The AM Show sport presenter Mark Richardson has condemned "uptight" youngsters after claiming he was accused of racial profiling for calling his gardener by his name.
On Thursday, Richardson said there had been an "incident" at a "young people's radio station" on Wednesday, where he had mentioned his gardener's name - Carlos - and received a surprising reaction.
"It got onto a little bit of ribbing about I might do a few jobs, and I might be paid pretty well, and I happen to have a putting green in my backyard, but I said if it's any consolation the putting green has weeds in it at the moment," he said.
Richardson said he was asked if his gardener would sort the weeds out, to which he replied: "Oh you mean Carlos".
"They all ducked for cover... 'that's profiling, that's racial profiling'... 'your gardener or your pool guy is called Carlos'," Richardson said
The name 'Carlos' has Spanish and Portugese origins. There is a negative stereotype in the United States that labourers - like gardeners - are often Latinos or Hispanic as they are perceived as uneducated or in the country illegally and can only get cash jobs.
But Richardson said: "it just happens that the name of my pool guy/gardener is Carlos".
"I can't call the name of a person who works for me...or is a contractor. I can't even call him by his name for fear of being accused of being racist.
"All the youngsters are so self-monitoring and so uptight about this stuff right now because they live on Facebook and Instagram, where all the police exist."
Richardson's comments came as The AM Show host Duncan Garner asked if our society is becoming too politically correct, after there was backlash to a meme comparing Minister Phil Twyford to a stroke victim.
Newshub.
