I would not respond because of fear of how my peers would interpret my response. I could not tell whether the person who said the remark was joking or meant it, given that many people quietly laughed it off. Also, I could be mistaken for a person who takes things too serious or that I am only overreacting and that could make me an outcast before my peers. I have ever reacted to such remarks by responding, “That’s racist” to my friend and all that that resulted to was my friend becoming more defensive which really did not solve anything. The ‘that’s racist’ response has become a cliché in my opinion that has been misused to such extent we can no longer joke or even say something positive about a race without it being a racist remark. So, I would choose to laugh it off with the rest of my peers and render the comments an insignificant joke rather than respond and actually give it the seriousness it lacks.
Secondly, the one being discussed is out there making money and is not directly affected by the remarks that he is not aware of. If he were present, perhaps I would have responded in his defense and probably became a hero in his eyes; or not because maybe he would have laughed it off too and taken it lightly, which would as I said, render the remark insignificant. In my experience, it would be useful to weigh the situation first, before reacting. See whether the person saying such comments intends to hurt the object of his remarks or if he were merely joking in a friendly way. Responding to every statement would make me a nuisance and who wants to be friends with a person who takes every word so seriously!
