Black kid to father: Dad, were you ever a slave?
Father: No, son.
Black kid: Was I ever a slave?
Father: No.
Black kid, sighing: Good.
–Doctor's Office, Upper East Side
Overheard by: Mike F.
Black kid to father: Dad, were you ever a slave?
Father: No, son.
Black kid: Was I ever a slave?
Father: No.
Black kid, sighing: Good.
–Doctor's Office, Upper East Side
Overheard by: Mike F.
Jamaican man, talking to himself: At the next stop I'm going to be white with blue eyes and blond hair.
Trashy, red-lipsticked middle-aged white woman with blue eyes and blonde hair: I can tell you from experience it's not all that.
–Downtown N Train
Overheard by: veronica
Black lady: Listen, you camel jockey, I don’t care what you say, you was wrong to do that!
Middle Eastern man: Oh, shut up, you stupid nigga! I’m tired of hearing your shit! Go fuck yourself!
Black woman passerby: Oh my god, who the hell are you to be talking to my beautiful black sister like that?! You ain’t got no right to talk to anybody black like that!
Black lady: Bitch, who the shit are you? Don’t be talkin’ to my husband like that!
–W 4th St station
Overheard by: Mawg Spawn
White woman to friend: I don't know if this is a stereotype or anything, but Asian women are really subservient, you know? I mean, they all like keep the house and cook and clean and keep the place neat for their husbands and do whatever they want.
White man, overhearing: Yes, that is a stereotype. And my girlfriend could kick your ass.
–2 Train
Old tourist woman to daughter, about gangsters shouting slang to each other: Is that French?
Daughter: No… That's Ebonics.
–Broadway & Waverly
Overheard by: Noah
Dude: Yeah, so on my senior trip this girl won a bunch of Swarovski crystals…
Girl: Was she rich?
Dude: Well, she’s a minority, so I wouldn’t think so.
Girl: Good. I would hate it if she was rich.
–Wendy’s, Parsons Blvd
A bike messenger almost plows through the crowd at a crosswalk.
Messenger: You gotta look! You gotta look!
Black Woman: Nigger, you look! You ain’t drivin’ no car!
–44th & Madison
Middle aged dude #1: My son has a black roommate, by choice. French black, but black just the same.
Middle aged dude #2: (silence)
Middle aged dude #1: He says the Asians are the funniest. He's in a band with some Chinese guys.
–Starbucks, Union Square
Overheard by: Tall Skim Latte
White tourist chick #1: Oooh, look — a black cop being friends with a white cop!
White tourist chick #2: Take a picture!
–Macy’s Parade balloon inflation, 81st & Central Park West
White hip girl #1: You know it’s funny I like to date and have sex with black and Italian men, but I can’t eat dark meat.
White hip girl #2: Wow, really? That is weird.
–CVS, Brooklyn
Overheard by: Heather C
