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"Old people... should just die" and "know when it's time to move over and leave the future for the young." - Roseanne Barr on John McCain's presidential run. link
The most offensive comment of 2008
“All the hunters gather up, there’s a n----- in the White House.” – Buck Burnette, former UT football player. link
Honorable Mention
Unable to stop at 10, the authors include a few additional statements they consider offensive that did not receive enough votes to make the top ten.
11. “That boy's finger does not need to be on the button.” - US Rep Geoff Davis on Presidential candidate Barack Obama. link
12. “You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them... And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.” – Presidential candidate Barack Obama. link
13. “Senator Obama’s support among working, hard-working Americans – White Americans – is weakening.” – Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. link
14. “C.H.A.N.G.E. - Come Help A N----- Get Elected.” – Marianna, Florida teacher Greg Howard, to his students. link
Tough reading
Bates-Ballard acknowledges that reading a list of offensive comments one after another can be jarring. “It’s an uncomfortable list for me to read,” she says. “But the good news is that for every one of these comments, there are a range of healthy, constructive responses. I encourage everyone who respects diversity to take more initiative in responding to comments whenever we can. It’s not always easy, but the impact will be felt,” she urges. Those interested in seeing the authors’ suggested responses can go to www.navigatingdiversity.com/topten.html.
A more comprehensive diversity resource
The idea for the top ten list came about as a result of the book Navigating Diversity, published in September, 2008. Available from Amazon.com, it offers five suggested responses to 50 offensive or awkward comments and a more comprehensive discussion of the five response styles.
