Race

Four-year-old: Mommy, that girl speaks English!
Mother: Yes, she does.
Four-year-old: But nobody here speaks English. Does she really speak English?
Mother: Of course she speaks English! She's white!

http://overheardlines.blogspot.com/2007/06/canadians-in-ecuador.html

Overheard by: katie

Thug #1: Why the hell are you going all the way to back of the train car? Why don’t we sit in the front like that Martha Stewart woman?
Thug #2: What the fuck are you talking about Martha Stewart?
Thug #1: You know, she stood up for herself on the bus? Wait, who was that? Not Martha Stewart?

Orange Line at Downtown Crossing
Boston, Massachusetts

Overheard by: drunkbigirls

Confused attractive hipster: I don't understand why he became progressively more Asian during my dream.
Amused friend #1: You don't have to.
Amused friend #2: Because you're pretty.

Manhattan, New York

Black girl on one side: We look like an Oreo!
White girl in middle (jokingly): Oh, is that a race thing?
Black girl on the other side: Yes.

Outside Harvard Medical School
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Eight-year-old girl: Asians are ruining everything.
Mother: What?
Eight-year-old girl: Yeah, the Japanese, the Chinese — they ruin everything.

Georgia

Tall, pale, blonde girl: And Joe and I realized that we are both ridiculously tall, blonde and blue-eyed. So Aryan. We're basically Hitler's wet dream.

Capitol Hill
Seattle, Washington

Overheard by: Celessa

Group of white guys: We’re visiting here from South Africa.
Loud drunk girl: Do you miss your people?

Arlington, Virginia

Black chick #1: God, I love your eyes! They are so chinky!
Black chick #2: People say that.

Binghamton University
Binghamton, New York

Overheard by: Hadas

30-something black man on cell: I don't know if I'll finish in time, but I think I can still make it work.
20-something black guy walking past: It's “ain't”. As in “I ain't gonna get this shit done, so fuck all y'all!” Damn! You talkin' like a fool, brotha. (shakes head)

Savannah, Georgia

Race Relations in Boston Take Another Hit

Girl #1: So I was driving down the street blaring my rap music and then these people started hollering.
Girl #2: Wait, were they black people or were they normal people?

Northeastern Campus
Boston, Massachusetts

Overheard by: really?