Airline Sued For Alleged Racist Rhyme

Channel Cincinnati - AP ^ | 12:49 p.m. EST February 11, 2003 | The Associated Press

[TSgt]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A March 4 trial date has been set in a lawsuit filed by two black sisters against Dallas-based Southwest Airlines. A judge ruled last week that the suit will go to trial in Kansas City, Kan.

[TSgt]

Eenie, meenie, minie, moe; I smell money how about yo?

[Archangelsk]

That's it, I'm taking a vow of silence for the rest of my life.

[buffyt]

How silly! My dad who would be 84 if still alive, used to say "We have three kids, eenie, meanie, and miney and there ain't no MO!" There was nothing racial to that! BTW I was the middle child so he said that made me MEANIE! LOL

[buffyt]

The only people I actually hear using the "N" word are young black guys. My kids who are now ages 18, 19, 21 didn't hear the word till they went to school - and mostly they heard it in high school - used by the big black boys. The girls didn't use the word so much. My kids were SHOCKED to hear the black kids using the "N" word. They thought it was in very poor taste!

[KSCITYBOY]

I swear this crap will destroy this country. The lawyer taking this case should be disbarred then shot then disbarred again. Money grubbing scum buckets.

[sit-rep]

lol...oh boy, that is funny.

SR

[BossLady]

Geez....just when you think people are already at the brink of stupidity.....someone crosses even THAT line....

[proudofthesouth]

These knuckleheads ought to be severely fined for bringing such a stupid lawsuit and wasting taxpayers money!

[WSGilcrest]

Trial scheduled after rhyme upsets Southwest passengers

The Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (February 10, 3:09 p.m. CST) - A judge has set a trial date in a discrimination lawsuit filed against Southwest Airlines by two black passengers who were upset when a flight attendant recited a version of a rhyme with a racist history.

Grace Fuller, 48, and her sister Louis Sawyer, 46, were returning from Las Vegas two years ago when flight attendant Jennifer Cundiff, trying to get passengers to sit down, said over the intercom, "Eenie, meenie, minie, moe; pick a seat, we gotta go."

The sisters say the rhyme was directed at them and was a reference to its racist version that dates to before the civil rights era: "Eenie, meenie, minie, moe; catch a nigger by the toe."

"It was like I was too dumb to find a seat," Fuller said. Sawyer said fellow passengers snickered at the rhyme, which made her feel alienated.

The sisters are seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

U.S. District Judge Kathryn Vratil last week dismissed the sisters' claims of physical and emotional distress but set trial for March 4.

"The court agrees with plaintiffs that because of its history, the phrase 'eenie, meenie, minie, moe' could reasonably be viewed as objectively racist and offensive," Vratil wrote. The second line of a modern version of the rhyme usually goes, "Catch a tiger by the toe."

Airline attorney John Cowden said there was no intent to discriminate against any passenger.

Cundiff, who is white and was 22 at the time of the incident, said she had never heard the offensive version of the rhyme. She said she learned the Southwest version from co-workers and used it as a funny way of getting passengers - who are not assigned seats on Southwest - to sit down.

Plaintiffs' attorney Scott Wissel said the sisters also want Southwest to stop using the rhyme and provide employee training to prevent such incidents.

[Mikey]

I smell another frivolous lawsuit coming.

Phew, I smell the sleazy lairs lawyers lining up now.

[TSgt]

"...were returning from Las Vegas two years ago…"

This happened 2 years ago?

TORT REFORM! TORT REFORM!

[hole_n_one]

Delta ad in Ebonics

[Semper911]

attorney Scott Wissel said the sisters also want Southwest to stop using the rhyme and provide employee training

That's not all they want.

[anobjectivist]

Yeah I know exactly what you mean.

It doesn't exactly help when you have people like Denzel Washington playing roles in movies with phrases such as "my N****a!" mispelled of course. Let's not forget the numerous rappers, celebrities, etc.

[RaceBannon]

It would be nice to hear of a counter suit!!

[PackerBoy]

Well Mother Goose says it goes like this:

EENIE, MEENIE, MINEY, MO

Eenie, meeny, miney, mo
Catch a tiger by the toe,
If he hollers, let him go
Eenie, meenie, miney, mo.

www.mothergoose.com

[mass55th]

Sad thing is, I'm sure that this line had been used by that attendant on numerous other occasions to get people to sit down. Only morons would be offended by it...and only scam artists would file a lawsuit.

[LaraCroft]

Really!

Now if they said "Eenie Meanie Minie Moe, find a seat you stupid 'ho!" I'd say they had a legit lawsuit.

[HetLoo]

I've heard the version that included a dubious slang word for another (native american) ethnic group... But I think the original really was "Catch a whitey by the toe" (hey, I'm white - I can say that) I am the group that is really offended by this nursery rhyme and they should be compensating me, for saying it and for misrepresenting it...

(I WANT MY MONEY)

[Polybius]

It would be nice to hear of a counter suit!!

"It was my favorite nursery rhyme as a child. Sob.

My dear departed Grandma used to sing it to me every time we played. Sob.

And now those two women and their racist lawyer have permanently scarred that sweet childhood memory of dear, dear, departed Grammy. Sob. I can't eat. I can't sleep. I can't love. I can't trust. I'm an emotional wreck!! Sob.Sob.

There is only one thing that can make me whole again.....Money.....Lots and lots and lots of money!!!"