History Main / MistakenforRacist

* ''{{Seinfeld}}'': Happens to both Jerry, when he dates a Native American woman, and George, when he tries to find a black friend to prove to his coworkers he's no bigot.

[[AC:VideoGames]]
* There is a big controversy over ''ResidentEvil5''; namely, about how Chris Redfield - a white man in a police uniform - gets to fight off a bunch of Africans that were infected by Las Plagas. There was a big debate if ''[=RE5=]'' is racist or just un-PC. ItGotWorse when certain enemy {{Mooks}} show up wearing grass skirts and chucking spears (it was explained in-game that these enemies didn't do this until they became infected) and that Sheva wore a stereotypical Jungle FurBikini as a special costume. In which only made the debate [[BrokenBase go even worse]].
** To idiots, this makes the bad guys come off as racist, and is justified in-story.
*** Amusingly, no one had a problem with zombies being white in the previous games. DoubleRacism!
*** They were green - and came from all major ethnicities, as far as you could tell. Of course, they did the same thing in RE4 to [[strike:Latinos]] Spanish people.
* This ''CastleCrashers'' [[http://www.gametrailers.com/user-movie/castle-crashers-racist-voicemail/295048 video]]. It seems some people are just looking for [[AmbulanceChaser any excuse to be insulted]].

* An incredibly awkward version pops up in "True Crime", when Clint Eastwood's character goes to see the mother of a black possible witness. She assumes he's racist, and while he's sputtering, trying to explain herself, she correctly figures out that the other two witnesses and the victim were all white. Eastwood's character tells her she's "making it into a race thing" and tells her the condemned man he's trying to save is ''also'' black. She tells him the man he came to see has been dead for three years, and asks him where he was when he got stabbed.
* In ''National Security'', which gets a good half-hour out of the joke, Earl (Black) played by Martin Lawrence tries to get into his car when he finds that he has locked his keys inside. The police officer Hank (White) played by Steve Zahn confronts Earl and mistakes him for a car thief trying to break into the car. However, immediately after Earl is cuffed a bumblebee arrives and, as Earl is allergic to bumblebees, Hank attempts to swat the bee away to protect Earl from a potentially lethal reaction. Unfortunately, all that the bystanders see is a white cop savagely swinging a nightstick near a hand-cuffed black man, and to top it off the bee ''does'' manage to sting Earl. Afterwards, with a jittery recording of the encounter on the news and Earl seemingly bruised from the beating (But really just swollen from the bee sting) Hank was convicted with aggravated assault by an all black jury and sentenced to six months in prison.

* Occurs as a CrowningMomentOfFunny in CabinFever. At one point the characters ask a store owner why he has a high-powered rifle behind the counter, and he explains it's "for the blacks" ([[NWordPrivileges not in those exact words]]). At the end of the movie [[spoiler: we see a black group, whom the store owner is clearly on friendly terms with, come to the store to buy the gun, at which point the audience sees that he doesn't know the difference between using "er" and "a"]].

* Absolutely every [[strike:[[AcceptableTargets white]]]] non-black person the [[MalcolmXerox Militant Black Guy]] talks to in ''Balls Of Steel'' due to the usage of words spoken causing ''very'' UnfortunateImplications from both sides.

* On one episode of ''Bones'' the socially challenged Bones compares the tune of rap music in a club to tribal music she heard in Africa. Two black women hear her and one accuses her of racism while the other one understands what she means. A near brawl ensues between the three women

* This little gem from SaturdayMorningBreakfastCereal.

* Richard Herring's '''As It Occurs To Me''' podcast. Richard describes how twenty years ago he was playing a skin head in a play and was turned away from a Pizza Hut because they assumed he was racist. He then told of how he was recently given bad service in a branch of Pizza Express because he has a Hitler moustache (which he had because for his stand up show Hitler Moustache). He said there should be a campaign against people who aren't racist being discriminated because people think they're racist (although he admits that he is probably the only person with that problem).

* In TheVentureBrothers the Alchemist, remarking upon Jefferson Twilights' outfit, says "black is slimming". Cue a stony-faced expression from the African-American Jefferson.

* Philip Roth's book (and later [[TheMovie movie]]) ''TheHumanStain'' was all about a professor being accused of using the word "are these people spooks?" when asking why he never saw two student appear according to racist rather than common definition because on of them was black (which he didn't know because they never turned up). The faculty admits he probably wasn't, but just shouldn't have used that word. He isn't fired or demoted, he resigns in protest of the accusation. It's implied that the faculty was really just being resentful because he effected some unpopular tenure reforms.
** In the film, he turns to his black fellow [[NWordPrivileges to convince them otherwise]], but feels betrayed when he doesn't. The Big Revelation of the story is [[spoiler: he has NWordPrivileges himself]].

-->'''Austin''': It's not a black thing, it's not a white thing; it's a me kicking your ass thing!

* In the 2005 DukesOfHazzard film, Bo and Luke are shown stuck in traffic. As several other drivers pass them they make comments. The first is a stereotypical [[DeepSouth redneck]] who shouts out "Southern By the Grace of God!" leaving them a little confused. Then a black couple drives by them and asks them if they're late for their Klan meeting, leaving them even more confused. Another redneck drives by complimenting them again. Then another black woman drives by and says "Nice roof." Bo and Luke then check their roof of the General Lee and discover the Confederate flag that it was so well known for on the TV series.

* Occurs as a CrowningMomentOfFunny in CabinFever. At one point the characters ask a store owner why he has a high-powered rifle behind the counter, and he explains it's "for the blacks" ([[NWordPrivileges not in those exact words]]). At the end of the movie [[spoiler: we see a black group, whom the store owner is clearly on friendly terms with, come to the store to buy the gun, at which point the audience sees that he doesn't know the difference between using "er" and "a".]].

* Occurs as a CrowningMomentOfFunny in CabinFever. At one point the characters ask a store owner why he has a high-powered rifle behind the counter, and he explains it's "for the blacks" (though probably not in those exact words). At the end of the movie [[spoiler: we see a black family, whom the store owner is clearly on friendly terms with, come to the store to buy the gun]].

*** They were green - and came from all major ethnicities, as far as you could tell.

*** They were green - and came from all major ethnicities, as far as you could tell. It does get a bit unfortunate in [=RE5=], especially when the same thing was done in [RE4=] to Latinos.

** Funny, considering that a major percentage of skinheads are decidedly anti-racist, and hold special loathing towards those who mixed the neo-Nazi and skinhead subcultures together.

[[AC:VideoGames]]
* There is a big controversy over ''ResidentEvil5''; namely, about how Chris Redfield - a white man in a police uniform - gets to fight off a bunch of Africans that were infected by Las Plagas. There was a big debate if ''[=RE5=]'' is racist or just un-PC. ItGotWorse when certain enemy {{Mooks}} show up wearing grass skirts and chucking spears (it was explained in-game that these enemies didn't do this until they became infected) and that Sheva wore a stereotypical Jungle FurBikini as a special costume. In which only made the debate [[BrokenBase go even worse]].
** To idiots, this makes the bad guys come off as racist, and is justified in-story.
*** Amusingly, no one had a problem with zombies being white in the previous games. DoubleRacism!
*** They were green - and came from all major ethnicities, as far as you could tell. It does get a bit unfortunate in [=RE5=], especially when the same thing was done in [RE4=] to Latinos.
* This ''CastleCrashers'' [[http://www.gametrailers.com/user-movie/castle-crashers-racist-voicemail/295048 video]]. It seems some people are just looking for [[AmbulanceChaser any excuse to be insulted]].

**

** In a ''SaturdayNightLive'' skit, KeithOlbermann (played by Ben Affleck) "proves" that Bush is racist by playing a clip of him in which he says "to find those folks". When it's pointed out that Bush was referring to Al-Qaeda, "whose members are entirely Middle-Eastern", Olbermann replies "so we have a president who is not only a racist, but also an imbecile".

* {{Monk}} has that habit of cleaning/disinfecting his hands after he shakes anyone's hand. When he does this after shaking a black guy's hand in "Mr. Monk and the Marathon Man", people who aren't familiar with this habit assume it's because he's racist.

** Thankfully avoided in the first part of the series finale - after shaking hands with a black physician, Monk does his normal wiping thing...and is complemented by the doctor, who notes that if more people did that, he'd have a much easier job.

* On one episode of ''Bones'' the socaialy chalenged Bones compares the tune of rap music in a club to tribal music she heard in Africa. Two black women hear her and one acuses her of racisim while the other one understands what she means. A near brawl ensues between the three women
** Another time Bones contualy asks a black intern to continue doing reserch in a feild. Sarcasticly the intern uses a southern accent asking her if there is "any more work she wants done on the plantation". She says no and asks whats wrong with his voice.

* Every other episode of ''CurbYourEnthusiasm'' (Hmm, Larry David must love this trope.)

* Happened during a very forgettable feud between Stone Cold & Faarooq:
-->'''Austin''': It's not a black thing, it's not a white thing; it's a me kicking your ass thing!

* Occurs as a CrowningMomentOfFunny in CabinFever.