the manufacturer, located in China, not Italy.

Kumar told ABC News that he spoke to the manufacturer and that the mistake was made "out of innocence." The slur was a translation problem with the labeling software, he said, but he declined to name the software used. He also said he didn't know how many other pieces of furniture his company may have sold with the racial epithet on the label.

Doris Moore has filed a formal complaint with the Ontario Human Rights Commission and the family is considering suing both the store and the supplier. If the OHRC finds the stores guilty of violating the Moore's civil rights, they could face fines.

Doris Moore says that despite the public apologies, neither the store owner or the supplier have contacted them to offer a refund or even a personal apology, something her husband, Douglass finds completely unacceptable. "People have to be made accountable for this," he says.

He sees a parallel in his family's situation and the fallout from the Don Imus racial controversy here in the U.S. "In this day in age, when is this going to end?" he asks. "It's 2007."

Source

[mawilson 2,133]

LMAO

[*JG* 2]

LMAO

Saw this yesterday on another web site.

Apparently, that word is pc in other countries to describe actual color.

I hate when it is used in any context by anyone.

[mawilson 2,133]

Mistranslation from Chinese?

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

niger is the Latin word for black. Maybe a typo.

[Nagishkaw 510]

Oh my goodness!

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Eh, that's PIGTOWN for ya!!!!!

...

ABC News spoke to Doris and Douglas Moore of Toronto about what happened when they purchased a set of dark brown couches for $1300 and were told the couches were high-quality imports from Italy. But when they arrived, her 7-year-old daughter made a startling discovery. On the shipping label, next to "color," it read: Ni**er-Brown.

Doris Moore says she was in the kitchen when her daughter called out, "Mommy, what's ni**er brown?"

...

[homesick_american 1]

Ugh, I hate the N-word...so ugly.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Ugh, I hate the N-word...so ugly.

How apt, that it happened in a city which Westerners (including myself) consider as a blight on Canada.

[mawilson 2,133]

Racist furniture? Hardly. What self-respecting racist would buy a ***-brown couch?

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

What self-respecting racist would buy a ***-brown couch?

Strom Thurmond ~ if he was alive...

[Dr_LHA 3]

niger is the Latin word for black. Maybe a typo.

I think you might be reaching a bit there!

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

Jesse Jackson says he still shops in Himey town.

[JoeMama 0]

niger is the Latin word for black. Maybe a typo.

Niger is the name of country. I don't know when the 2nd "g" was added to it to make a racial epitaph. I thought "negro" was the latin word for black? Maybe I need to brush up on my pig Latin a little

Edited April 11, 2007 by altimixdj

[mawilson 2,133]

niger is the Latin word for black. Maybe a typo.

I thought "negro" was the latin word for black? Maybe I need to brush up on my pig Latin a little

No. Negro is the Spanish word for black. Niger is Latin.