“I agree, she should have known better, a lot better... it blows my mind what she said. But I feel sorry for the BBC , they have tried hard recently in trying to shake off the 'we only employ toffs' image and taken the risk in employing people who genuinely appeal to the public... and then what happens, these people predictably share the same unacceptable 'pub views' which makes their position untenable.

See, I would be great on the BBC... I could pretend to be 'down with the council estate people' yet be intelligent enough not to say anything out of line.

As someone once said, empathy and sincerity is the best qualities a person can have, fake that and you've made it.”

“I don't think comparing teenagers in hoodies to a race of people is a very fair..

Anyway, if the conversation had not been recorded, Sam Mason would still have a job. As it turns out, it was and she, in her public position, should know better about modern day issues.

Everyone knows what racism is and this case is no exception.”

“People have mentioned Hitler, BNP etc... in responses here, that's what the word racism provokes. I don't think that's helpful in this case. If an act of violence was used then I would have to agree with you one hundred percent.

To me this was a natural wariness of anyone who speaks different, looks different and dresses different, especially when you rarely mix and probably only hear bad things about them in the news. The same as old people mistrusting teenagers because they're all hooded criminals.

As it is, the racism word has appeared, she's now unemployable, her teenage daughter will be affected, and the city has been divided on the issue.

Don't you think this could have been handled better?”

“Cazz, committing genocide (Hitler) and or being discriminative through racism (Mason) are poles apart..

There is no excuse for racism - especially blind ignorance.”

“I think you're getting it Alex! Lots of people are blind ignorant! Calling it racism is extremely emotive (just look at the record number of comments) people will associate it with the slave trade, Hitler, jews being forced to dig their own graves...

It's not the tool in the bag to fix the social unease of religious clothing.

But it is the tool the sell newspapers...”

“Aah! Pleading blind ignorance then Cazz!?!! Like it!”

“Well said Sparkie, you hit the nail on the head and in my view if a few people were offended by what Sam Mason said,tough,live with it same as we have to live with our day to day problems.”

“" Here in Britain, we've seen a mass immigration of people from India, Pakistan, Jamaica and many other coutnries, this occurred at the end of the 1950's early 1960's. So they've been here for 50 years. - Alex

You may be fortunate to mix with other races on regular basis to build up trust, but there's plenty of people who, through no fault of their own, rarely come into contact with other races. Many only see Asians when they're buying cigarettes and alcohol from their local shop, having a curry or when taking a taxi.

There's plenty of people who only see Asians as they're depicted in the news:
blowing up planes, blowing up trains, forced marriages, forced female circumcision, never letting females work, and a general lack of human rights defended by religious devotion..

We have a long way to go before Asians are treated like just any other person by the 'common' person in this country, the 'common person' the BBC want to employ to attract the 'common' viewer, even if Asians have been here for over 50 years like you say.

There's an obvious lack of trust between races, call this racism if you like, but it's not solving anything, just making things worse and causing resentment.

Which is why many people probably voted Sam Mason's comments 'not racist' when clearly they were.

You have good intentions Alex, but calling someone 'racist' when, to them, they're just being normal, only makes people more defensive and less sympathetic to anyone harmed by their views.

What's the solution? Probably only time.”

“The thing about the headline "Sam Mason's taxi comments weren't racist"

She wasn't commenting on a taxi, she was commenting on the driver, whom she demanded was, you know, not wearing a turban....

Typical BEP slant....”

“What Sam Mason and her cheerleading team are blatantly ignoring is that while she may not consider herself racist, she has DEEPLY offended a lot of people. Perhaps she should take some time to consider this. Once she realises this fact, perhaps she can start to teach her teenage daughter that while humans come in all sorts of shades of skin tone, we all have the same coloured blood coursing through our veins, when we cry our tears look the same and when we smile we all have white teeth.
tops, bristol

Just *who* are are all these people that are "deeply offended"? The Asian community are largely conspicuous by their absence if the stream of comments are anything to go by - probably because they can't see what all the fuss is about. Or of course, as another PC contributer said earlier this week, they probably don't have computers - apparently, only people who think Sam Mason is not a racist have computers!

Then there's the Sherrie Eugene side of things. She doesn't think Sam Mason is a racist. So, the PC lot come to the conclusion that she isn't a proper black person. After all, she would be offended wouldn't she? Perhaps she is a white racist in disguise then?

As usual, its the PC Brigade being offended on behalf of a group who mostly couldn't care less!

And the PC lot will brook no opposition from Asian people saying they're not offended - after all, they obviously do not understand or appreciate how their interests are being looked after.

And *why* should Sam Mason, or anyone else "stop to consider ..." this that and the other. What if she doesn't want to? Its not illegal you know?

I am sick of the PC brigade trying to claim they automatically own the high moral ground. Their logic is, if you disagree with them, then you are obviously wrong! Brilliant. Such arrogance!

The minorities in this country are protected by an even smaller minority, the politically correct, who claim to defend the feelings of those who aren't complaining! For example, the barmy "Winter lights" name instead of Christmas idea! Most minorities are not at all upset by the idea of Christmas. But the PC lot won't let a little thing like that stop them from protecting them! And whilst they are doing that, those same minorities, some of them very hard-working and conscientious, continue to sell Christmas trees and cards in corner shops up and down the land, totally mystified by those who are trying to "protect their feelings".

The arrogance of the Politically Correct is breath-taking!

They should go and find a real cause and leave those with common sense to live their lives in peace - we get along together much better without all this false righteousness and feigned indignation.”