But race is more than genetics; it's also culture.
Taking the piss out of a hat is fine. I, for one, think baseball caps are ridiculous. Taking the piss out of a hat, especially one worn as a symbol of cultural solidarity, in a way that seeks to reinforce detrimental and incorrect stereotypes about that culture is racist. It's like saying,'You look like a sand monkey/raghead.' It's not the same as saying hahaha, people who wear keffiyehs look like they have a tea towel on their head, which is taking the piss out of the hat.
If you intend to take the piss out of a culture at work you need to be careful. Calling the French bloke a cheese eating surrender monkey is going to get you in trouble, and saying someone who wears a keffiyeh is a terrorist falls into the same category. It's offensive, so you need to save it for when you out with mates, rather than colleagues
( The Awful Puppy Bakery is still bored, Thu 29 May 2014, 19:09, 1 reply)

Culture is also a learned behaviour that you can choose not to do.
So, it is perfectly acceptable to take the piss out of it.
(eViLegion Chief Commissioner of the Scottish Lunacy Board, Thu 29 May 2014, 20:29, closed)

Exactly.
If I decided tomorrow that "my culture" was to wear a strap-on dildo on my head it would be as valid as any other "cultural costume".
We ought not to live in some feudal iron-age society where a head-dress is some kind of untouchable "holy icon".
If it's OK to take the piss out of a crap dress sense (it is, I checked) then it is equally as OK to take the piss out of silly head gear.
I'm also still not sure how any of this is "racist"?
(Me, I'm not... in any way intoxicated, Thu 29 May 2014, 20:35, closed)

It is ok to take the piss out of head dress.
It's not ok to take the piss out of it in a culturally sensitive way when out for a drink with colleagues. Can you not understand that? I'm definitely right on this. The evidence is the bit in the story where the person got sacked. It's basically not ok to say anything that could possibly be construed as offensive to anyone anywhere in front of your colleagues, because it's racist. Anyone who can't grasp that fact is a fucking idiot and deserves to be sacked. Racist here meaning saying anything that could possibly be construed as offensive to anyone anywhere.
( The Awful Puppy Bakery is still bored, Thu 29 May 2014, 22:21, closed)

Not really.
Racism is about race - which is something you can't choose.

Culture and religion you can choose.

I don't see the problem with taking the piss out of people's culture. Crusties having dogs on string, for example, or chavs being chavvish.
( Je suis un vagabond is an unfunny, up your own arse middle class knob, Fri 30 May 2014, 9:37, closed)

yerr ... you could always just Google and learn what the rest of the world and the law understands by racism
or ... you know ... just make shit up
( Dr. Shambolic je suis charlie, Fri 30 May 2014, 10:44, closed)

Argumentum ad populum, eh?
Most of the rest of the world are fucking idiots (particularly the legislators).
(eViLegion Chief Commissioner of the Scottish Lunacy Board, Fri 30 May 2014, 13:48, closed)

I love it when thick people use Latin terms they don't understand.
An appeal to the masses clearly isn't fallacious when it is supporting a social convention or legislation based upon democracy.
( Dr. Shambolic je suis charlie, Fri 30 May 2014, 14:42, closed)

Disagreeing with a law doesn't exempt you from it.

(Eukanuba, Fri 30 May 2014, 14:45, closed)

The key word is 'race'.
Culture isn't race. Religion isn't race either.
( Je suis un vagabond is an unfunny, up your own arse middle class knob, Sat 31 May 2014, 10:57, closed)

Are you brain dead or just a troll?
Racism is not "offending somnebody about something" it has a very specific linguistic meaning and its legal meaning is becoming nothing like that due to morons like you.
Again -- there is nothing in somebodies genetic makeup that means they wear a silly headdress.
(Me, I'm not... in any way intoxicated, Sat 31 May 2014, 16:14, closed)