An Ohio woman says a man who used an offensive term while on a date followed her home to prove he’s not racist.
The interaction was captured on video and posted on TikTok by @alisssaloveee earlier this week. It has since garnered nearly 10 million views on the platform as of Friday.
In the on-screen caption, the woman claims she left her date when she found out he “might be racist.” She started recording when she realized he was trailing her and approached her car.
“I am so bewildered,” the woman said. “You don’t know me; why would you follow me home? I feel so unsafe right now.”
“I didn’t mean it that way,” the man, who was not shown on camera, explained. “I am the furthest from racist.”
“No, you’re not because the furthest person from racist would never use that word,” she responded.
The man continued, “I’m calling my Black friends right now. I’m being so f***ing serious right now.”
The phrase “I have Black friends” is an example of a common microaggression used by an individual to deny their racial bias, according to the University of Minnesota.
In the video, the woman refused to continue conversing with the man while he ranted about how he drove an hour to meet her. She rolled her window up when he started to become more aggressive.
People in the comment section pointed out the man’s red flags and told her to call the police. In a follow-up video, the woman said she is dealing with her emotions and will address the situation at a later time.
“I need to give myself grace, and I need to give myself time to process what happened,” she said.
