Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Misc
Racist Email
By
Doug Gordon
Published Jul 30, 2004
Modified Mar 6, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Doug Gordon
Published Jul 30, 2004
Modified Mar 6, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Dear Ask Gothamist,
How do I respond to this racist email?
J
--- --Original Message-- ---
From: NAME WITHHELD
Sent:Thursday, July 29, 200410:16 PM
To: J
Subject: your blog rocks....yet I find you to be a stupid gook
You sneaky gook
-- --- ---- --- ---- --- --- ---- ---
You don't.
Some things are better left alone, and this is one of them. If someone has the audacity to not only be racist, but anonymously so, then there is little use in engaging the person in any sort of discussion. He - and we're using "he" in a general sense, recognizing that racists come in all genders - is only looking for a response and by emailing him you would only be playing right into his hands.
If you were having a one-on-one conversation with someone and he used an offensive term, you might talk to him about how it makes you feel and why a better choice of words is in order. But such is the benefit of personal communication. You could read his expressions, gauge his tone and decide if having further contact would be worthwhile. Email, however, is impersonal and trying to communicate about this electronically would probably result in only more racist email.
Your best bet? Block his IP address so that he can't comment on your blog and block his email address so that he can't contact you again.
Tagged
Ask
ask gothamist
Dear Ask
gothamist
Original Message
racist
Doug Gordon
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE miscellaneous
We visited 8 laundromats to talk about voting and elections. Here's what people had to say.
As we inch closer to Election Day in November, WNYC is turning some laundromats in the New York metro area into hubs of civic dialogue.
By
Jodi Malarbe
and
George Bodarky
Published Jun 23, 2024
Aging with Pride: LGBTQ+ older adults share their personal journeys
As we mark Pride month, LGBTQ+ older adults share their struggles, triumphs and advice for today’s generations.
By
George Bodarky
Misc
Aging with Pride: LGBTQ+ older adults share their personal journeys
As we mark Pride month, LGBTQ+ older adults share their struggles, triumphs and advice for today’s generations.
By
George Bodarky
Hands in the dirt: Meet some of NYC's community gardeners
By
Enrico Denard
and
George Bodarky
'In the very, very beginning, it was about 3 feet of garbage': How NYC’s first community garden got started
By
George Bodarky
Serving up BBQ ribs and a deep sense of community in the South Bronx since 1954
By
George Bodarky
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .