Do you think the cliche "That's like the pot calling the kettle black" is racist?

so, like, kettles are black, right? and pots are? from back when this originated, anyway. It's not my impression this has anything to do with skin color. If using the word "black" in any context whatsoever is racist then I suppose this is racist.

No, of course not.

Well, "whitewashing" has a negative connotation, does that mean that word is racist toward Caucasians??

No.
Some pots are black!!!!!!!! Should we just get rid of the word black altogether!???

No! I don't think that phrase has anything to do with race.

No, it just means the pot and the kettle have both turned black on the bottom from use. It means criticizing others for the very fault one possesses. It has nothing to do with race.

I believe the pot and kettle in this little cliche are supposed to be blackened by the cooking. And have nothing to do with race. It's at very old cliche, a the time of it's origins all cookware was blackened by high heat and open fires.

Please please please tell me this was not inspired by any real life event...

Often, I don't say it like that. I pick up a pretend telephone, and say into the receiver, "Hello, Pot? This is Kettle." This change didn't happen because I thought there was anything wrong with the aphorism, this just seems more fun, but still gets the point across.

I think it's as racist as "niggardly".

no...I don't think it is

Ha! Of course not!

I have never really thought it made any sense. Pots and kettles can be any color right? It just doesn't click.

Cool, that cleared up the confusion!

No. When the phrase was coined, both items were black. Although oddly & sadly I must admit, it seems to be black people who use the N word most.

Cliché - Hold ALT, type 130, release ALT - and Voilà.

what 'N' word?

nipple!?

of course who today actually has cast iron pot and kettles?

I do. I'm pretty sure my fireplace still has the requisite hooks as well.

I think it might depend on the context in which you were using it. The statement itself isn't racist, but I'm sure it could be used that way.

the 'Politically Correct' reference in California to the word 'nigger' is 'the N word'. Do you want to get into a psychic-psychoanalytical debate of this topic, or shall I leave you alone?

* PLEASE PLEASE * leave me alone!!!

I like that!

Fair enough

Give me a break.

First off, I'm a racist. The phrase was created centuries ago when an individual had one cooking pot and one kettle and both items were exposed to uncontrolled open flames, not stoves. These instruments were subjected to high amounts of heat stress and their bottoms would turn black. This phrase is old, old like when the phrase was being used by slave-owners. With that said, whether one calls a nigger black or a pot black, one is degrading their very being based on their color. Degrading one on the basis of their color is racist. Although, the phrase can be used in non-racist situations, the phrase's very creation was based on racism. (Judging one's character negatively based on their color). This is not to say that the phrase is not P.C, but it is a creation of racism, nevertheless. Not to mention, when the pot or kettle turned black, the owner of the tool would discard of the object and purchase or make a new pot or kettle. Much like, when an African American turns into a Nigger, he gets hung from a tree.