I Should Report My Racist Lyft Driver, Right?

Dude, who cares.

@ Samuel -- Apparently you care enough to comment?

Yep, using slurs like that probably goes against Lyft policies too. I'd be cited by my boss for doing that at my non-public facing job too

Hell yeah you should report him! So what if you affect his livelihood?

And also there’s lots of great public transport in Miami you can take including the Metro, which can take you from say Miami Airport to Brickell in 20 minutes for $2.25, the Brightline train which now stops in Boca Raton and Aventura in addition to W. Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale (and soon to Orlando), Metro Mover, TriRail etc. There’s also a perfectly good bus from the airport to South Beach.

I’m going to be there for the winter and no way you’ll catch me sitting in traffic on I-95.

Touché!

And a lot of people care.

I would rate 1 star due to "bad service" or something, so they'd get the impact of a bad rating, but not lose their driver account which would happen if you'd explain the situation in detail.

You are a pretty distinct looking guy, and most Lyft drivers also drive for uber/door dash etc. Miami is a small city. If you really want to risk running into this guy again- by all means.

Who cares though? I've had a uber driver get out of the car on someone at DFW airport's exit gate. I didn't say a thing because it's none of my business.

I mean this with respect to the comment, not the post. Just leave it alone. People say stupid stuff and when he uses that word directly to someone at the wrong time, he'll certainly pay the price. Maybe his mom died last night, who really knows. You want to destroy someone's livelihood over a word?

And this happened in Miami so good chance the driver was Hispanic right? Black people and Hispanics use stupid racial epithets all the dam time towards each other, especially in Miami. Let it go.

If it was me I would not have been silent. I would have immediately said 'what you just said is totally inappropriate and racist'.

It may be his car but he is providing a service to you as a customer.

Don't be a bystander, be an Upstander. One of his (white) service users calling him out in the moment would have much more personal impact than some complaint to LYFT that he will probably receive in three weeks time.

Homeboy uses that language in his car all of the time I bet.

Agree 100%. I personally would have just ignored it but if you had a problem with it then it's better to speak up than be a snitch. You'll probably catch a one-star rating for it, but you can get that for being 1 minute late or closing a door too hard.

Not speaking up is why people have deemed it ok to say these sort of horrible things.

Do not be silent.

I think Samuel is more dismissing your self conflicted inter monologue specifically meant to drive heated commentary. I personally think you should report your driver, however I don’t think you need to engage in second guessing especially in a write-up here to come to your ultimate decision. Do what your gonna do!

In my opinion, just leave it alone. In chaotic traffic situations, people naturally get emotionally charged and say things they don't mean. If you ever watch Formula One, you be astonished at what the drivers say on the radio to their engineers sometimes. Whether it be a traffic stop or a F1 race, it's the raw adrenaline.

At most, just give the driver a bad rating.

Absolutely report the guy. Why would you even hesitate or need anyone to confirm? I get why you were hesitant to confront him during the ride especially if you want to get where you're going and not ditch the ride or possibly get into an altercation- but if it bothers you enough to blog about it then of course you should follow up. And if he gets banned, great. He shouldn't be driving for a carshare service. Not (just) because he's a racist but because obviously he has anger management, aggressive driving and judgement issues. I wouldn't want a ride from anyone with road rage issues.

I've had drivers who try to proselytize me, drivers who play weird religious music the entire trip, drivers who spend the entire trip on their phones, drivers who won't stop talking, drivers who refuse to say anything at all, even hello... but never someone making such an overtly racist and nasty comment. I put up with all the other stuff without complaining about it because hey, it's a short trip and life is too short to worry about small stuff. I think this crosses a line, though, and I would definitely report it. There must be consequences otherwise this kind of behavior becomes normalized.

I vote no. You’re in the 305, and you and I know it’s just buck wild down there. If he got you where you wanted to go without physical harm, he did well. The fact he spoke intelligible english already places him in the upper echelon of uber/lyft drivers in the area. Expecting human decency on top of this is honestly just going too far. It’s the 305, yo!!!

Also I dont know if this makes it better but odds are that your driver wasn’t a straight up regular ol’ white dude. There statistically almost had to be something else going on there, like at least a little hispanic heritage or something. So maybe that makes it a little better?

Report for sure - it's people with these conservative racial views who do mass shootings like the Dollar Store one

You really need to ask the audience this?

Of course you should.

I've been angry, I've been the throes of grief, and I've never felt compelled to say what that driver said. It says a lot about you and your character if you think that's normal.

I don't really think it is appropriate to snitch on other people in a situation where they can lose their jobs just because they said something inappropriate. In a better world, a complaint like that would lead to some course where the offending driver could learn why what they did was wrong and be improved. But in reality, you are more likely to get him sacked.
Is your 'snitching' going to make him a better person or help the world? Do you think he will learn the error of his ways? I would say it is more likely he would be more likely to resent 'woke' and 'PC' and potentially other races, believing them to have caused his job loss.
But if you think it is your duty to destroy the lives of people who make a split-second emotional mistake, then by all means, go for it, one just hopes you never say anything you regret in front of another person...

I don't think anyone should be reported for their personal beliefs per se, however hateful or bigoted. Someone should be reported for their service, conduct towards passengers, etc. If his comment made you uncomfortable, then report him. Also this seemed like an outburst he probably regretted. I wouldn't report him. The problem here is that there is a fine line between getting him fired for his beliefs and getting him fired for how he treats his passengers. While we all hate bigotry (at least I hope), getting people fired for it is certainly not the best way to combat it. In the short term, it might shield vulnerable groups from bad treatment but animosity will remain.

If he refused to drive someone based on race, sure, report away. If he flipped out, then apologized, just move on. Speech is protected, discrimination of services is not. What is with people's obsession with policing other people's behavior?

Would any other racial slur for latino, asian, or even white people set off such an emotional response? I doubt it.

@Sosongblue,

Conflicted inner monologue or content for site engagement?

Welcome to blogging!

If we don’t start calling out bad behavior, people will continue that negative behavior until there are consequences. Report him…

Do you think you’re educating Ben on his local transport options?

Fascinating.

The number of commenters who think this article is a question asked of them, instead of a standard issue engagement opportunity amazes me.

It’s Ben’s business to “ask” such “questions”!

Why don’t you ask the Indians in UK about Paki, or the lower caste folks about ghati. None Latinos, Asians or Whites were for kidnapped from there homes, brought to a new land sold off like commodities and treated inexplicably. So the answer to your stupid question is NO.

Also, some advice to follow your whole life - it is better to stay quite and be thought of a fool, then to open your mouth and prove it

"Speech is protected" how so? What are you talking about? His speech is protected by what, exactly?

Is this some vague (incorrect) reference to the constitution?

"...when he uses that word directly to someone at the wrong time, he'll certainly pay the price."

Samuel, I'm curious when you think it's the "right" time to use that word?
(pause)
Answer. None.

Absolutely report this driver.

Well yes and no.

I mean I doubt any black person in the USA today was kidnapped and sold as a commodity.

But if you want to go into history, then absolutely. But read up on the colonisation of India and many other foreign lands and you will see similar parallels.

Oke,

You should probably take some of your own advice. Plenty of White, Latinos and especially Asians have been “kidnapped from their homes, brought to a new land sold off like commodities and treated inexplicably” during the same time period. You lack knowledge of history whether by willful ignorance or indoctrination. Stop trying to “win” the “victim Olympics” FFS.

Plot twist: Driver was black
The N-word is frequently used by them to refer to each other......because that's somehow okay right?
What if he was a black guy AND wearing a red MAGA hat? You would have self-combusted!

@NID

Both….sadly this is on the level of Gary, not Ben!

First amendment (eg, freedom of speech) applies to the government not being able to restrict speech. Private citizens/businesses can restrict free speech all they want. Common misconception.

Lol. I ask the readers/commentators who are saying “you shouldn’t report it” - are any of you African American / black? Or do any of you have close relatives/loved ones/friends that are?

Uber and Lyft drivers are in the customer service business. Someone saying that as an Uber driver has to be aware that riders may be deeply offended by such language even if they aren’t part of the group. Again, what if Lucky had an adopted child that was black? Should his response be any different in that case?

Report him

I wouldn’t report it. I have enough to take care of with my job, business, family, home, etc., to get wound up in the middle of this.

Unfortunately, human beings all over the world have been taken from their homes and placed into slavery. In Asia, the Mongol Empire under Genghis Khan conquered and enslaved millions. The same was done by the mighty Persian Empire. In Africa, the Egyptian empire enslaved millions. Tribes in Africa have been conquering and enslaving neighboring tribes for centuries, this included the sale of those they conquered to Europeans and other African tribes. Slavery is continuing today, in Sudan and other countries where tribal conflict has been going on for centuries. In the Americas, they Mayan and Aztec nations were warrior nations that held human sacrifices. In North America, Native American tribes would attack kill other tribes because they were a threat and competition for resources. One of the great lakes, Lake Erie, was named after the Erie Indians. You will never meet an Erie Indian because of genocide, they were attacked by their neighbors, the Seneca Nation. In Europe, the Romans and others, enslaved those they conquered.

Slavery is a scar on all of humanity. It has hit every continent where humans have lived. It is not restricted to any race, religion, or ethnicity. So, yes the peoples of Latin America, Asia, and Europe, along with those of North America and Africa have been enslaved and removed from their homes and loved ones.

These “what should I do posts” are annoying and come off as an attempt to create more clicks/comments. If that’s not your intent, realize that’s how it comes off.

Just do what you feel is right and if it’s travel/points-related, post what happened and what you did. Are you really asking for advice from a bunch of strangers?! Come on.

If the driver was black and used the term then no I don't report. This is how many black people refer to other black people. Personally, I think it's disgusting given the history of this term but if people want to denigrate themselves so be it.

Yes. Yes you do need to. Sorry but sometimes people deserve to lose their job.

Yes, I would vote 1 star. In all my Uber/Lyft rides, I’ve rated a driver 1 star only once. Other times, if I can’t rate a 5, I don’t rate at all.

When you say "report" them, are you referring to a 1-star rating and then explaining what happened in the comment? Or taking a step in addition to that? Obviously this is a one star rating situation, and I would think that was the purpose of the rating system. If it happens frequently, rating drops, driver gets deactivated. If it was a one time occurrence, and he was genuinely sorry when he apologized, he will notice the dip in his rating tomorrow, he will know why, and understand that it's not ok, if he doesn't already. What would any additional reporting achieve?

Oh lord the “but black people use it” crowd is here. Get over it fellas. We know you don’t get it.

I wish I could say that I'm surprised by the number of people willing to right this off as mere "speech" or something said by a person out of anger/frustration. The fact is, people who aren't racist don't say something like this, no matter how angry or frustrated they get. This sort of "speech" and these moments of anger are perhaps the only window we have into the true views held by people who can otherwise easily hide/contain their views in most circumstances. They provide insight into what motivates separate conduct that the individuals can otherwise pass off as race neutral, because they're at least smart enough to not say, "I declined that rider because his profile picture shows he's black." Report the asshole.

Agree with if anything, doing it at the time.
Even better to effectively give him a chance to withdraw it, E.g. "You didn't really mean to say that did you?" which would hopefully get "No, you're right", or "No, sorry".
Standard set; no rancour created.

If you feel the comment was offensive, your obligation is to state as such to the individual. Tell the driver, "while you may not be racist, I feel your comment was racist". And move on...

Standard HR training for offended individuals. In the workplace the offended individual reports the issue to management or HR if the issue continues.

I will never cease to be amused by everybody, everywhere, claiming that the drivers were they live are the worst. Maybe everywhere has bad drivers? And good drivers?

He apologized. I would let it go. Clearly, he was emotional and said something that he wouldn't if he was thinking clearly. Everyone make mistakes and has bad days and I would move on. You could have just said, yea lets not use that kind of language when he apologized. Also, next time, please write out the actual words instead of using *

Come on Lucky. I enjoy your blog and I appreciate that you are against discrimination. However, as a black bi- person myself, I don't agree with this, nor do I agree with how we easily label ppl be it racism, homophobia etc. For one you can't judge someone's character based off of one incident. When people get angry they generally look for revenge often through verbal abuse, thus I think this person needs anger management more than anything. He may have used a slur even if it was his family member in the other car. On a general note I think ppl should stop quickly labeling ppl, at least my definition of racism, homophobia etc is narrower than most and generally has to involve some kind of evil intention

Yes, you should note it as part of your review of the person. I don't think this is particularly controversial. This issue speaks to a bigger ambiguity regarding the sharing economy. If this were a cab driver, it would not be question, as the person would be expected to be professional. But in the context of rideshare, we are skirting that line between a public service and entering into someone's private domain. The same is true of AirBNB: it is a public accommodation, but the marketing of the good includes the assumption that you are renting a private residence (there's quite a few AirBNB marketing blog sites that talk about the ways to personalize interaction with "guests" in your home).

+1
If a customer said that to my staff, I would tell them it was unacceptable and ask them to leave.
If a member of my staff said it, I would carpet them.
But a split-second emotional burst not heard by the target, in a driving situation which you describe as tense, gets from me a little leeway - have none of those advocating snitching ever muttered while driving "I could kill him" and yet be indignant if they were prosecuted for conspiracy to murder?

Waiting to understand how is this connected to airline business…

Always amusing how White millennials are so shocked about how socially conservative Hispanics are. And yet they call Boomers racist and we are vilified for loving traditional America.

Of course his intent is clicks/ comments. That’s his business!

Indeed, it is a tiresome trope.

If Ben lived in Houston (or Chicago or wherever) those drivers would be the “worst”.

And risk a bad review?

Perhaps you should rather focus on the fact that Ben was such a coward for not addressing the behavior in the moment. Instead he feels the need to discuss how best to absolve his guilty inner Karen by reporting the guy, and he’s even second guessing. Maybe try commenting on that!

Ben's an introvert. Direct confrontation is probably something he loathes. So for him, it's a binary choice: report or don't. For me, the choice would be contront him now and end the ride immediately, or confront him at the end of the ride. The former is preferable but various things might make it less so (late for appointment, bad neibhgourhood, etc.). I'd tell the driver "keep your racist bigotry to yourself, pal". I'd ask him "how do you know I'm not a minority? How do you know I'm not gonna report you to Lyft? Is there something about me that makes me look like a bigot, who welcomes talk like that? How do you know I'm not married to an African American? How do you know my child isn't black? How do you know I'm not a homosexual?" If the guy apologizes, a decent person is obliged to accept the apology. I'd emphasize that I'm not gonna report him, and I wouldn't. I don't trust Lyft or any other third party to handle the situation in a way I'd approve of.

Which hispanics? Or do you mean all of them?

Don't report Ben. He's obviously a jerk. But this does not rise to the level of losing your job. He apologized for being a jerk. His life is difficult enough.

something tells me if it was a black driver who said something race-sensitive about any other group, especially your own group - you would not be making this post. I also still don't get why you aren't moving out of that hell hole that you hate so much.

"traditional America" sure is one hell of a euphemism...

He didn't mention any of them. I've noticed that some people in the elite flying community wouldn't be caught dead on public transport.

While I agree this is utterly disgusting, I'm not sure the good that can come of reporting it. He'll lose his job, hate the world even more, and probably find a way to blame minorities (and that's before he finds this blog post)... the cycle continues and gets worse.

Yes.

Love all the backseat experts saying they'd have confronted the driver. Y'all have either never been to Miami, or actively ignore Ben every time he posts about Miami drivers.

People down here are crazy. Escalating that situation further, with a driver who's already visibly angry, ends poorly more often than not in Miami. Ben did the right thing not confronting him in the car.

No.

If someone, in a moment of road rage, said "I'm going to murder that a$$****", would you report him for conspiracy to commit murder? Are you letting a potential murderer go by not reporting?

Sorry, I don't buy the argument that someone is a racist just because they said something bad when they're angry.

Should you report, heck yeah. Speaks to their character. They shouldn't be a ride share driver if that's their attitude.

Should this even be a whole article, absolutely not.

Please guide me when were the whites kidnapped and enslaved in recent times. He k, please remind the last time whites were systematically targeted simply because their color. The Indian slaves that were brought to Africa/Caribbean don’t face the same level of racism blacks still face today. And being an Indian, I don’t need a non-Indian to tell me about my own history. Europeans supposedly the most intelligent and sophisticated race in the world is the root cause of all the issues the world is facing today. Your modern and “rich” societies/economies are built on loot, destruction and crimes against humanity.

Maybe you're the racist. I drive for Uber, and I've lost count of how many times Black people use that word without the slightest bit of hesitation. On a side note, did you know that to get a driver's license in Turkey, you have to take a course in empathy? Put your blinker on, and people let you in. Virtually no road rage.

In what world are hyperbolic language and racist language equivalent? People like you are the reason I have to sit through diversity training every year that involves an hour of people explaining basic concepts on how not to be a terrible person.

If the racist language is the only thing that matters, then a lot of black people are going to get fired for racist language, including in their pop songs.

Fwiw I'm a visible minority, and probably know a hell lot more about actual racism (from first hand experience) than you.

Ah, yes. I had forgotten about the exception for the well-intentioned use of "f*** n**." Definitely not racist.

Chicago drivers are fine. In my experience, no place in the US really compares to Boston, but even there I don't fault the drivers so much as the fact the city was clearly not planned with car traffic in mind.

1 star. Racist or not, he did his job. It was uncomfortable, so give it a one star.

@TDA1986

Don’t be a snarky little condescending social justice keyboard warrior….that’s not what Ken said at all.

You were in Miami, being racist is part of being an American
Some are just more vocal than others

Thanks for the unsolicited advice. You lack awareness of slavery's widespread use throughout human history - African blacks were not the first nor will be the last enslaved people. You also seem to have a problem with basic spelling.

How do we know the driver that the Lyft driver called a slur was even black? Maybe this guy uses the N-word as a curse like GD or MFer.

What you say about driving and drivers in Miami is totally true. I spend considerable time there (but will never ever never ever move there), and I am scared to drive on Miami streets. Miami highways like I-95 are a whole other story - traffic, drive-by drivers, bad driving and other dangers.

I do use Uber and Lyft regularly in Miami. However, I have never had an English-speaking driver in my last 50 or so rides. I end up speaking my broken Spanish to them.

Wow looks like Ole has a deep rooted racial animus much more so than Ben’s driver. I’m sure it infects every interaction with Europeans that they have, talk about unconscious bias….I mean how can it not!

No, you shouldn’t. You also shouldn’t have posted this post.

I lived in Miami before. The drivers are aggressive and bad but not the worst drivers in the world.

I would modify the tip but I would not complain. I would complain if I were harmed such as being punched by the driver or if she/he/ze called me that.

Ole

Barbary slave trade would be one, in the same time period of the African slave trade….do you need more?

It worked for this post.

I believe the outcome you are expecting by reporting the driver to Lyft is that the driver is (or will be) punished financially, in some form, by Lyft for his behavior. So, let's think for a second that your feedback is recorded in Lyft's database. Now, lets think of the steps this feedback will have to go through before your desired outcome is achieved -

1. Odds are it won't even be noticed by anyone unless Lyft corporate is specifically monitoring feedbacks related to racism or similar characteristics
2. Even if they do notice it, it will be ignored if no one else has (or not enought people have) reported the same driver for similar behavior.
3. Even if enough number of other riders have reported that driver for similar behavior that warrants some type of action by Lyft, Lyft will probably issue a warning of some sorts so that the driver is discouraged
4. Steps 1-3 will have to repeat a few times before Lyft decides to move to stronger actions such as financial penalty or banning the driver from using the platform (highliy unlikely we will get to this stage)

My point is - you are not going to achieve anything by just reporting the driver to Lyft. Lyft needs that driver driving on the streets as much as (or even more than) the driver needs Lyft to make a living. So, in all likelihood, your feedback is falling on deaf ears.

I am not saying that you shouldn't do anything about this. You feel strongly about this topic, so think of doing something beyong just "reporting" and feeling content in your head that you did your part.

D money. Slow down. It’s only pre season.

@Ole
History shows that there was / is both good and bad in all of us ...... disliking a group or a culture is the same style or way of thinking that created the pain you are expressing. Please do not allow that pain to cause you to do the same.
In reading your comments, I wonder if you or someone you cared about, experienced pain. If that is the case, I am truly sorry to hear that. I hope that one day you can find peace.

Well, well, well… Move on with your life Ben. World has much bigger problems than a driver raging about another driver.

I've come to the conclusion that everyone is racist. I think it's an evolutionary/social-conditioning thing, where distinguishing between friend (us) and foe (them) was a matter of survival. I've also come to the conclusion that almost everyone has two selves - a higher one and a lower one. By striving constantly to "be" the higher self, one can overcome such biases at the conscious level, to a point where one might even claim to not be a racist, and it's certainly an effort well worth making. But the lower self is still there, lurking, waiting to pop out in challenging moments, polluting one's thoughts even if not one's mouth. Given the circumstances and the contrition - albeit, rather lame - that the driver expressed, I do not think he is someone who is racist by default, and would not report him to Lyft.

Whoa! I can't believe that anyone still has the gall to use that word in public as an angry slur, let alone in front of a customer! I'd report him. That's appalling. If a flight attendant or gate agent referred to one of their pax like that, what would your reaction be? It's the same thing. People are entitled to their personal views, no matter how repugnant, but that doesn't mean there are no consequences for airing those repugnant views in public.

New Zealand drivers are the worst in the world. Keep that in mind when you visit.

I think you should report this and I see this less in a "because he's racist" but rather because he is unprofessional. Languages like that would not be tolerated in an office or any professional setting (I mean anywhere but even more so in a professional or work environment) and the driver's car is no different.

Ben please report him and leave a bad rating. He needs to know it's not acceptable behavior.

The answer to your question is "yes," Ben.

But all means, report the driver, but not for the remark alone. That would just make you come off as a SJW, and this driver has problems beyond their racist language.

Snitches get stitches!

Yes, you should report this

Confronting an apparently volatile Lyft driver and running even the smallest risk of provoking a reaction is not the advice I would give. You may be confusing best practices in a relatively safe corporate environment with common sense vis-a-vis personal safety.

Never heard this spoken by anyone with an IQ over 75.

Correct

Here in South Africa a black politician urging his followers to kill white people but just not yet has been declared by the courts to be non-racist.
Against this background what you describe seems a bit non-consequential.

I’m sorry you had this experience.
And I’m sorry I got lured into this click-baity post.
Now go report the racist. He needs a non-public-facing job. And a kick in the ass.

Language like that isn’t tolerated precisely because it’s racist.

Many of the biggest problems in the world are rooted in racism.

Normally, 100%. But you’re not necessarily unknown. Maybe the driver doesn’t read your blog. Maybe they know someone who does. Dude gets banned from Lyft, comes for his “retribution” - my only comment is if you feel you’re not at risk if identified, do it.

First sentence “Everyone is racist”

Last sentence “I do not think he is racist”

Coherency level: Trump

Racism shouldn’t be merely hidden. It should be eliminated. I do not hire racist employees even in non-customer facing positions.

When I was young, we live by the adage that "sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me". Unfortunately those days were long ago and now it is all about being politically correct. I afraid if the guy would have even said fu$$&in idiot you would also have wanted to report it. Just ignore it - the use of the n word by itself does not mean he is a racist.

You start this comment with a baseless accusation of racism, and then you want to talk about empathy?

Doesn't that also make you a racist for discriminating against someone based on their personal beliefs? You cannot have it both ways.

David it’s probably lost on you that “racist language” is context dependent. The same thing may be racist if said by one person in one setting, but innocuous if said by another person in another setting, even if the actual literal words are verbatim.

I hire people who believe what I believe. Watch the TED talk by Simon Sinek.

The driver is unambiguously racist. Avoiding the N word is Antiracism 101.

So go ahead and snitch the guy. Did he open the window and aggressively said that to the other driver? Was it confrontational? Did he pull the other guy out of his car and screamed that to his face? Seriously, sometimes people say things to themselves, he apologized. First thing my kids learned in daycare: mind your own business. Ben should do whatever he wants. He asked for opinions, I gave mine. Go for it if he feels good about it.

The driver was disgusting and a bigot you will never be able to change. He will probably be out the job because of his poor driving anyway. Go with the path of least resistance. Don't stress yourself about something you cannot change. But I understand your predicament and I strongly advice finding a private driver you determine is sober and safe (and not a jerk). I use a retired guy who is fully licenced and insured for private hire. His service is not advertised as he keeps a client base that he finds comfortable. They are out there. Good luck.

Remember when we used to talk about planes and hotels?

Maybe just maybe the driver is having a bad day. Give him the benefit of the doubt. It he was really a racist, he would have been reported b y now

Hey Trumpsters need an income

Are you serious? What is racist about not hiring racists? Please log off and take a nap. You need rest.

Yes, but do mention his apology for whatever weight Lyft wants to give it.

100% reporting the driver is indicated! Absolutely no question about it. Not facing consequences allows such disgusting behavior to continue, and all of us have to be responsible for furthering positive change.

I think that behavior is absolutely disgusting, but if I were you, I'd ask him to pull over, get out of the car and tell him that unless he cancels the ride, you will have to report him.
Staying in the car and then going and reporting him is
(1) In my mind cowardly
(2) Missing the opportunity to link cause and effect (by the time he hears back from Lyft he may not even remember what he said)
(3) Creating a situation where the outcome of this is outside of your control. If you care about his livelihood (and admittedly - some people can use disgusting language under some circumstances) - maybe reporting him is overreaching.

The only circumstances that I would report someone is when I am *sure* his behaviour is consistent and will affect future riders: unsafe drivers, drivers with filthy cars, drivers who smoke etc. Gladly- these are very rare these days.

Report it or don't report it but why the post? Slow day at the office, don't forget to let everyone know your decision.

I'm aware how double standard works.

how in the everloving heavens would not hiring racists make one a racist?

(rhetorical question; of course I understand that Alan posted this because he sees himself in this driver and is therefore defensive.)

Well, you took snippets out of context and then framed it to fit your narrative. Isn't that what Trump does?

Genius, you are so clever!

You would be in the wrong to report it. We have violent criminals roaming the streets and terrorizing communities, we have violent criminals ransacking businesses, we have millions destroying the job market by flooding the country with cheap labor, and we have no go zones in big cities because one group is 13% of the population but causes 90%. You’d do better to focus on the above than someone who told the truth that’s politically incorrect but 100% heartfelt and accurate.

Harming this driver for telling the truth only makes it more likely you will get a bad driver. Destroying livelihoods makes you the bad guy.

Ben, it is clear that, whether you know it or not, you are totally over living in Miami, and Florida generally. Perfectly understandable!
Time to seriously considering relocating, before that hellhole eats your soul.

Thank you for acknowledging that conservatives wholeheartedly agree with what the driver said--that this is a pure encapsulation of what conservatism views as "the truth"--rather than hiding behind some dishonest, mealy-mouthed defense of the driver based on him "having a bad day" etc.

I don't understand the fixation on whether the other driver heard it or not. It's irrelevant. The principle is that individuals inclined toward racist sentiments should see their station in life reduced and denigrated to the greatest extent possible. Reporting serves that purpose. Let's not overcomplicate matters here.

Absolutely, I'd report him! Who cares if you jeopardize his livelihood??? If he blithely goes on without consequences, he learns nothing.

Sorry, @Hank Tarn, but did we all not get the memo where you were named spokesperson for all American Hispanics? Cuz where I live, your blanket statement is completely off base.

I find it interesting that you need to ask for our opinion... Could it mean that you have doubts ?

Moral grandstanding.

Wonder what the other said? Because if it was that heated of an action he called him names too. How many times did u swear at the Miami drivers, a swear does not make a racist, the same as a swear does not make anyone a bad person, remember the glasshouse saying. And yes like others this was a readers engagement post, it worked but am also stuck at an airport and swore at an airline.

I’m sorry you live in that city. Clearly you are there because of your mom’s health challenge. I can’t imagine having to put up with racist and homophobic people daily. Mental health is important. Take care of yourself.

I endured 5 hurricanes in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale in the mid-90s super-cycle. It was astounding to me how fast the cities went feral and vicious. Dog eat dog, on steroids. Watch your back, my friend. Leave it alone and get out of there. The social environment is toxic, and the next big storm is going to create a truly Biblical melt down.

Wow Lucky, really, again. Bringing out the racist comments. Is there a smile on your face?

This reminds me of the Morgan Wallen incident while he was drunk.Is he racist probably not and unlikely.
Did he say something inappropriate privately yes
Should he been punished to the degree he was no.Oddly it made him even more successful .If its said in a heated moment let it go unless its more than that.We have enough problems in the world and if it wasn't meant or directed at you personally move on.
Sure he was inappropriate in a professional setting.I'm more worried about drivers tailgating personally or on drugs I want to get their alive
I my life I don't have the time to police all the bad bad behavior unless threatened personally.There is plenty everywhere in the new era

Solution - don't take Uber or Lyft. Generally bad drivers.
I much prefer taxi. Uber is 2x or 3x cost of taxi the 6 miles my house to airport.

Also - why did you choose to live in Miami? Fort Lauderdale likely would have been more suitable. Drivers improve going north. But still bad driver until you get north of PBI.

Anytime you bring up Miami having the worst drivers in the country, I’m generally inclined to agree. Personally I think Atlanta is up there for driving standards. There’s one thing I feel strongly about with Miami though. People are awful when they’re not driving! Atlanta’s not the same.

Miami is full of some of the angriest and unfriendly groups of people of all races that I’ve ever met. It’s a shame. Physically I love the place and could live there in a heartbeat. Culturally and socially it makes SoCal look warm, fuzzy , and unpretentious though

Hey friend do you all, by any chance, like the US happen to have a history that might have been relevant in informing that decision?

No idea what your profession is but it sure sounds like you are asking questions that do not respect one's privacy. With respect to the actual job, your employees should share your same vision. Apart from that it is none of your business what they believe. I rarely shared my opinions in the work place and I definitely avoided sharing them with bosses. It was none of their business.

We will have to agree to disagree. The use of the N work is PC 101. A great example is a reggaeton singer in Latin America whose stage name is variation of the N word; in the US when he performs he goes by the name of Flex. In Latin America, where most of Miami's residents come from, the N word means something very different.

Not a single sentence in this repugnant comment is accurate. Racists are emboldened when non-racists stay silent, so it would be wrong to let this incident slide. Violent crime is a non-issue for people with basic awareness of their surroundings and experience in urban areas (all of which have neighborhoods that are more or less safe--yes, there is even crime in Tokyo). There is a damn near perfect correlation between people who whine about urban crime and bitter old people, who were not successful in life, glued to Fox News in their middle-of-nowhere homes. Ambitious young Americans flock to the same urban areas they always have for a chance to make it big in their industry. Amazing restaurants, retail, art and cultural experiences, and institutes of government, academia, and healthcare remain concentrated in cities, all of them liberal, because conservatives only know to cut cut cut until there's nothing left and everybody with a hope and dream of achieving anything in life has been driven out.

The job market isn't being destroyed. It's recovering. I can speak firsthand to my industry. I'm about to be hired at a competitor that will pay me 30% more than what I currently make. Guess what both these competitors have in common? Antiracism. Setting all that aside, why blame any job seeker when there's no job to be sought unless an job creator is looking to hire? Shouldn't you point fingers at job creators for wanting to lower costs? Oops I guess that would expose a fundamental problem in the GOP platform.

At this point the GOP platform is so fundamentally flawed that it doesn't matter anymore.

What do you genuinely feel is RIGHT,and what should you do or should have done isn't the question, if the driver called you this , what would you have done??? Now do what's morally correct, because the next time it could be you directly and or indirectly