A black woman is demanding an apology from NHS chiefs after she was sent a letter saying her password was set as 'charcoal shade' for a hospital website.
Leanda Probert, 31, from Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, was horrified when she discovered the 'highly offensive' password in a letter asking her to book an online appointment with a pain management clinic.
The mother-of-one, who suffers from crippling condition fibromyalgia, said she thought NHS North Somerset was 'having a laugh' and 'taking the mick' when she opened the letter.
She said: 'I was very taken aback and highly offended.
'I understand these passwords are computer generated, but I just think certain words should not be included because they could be offensive to some people.
'I am a black woman and I think those two words "charcoal shade" coupled together is just too much and I found it very very offensive.
'The letter must have been put in an envelope by someone - why did they not proof read it and realise it could be offensive?'
Ms Probert, who lives with her partner Damien Field, 29, and daughter Gabriella, two, said the NHS needs to address its procedures.
"charcoal shade"
"charcoal shade"
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
Re: "charcoal shade"
She ought to be forced to apologize for being stupid.
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MajGenl.Meade
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Re: "charcoal shade"
Shame. Well it wouldn't hurt for them to just say "This was an unfortunate and random event and we are all very sorry your feelings have been hurt".
First, the words "charcoal" and "shade" are not offensive to anyone. They are words with specific impersonal meanings as are "black", "coal", "white", "colour" and so on. While "pussy" might be banned from the list of password words, it seems unlikely that words with no double-meaning can be cleansed.
Second, the letter was almost certainly not put in an envelope by a person but by a machine. Even if it was a person, such form letters are not read.
Thirdly, how would anyone folding letters into an envelope know she was black? Is she advocating that the words "BLACK WOMAN" should be noted on all files having to do with her? I think that's actually illegal isn't it?
She is therefore a non-victim of non-racial non-prejudice. Unfortunate but she could equally well have laughed, causing considerable more red faces (oh dear!) at the local medimart
Obviously upset, she's not thought those statements through clearly.'I understand these passwords are computer generated, but I just think certain words should not be included because they could be offensive to some people. I am a black woman and I think those two words "charcoal shade" coupled together is just too much and I found it very very offensive. The letter must have been put in an envelope by someone - why did they not proof read it and realise it could be offensive?'
First, the words "charcoal" and "shade" are not offensive to anyone. They are words with specific impersonal meanings as are "black", "coal", "white", "colour" and so on. While "pussy" might be banned from the list of password words, it seems unlikely that words with no double-meaning can be cleansed.
Second, the letter was almost certainly not put in an envelope by a person but by a machine. Even if it was a person, such form letters are not read.
Thirdly, how would anyone folding letters into an envelope know she was black? Is she advocating that the words "BLACK WOMAN" should be noted on all files having to do with her? I think that's actually illegal isn't it?
She is therefore a non-victim of non-racial non-prejudice. Unfortunate but she could equally well have laughed, causing considerable more red faces (oh dear!) at the local medimart
Last edited by MajGenl.Meade on Sat Jan 18, 2014 3:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
For Christianity, by identifying truth with faith, must teach-and, properly understood, does teach-that any interference with the truth is immoral. A Christian with faith has nothing to fear from the facts
Re: "charcoal shade"
Her file should be noted with the words "HYPERSENSITIVE TWAT".
Treat Gaza like Carthage.
Re: "charcoal shade"
Should we ban the use of the word "charcoal" now? "Wood based fire supplement" anyone?
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
Re: "charcoal shade"
MajGenl.Meade wrote:Shame. Well it wouldn't hurt for them to just say "This was an unfortunate and random event and we are all very sorry your feelings have been hurt".
Obviously upset, she's not thought those statements through clearly.'I understand these passwords are computer generated, but I just think certain words should not be included because they could be offensive to some people. I am a black woman and I think those two words "charcoal shade" coupled together is just too much and I found it very very offensive. The letter must have been put in an envelope by someone - why did they not proof read it and realise it could be offensive?'
First, the words "charcoal" and "shade" are not offensive to anyone. They are words with specific impersonal meanings as are "black", "coal", "white", "colour" and so on. While "pussy" might be banned from the list of password words, it seems unlikely that words with no double-meaning can be cleansed.
Second, the letter was almost certainly not put in an envelope by a person but by a machine. Even if it was a person, such form letters are not read.
Thirdly, how would anyone folding letters into an envelope know she was black? Is she advocating that the words "BLACK WOMAN" should be noted on all files having to do with her? I think that's actually illegal isn't it?
She is therefore a non-victim of non-racial non-prejudice. Unfortunate but she could equally well have laughed, causing considerable more red faces (oh dear!) at the local medimart
"Shade" used to be racist white slang for "black" with a deliberately offensive meaning in the US. I don't know about the UK.
I think it depends on what "computer-generated" means whether it is offensive or not. If it is a program which uses a very large list of words taken more or less randomly from the dictionary then she does not have a case. If the vocabulary data base is selected then she might have a point that it should be changed. To say it another way a computer can select words from lists chosen randomly or from lists chosen by people who are racists or racially insensitive.
Within black culture there is a rich vocabulary of terms for different degrees and hue of blackness with darker generally being considered worse but with terms indicating blue, red &c so that a "charcoal shade" would refer to a very dark person who is of African descent.
Her point is very thin but there is something there.
yrs,
rubato
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oldr_n_wsr
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Re: "charcoal shade"
Then you would complain that someone other than you knows your password.'The letter must have been put in an envelope by someone - why did they not proof read it and realise it could be offensive?'
Also, as MGM said, how does the computer (or a live person) know she was black?