A racist sofa in Canada?

[GobbleDog 816]

While all of America may be talking about the slurs of radio shock jock Don Imus, Canada is dealing with its own outrageous race scandal. But unlike Imus, no one's taken responsibility for the Canadian fiasco, which introduced a young girl to the "N" word that she had been lucky enough never to have heard before.

 

ABC News spoke to Doris and Douglas Moore of Toronto about what happened when they purchased a set of dark brown couches for $1300 and were told the couches were high-quality imports from Italy. But when they arrived, her 7-year-old daughter made a startling discovery. On the shipping label, next to "color," it read: Ni**er-Brown.

 

Doris Moore says she was in the kitchen when her daughter called out, "Mommy, what's ni**er brown?" Doris, who is originally from Ghana, says she didn't believe her daughter at first and went to look at the label herself to confirm. When her daughter asked her the meaning of the word again, she was forced to explain a painful word that she had hoped to shield her daughter from as long as possible. She says her daughter "had never heard the word before. Never," not even in schoolyard taunts.

 

So far, no one has wanted to take responsibility for the slur. Moore immediately called the furniture store, Vanaik, from where she and her husband purchased the couches, but received no response. So she contacted a local television station, Toronto's City News, who tracked down the store manager. He told a reporter from the station he was sorry for the label but blamed the supplier, Paul Kumar of Toronto-based Cosmos Furniture, who also ships furniture to the United States. In media reports, Kumar said that the label was placed by the manufacturer, located in China, not Italy.

 

Kumar told ABC News that he spoke to the manufacturer and that the mistake was made "out of innocence." The slur was a translation problem with the labeling software, he said, but he declined to name the software used. He also said he didn't know how many other pieces of furniture his company may have sold with the racial epithet on the label.

 

Doris Moore has filed a formal complaint with the Ontario Human Rights Commission and the family is considering suing both the store and the supplier. If the OHRC finds the stores guilty of violating the Moore's civil rights, they could face fines.

 

Doris Moore says that despite the public apologies, neither the store owner or the supplier have contacted them to offer a refund or even a personal apology, something her husband, Douglass finds completely unacceptable. "People have to be made accountable for this," he says. He sees a parallel in his family's situation and the fallout from the Don Imus racial controversy here in the U.S. "In this day in age, when is this going to end?" he asks. "It's 2007."

 

ABC News story and picture

[surferskin 30]

crassic.

[davebg 0]

Doris Moore has filed a formal complaint with the Ontario Human Rights Commission and the family is considering suing both the store and the supplier. If the OHRC finds the stores guilty of violating the Moore's civil rights, they could face fines.

 

Doris Moore says that despite the public apologies, neither the store owner or the supplier have contacted them to offer a refund or even a personal apology, something her husband, Douglass finds completely unacceptable. "People have to be made accountable for this," he says. He sees a parallel in his family's situation and the fallout from the Don Imus racial controversy here in the U.S. "In this day in age, when is this going to end?" he asks. "It's 2007."

You don't like it? Don't shop there anymore. THAT'S how you hold people responsible for this...not by suing them for "violating your civil rights."

 

You want to know what it's like to have your civil rights violated? Go online and look up some news footage from the civil rights era...go back to Africa and look at the genocide that's happening right now in Darfur.

 

I guaranfockingtee you there won't be a single image of an offensive couch label to be found.

[GobbleDog 816]

When I get home I'm going to check my couch. I think it's Gook yellow.

[lickin_starfish 1,482]

I am going to start suing everybody who hurts my feelings.

[davebg 0]

I am going to start suing everybody who hurts my feelings.

Dont' forget to rub on some blackface before you go in front of the cameras.

[BMoney 0]

my carpeting is KKK white cracker....

 

 

 

my friend did buy chocolate covered raisins the other day..they were called chocolate monkey...

 

that may be a stretch...but they were made in the US south...

[Electric Mayhem 35]

I dont' get it - should the couch have been darker colored?

[GobbleDog 816]

I'd be surprised if they win much money in a lawsuit. What are the damages... hurt feelings? How much money could that possibly be worth? I'd refund the couch and that's about it.

[Electric Mayhem 35]

When I get home I'm going to check my couch. I think it's Gook yellow.

 

 

I am going to start suing everybody who hurts my feelings.

 

[gocolts 300]

When I get home I'm going to check my couch. I think it's Gook yellow.

[Juniper 0]

The article neglects to mention the sofa's offensive odor, a groaning noise if people sit on it too often, the weapon and crack vial pockets in the armrests and a curious bulge from the middle cushion that appears to be growing larger each day.

[yostevo 0]

Label reads:

 

 

N*gger brown suede/ inspected by nappy headed ho #12

[brinett9 0]

i guess canadian n*ggers can read.

[swirvenirvin 25]

When I get home I'm going to check my couch. I think it's Gook yellow.

 

Label reads:

N*gger brown suede/ inspected by nappy headed ho #12

[wiffleball 4,646]

"Moore has filed a formal complaint with the Ontario Human Rights Commission and the family is considering suing both the store and the supplier. If the OHRC finds the stores guilty of violating the Moore's civil rights, they could face fines. "

 

I didn't realize there was a Canadian civil right to not be offended.

 

 

 

Some funny responses in this thread - "Gook Yellow".

[Riddlen 1]

I found a link to teh manufacturer

 

www.cdubscouchs.com

[santa*69 0]

I like how the article says the girl had never heard the word before.

 

Apparently Canada does not have Rap Music, MTV or Movies.

 

Possible place to move number 20.

[davebg 0]

I just got home and checked my sofa.

 

Eggplant!!!

 

Focking racists at Ethan Allen!

[IronToe Nedney 0]

She's just pissed cus she'll never know when her "baby daddy" is lazing on the couch.

[D_House 0]

potentially offensive label aside, weren't they ripped off? the article says they were told the couches were imported from Italy, while the distributor claims they are from China. i would want a refund as well.

[wiffleball 4,646]

finally, a N*gger with a job.

[randandy 0]

the spanish word for black is negro

 

is it a spanish couch

[frank 2,147]

Only white sofas can be racist.

[Riddlen 1]

finally, a N*gger with a job.

[davebg 0]

potentially offensive label aside, weren't they ripped off? the article says they were told the couches were imported from Italy, while the distributor claims they are from China. i would want a refund as well.

Not just anywhere in China...it's from Hymietown, China.

[frank 2,147]

Hey, isn't it illegal to take those tags off?

[BroncoBilly 0]

Did it come with a food stamp card and a welfare check ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No seriously ...I joke

[Blitzen 0]

The error is one of translation. The label should've read Colored Person Brown.

[yostevo 0]

When the Rutgers girl's b-ball team said to judge them by their season accomplishments, I had no idea that included furniture making.

[Electric Mayhem 35]

potentially offensive label aside, weren't they ripped off? the article says they were told the couches were imported from Italy, while the distributor claims they are from China. i would want a refund as well.

 

[Franknbeans 46]

after seeing her picture, the label should have read chocolate pudding streetwalker brown.

[brinett9 0]

i kinda figured it was related to the romance language form of 'black', which is 'negro'.

 

it is not uncommon to see 'negro' on product labelling.

[yostevo 0]

i kinda figured it was related to the romance language form of 'black', which is 'negro'.

 

it is not uncommon to see 'negro' on product labelling.

 

Church's Fried Chicken and White Castle hamburgers have been using them for years.

[jerryskids 5,209]

This thread is the funny.

 

Too many funny comments to compliment, so a big to you all.

[wiffleball 4,646]

That couch is going to look so good with that nappy shag carpet they just installed.

[brinett9 0]

That couch is going to look so good with that nappy shag carpet they just installed.

[jerryskids 5,209]

I wonder how many skins it takes to make such a couch?

[Strike 3,980]

So there are a couple updates to this story:

 

1) The word came from a translation s/w that was old and apparently translated dark brown to the N word.

 

2) The lady who noticed the word on her couch is suing. Apparently this is very traumatic and she needs to be compensated

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070419/ap_on_...YSuZwwMaBvMWM0F

[Recliner Pilot 61]

I like how the article says the girl had never heard the word before.

 

Apparently Canada does not have Rap Music, MTV or Movies.

 

Possible place to move number 20.

 

...or Imus.