Is the old saying Pot calling Kettle Black a racist saying?

[Toots]

I mean what is wrong with being called black? Or is it because of the soot that usually builds up on those old time cooking pots? :shrug:

[bryant69]

1. Hey this is a fun meaningless controversy

Let's argue about this for a while.

I say as a white male (and I think we can all agree that White Males are pretty much always right) that there's nothing wrong with the phase pot calling the kettle black. They refer to cooking utensils not to the color of people's skin.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[Atman]

2. It is literally and OLD saying, from the days of iron cookware

There was no T-Fal then...everything was black cast iron. No racist component at all.

[genie_weenie]

3. Here's a google hit from Sept 13 2001 (same topic)

http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/10/messages/802.html

But then the further question is, is the word "black" itself racist?

[TlalocW]

4. I don't think so

It's just another way of saying, "Hey, pal, look in the mirror!" when someone is complaining about a quality defect in another person while having that same defect.

Another interesting one is blackmail. Turns out there used to be whitemail as well, and the two used to be a way a vassal could pay tribute to his lord. Whitemail was normal money while blackmail was the equivalent in produce/animals/etc, but since it's harder to put a direct price on goods, the lord could always get more out of blackmail by demanding more, and since the vassal paying blackmail didn't have the money in the first place, he could hardly refuse - thus the negative connotation assigned to it.

TlalocW

[soothsayer]

5. Nah, cast iron was black, so kettles were black, pots were black

and no, they weren't calling each other the N word or anything like that.

[kestrel91316]

8. Thank you. You get the gold star today. I don't think most people these

days have ever even SEEN cast iron cookware. I happen to LOVE my two sizes of skillets, the dutch oven, and the griddle! And yes, they are ALL black.

[DanCa]

6. I changed it to the phrase isn't that the pot calling the kettle tope

:D People get all confused when I say it.

[Jim Warren]

7. soot from the cooking fire, nothing more in it. n/t

[kestrel91316]

9. Nope. Wrong answer. See #5, lol!

[Redstone]

10. No, it's fucking not. Don't be ridiculous.

Redstone