‘Racist Snackbar’ Vine Clip Begs Question ‘Is It Really Racist?’ [VIDEO]

We’ve reached a point in society where the cry of “racism” is bordering on hysteria levels. In this 5-second Vine clip, we see a bunch of vaguely ethnic-looking employees standing/sitting/lounging/looking on at a Syracuse University snack bar/food counter while one black girl works. The clip, meant to be an aspect of snarky social commentary in a compressed format, has now triggered a mini-debate questioning, “Is this racist?” Should the poster of the clip be fired? And yet, once again, mob mentality is operating off their gut without using their brains.

We don’t know the details here yet. Maybe the black employee posted the video to show off how lazy her co-workers are? Maybe the employees all worked in conjunction on this and she just happened to be the one they decided would be cleaning. Granted, both scenarios are unlikely, and this most likely is some attempt to be funny, but the real danger is in taking videos like this at face value.

All the commenters seem to only see color here, and it’s a shame that the discussion centered on a “black versus every other race” talking point. I see a few different ethnicities represented here — the one girl working is the darkest skin color amongst them. So is this racist? Or have we just become conditioned to cry “racism” as a catchall? Is it just because the one skin type is doing something the other skin types aren’t? Or is it racist that that is what we notice? Would it be more or less racist if the roles were reversed and the black girl was the only one not working? To me, there are a whole lot of questions that should be asked and answered before the term “racism” even enters the conversation.

For more on the racism conversation, check out these links:

Is There Racism on YouTube? Black Content Creators Speak Out At SXSW

Blackface is Back! Fraternity Now Under Investigation For Racist YouTube Video

Viral ‘What Kind of Asian Are You?’ Video Pokes Fun At Stereotypical Questions