It's because I'm...

[Ezrockspants]

He was arguing about some aspect of the work that had been done on his car, and wanted a discount, and eventually came out with the line, "This is bullsh*t, man ! This is just because I'm black, innit /". As one, the four other people in the waiting area said, "No, it's because you is stupid" !!!

He shut up after that.

I love it when other customers say exactly what you are thinking...

[Rubystars]

me: "Sir, I'm not going to discuss US foreign policy with you, if you don't have a SS card you can't get a mastercharge account, now is there anything within reason that we have not yet covered that I can assist you with?"

Right after the London attacks a Muslim guy came through my line with his wife, and they had a very large order. As I stated before, I work at Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market. The format of the bag system is a carousel where I put groceries into the bags, turn it to where the customer could reach it, and then they're supposed to take the groceries and put them into their cart while I'm filling bags on the next side.

The store has since remedied this problem, but at the time, the cigarette line had a smaller carousel than the other lines, with only three bags instead of six. The Muslim guy and his wife had a VERY large order, and they weren't through emptying their cart, so I was having to set some of the bags behind me on the floor to make room for the new groceries. Even with the new, bigger carousel, I would have had to do that. I put groceries in all three bags of the carousel, and balanced some on the top, and then had to put the rest on the floor.

The wife saw what I was doing and apparently didn't have a problem with it, and she was starting to write the check while I was doing the order (I wish every customer would do that instead of waiting until the end!). Anyway, when the husband finished loading the belt and pushed the cart up, he saw I had put some of his groceries onto the floor. He started going crazy, saying things like "You shouldn't put groceries on the floor, it's very disrespectful! very disrespectful!" He didn't outright say this, but the way he was talking to me implied he thought I was doing it because he was Muslim. Since this was right after the London attacks, his persecution radar was on overdrive.

I explained to him that I didn't have enough room for them and he demanded to speak to a manager. I said "Sure, you can speak to a manager. Then I told a manager, who was really busy at the customer service desk right then, that I would need her in a moment. This gave the guy a chance to calm down and then he realized for himself that I didn't have enough room and when she came over, he told her "Nevermind." and he told me "Sorry."

That was nice!

[Barefootgirl]

At least he was decent about it afterwards (presumably when the little light pinged on in his mind and he realised what a complete idiot he was being).

the way he was talking to me implied he thought I was doing it because he was Muslim. Since this was right after the London attacks, his persecution radar was on overdrive.

A Muslim friend of mine commutes to work every day on the tube and carries his laptop in a rucksack. He started carrying a (sealed) bottle of wine openly in his hand during his commute, on the grounds that strict Muslims are not permitted to drink alcohol, therefore since he had wine, he couldn't be a mad fundamentalist...Bizarrely enough, he said it did work, to a certain extent. He also gave me the wine

[dragonflygrrl]

When I worked at Budget, one night we had two young African American women attempt to rent a car from us with no reservation (strike one), one with a credit card but no license (strike two), and the other with a license but no credit card (strike three). When we informed them that since they didn't have a license and credit card in the same name we wouldn't be able to rent them a car, they immediately played the race card. While they were ranting at us for being "down on us folks all the d*mn time," a business woman came in from the airport bus and stood patiently in line behind them. She was maybe in her early thirties, very well dressed in a business suit, with her hair tastefully done in braids, and was African American as well. She had been standing behind these women for perhaps ten minutes when one of them turned to her and said, "You're a sister. You know how they be keeping us down." The businesswoman looked at them like they were bugs she just noticed and said, "I'm not your sister. They're not refusing you service because you are black, they're refusing you service because you don't have a driver's license that matches a credit card between you. Now get out of here so I can transact my business." I was pretty impressed.

I don't think race has anything to do with the price of tea in China, and in any circumstance I would rather do what the customer wants and not get yelled at than say no and get reamed for twenty minutes. I know that none of our policies are designed to deny service to any one group of people, except for people that don't pay their bills, or want something for nothing. I guess what I mean is, sucky customers have no race. In fact, I sometimes think they are a different species altogether!

[Broomjockey]

I guess what I mean is, sucky customers have no race.

That's why I used to have in my sig "I'm not racist, I hate everyone equally." I'm sick of being called racist every time I don't bend over backwards for someone.

[HYHYBT]

Anybody remember the TV show Picket Fences? At least, that was the title in Germany.

The Jewish lawyer, Wambaugh, would pull this constantly in court. When the - black - DA objected to any of his harebrained ideas, he'd claim it was "just because I'm Jewish/not black/old/have MS..." Then again, that was among the most harmless stuff he pulled...

Damn, I miss that show. Great entertainment.

That was indeed "Picket Fences". (my favorite line was from the judge. I don't remember the case, but Wambaugh brought up an earlier incident, and the out-of-towner went "WHAT?!" and the judge said something like "Oh, he was just mentioning that here in Rome, the cows on occasion give birth to human children. I'll strike it as irrelevant."

Back on topic: a while back, a (black, female) customer told me "fuck you". For declining this generous offer, I was declared both gay *and* racist.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

"For declining this generous offer, I was declared both gay *and* racist."

"Well, I wasn't before this conversation, but I have to honestly say I'm giving both serious consideration now. "

[Jester]

I have friends of all colors/races/religions/planetary origins, and to me, frankly, there are only two colors that matter: people who are assholes, and people who are not assholes. I do not associate, generally speaking, with the former.

That being said, more than once I might be talking to one or another friend who is black, and they will say something about "well, since I'm black" in explaining some story, and I will interrupt them, looking at them in a shocked manner, and saying "Wait...you're BLACK?!?!?"

Never fails to get a laugh.

Also, when people ask me, as they sometimes do, "Are you Jewish?" I reply "Occasionally." Stops them short, they never know how to react to that. (As I often tell people, I am descended from Jews, was raised by two atheists, and for all intents and purposes, am myself a pagan. My Orthodox Jewish relatives don't generally like that, but whatever.)

My favorite comment of all time regarding this whole issue was made, often, in the show of a street performer I know, as part of the act: "People make so much issue about color. It's not about skin color. It's not about white, black, brown, red, yellow. It's one race. The human race. [pause] The rest are French."

I LOVE THAT!

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Growing up in rural SC, I got asked on more than one occasion what race or ethnicity I am. Curious people do not offend me, and I evidently look like I'm "not from around here." What kind of offended me was being dragged into the school office to clear up the question of my ethnicity for their records. Is that really that relevant?

I thought it was interesting I was eventually classified as "other" while most of the asians and polynesians ended up somehow as "white." Oh, well, I guess if we are pulling that info out of our butts, anything goes. Must've been a useful and accurate database.

[MystyGlyttyr]

Heh. This was the one that always got me on the standardized tests. We got the weird ones that had stuff like "European descent", "Latin descent", "African descent", etc. My teachers would bring me back my little biography sheet and ask me about it.

Teacher: "You checked 'native American'."
Me: "Yes."
Teacher: "You're not native American."
Me: "Yes I am! I was born here!"
Teacher: "...yes, but you're white, you're of European descent."
Me: "Nuh-uh! I was born in Texas!"
Teacher: "But you're not-,"
Me: "I've never been further than Oklahoma!"
Teacher: "Never mind. I'll take care of it."

It took me until 8th grade to finally understand what those tests were asking me. Whoops?

[Jester]

I get that kind of crap from people and customers all the time. A typical conversation that I have at least once a month, it seems:

THEM: "What nationality are you?"
ME: "American."
THEM: "But where are you from?"
ME: "The U.S. Arizona, to be exact."
THEM: "But where are your PARENTS from?"
ME: "The New York/New Jersey area, actually."
THEM: "But where are your ANCESTORS from?"
ME: "What does that have to do with my nationality?"

My ancestors, for the most part, came to the U.S. from MANY DIFFERENT COUNTRIES in the 1880's. Three of my four grandparents were born here, with the fourth moving here when he was four. I am a fourth-generation American, with ancestors from so many different countries I just refer to myself as a mutt. You know...a true American, this being the melting pot and all!

Ironically, because I am of Jewish descent, many bigoted assholes will say stuff like "you need to go back to Israel" or some such. This is ironic because (A) Israel did not exist when my ancestors came to the U.S., (B) none of my ancestors were from that region anyway, and (C) as often as not, my family has been here longer than theirs!



As far as those stupid "race" questions they have on questionnaires, I usually just cross the whole thing out and refuse to answer. Many times, I have been told to check the "white" box, but of course, since I am dark and of Jewish descent, white supremacists would never qualify me as such. (And many Jews don't really feel that they are "white" anyway.) Silly white people. I can't be white. I can dance!

[Cia]

I thought it was funny when a nurse asked me my race and I told her 'pale' which I obviously am. She had to explain to me that in Louisiana you are your father's race no matter what you actually look like. Okaaaay. So I changed 'pale' to 'alien' since my Dad likes to tell us kids that he was hatched from an egg. I was eventually admitted to the hospital but luckily not for a psych consult.

[Misanthropical]

Heh. This was the one that always got me on the standardized tests. We got the weird ones that had stuff like "European descent", "Latin descent", "African descent", etc. My teachers would bring me back my little biography sheet and ask me about it.

Teacher: "You checked 'native American'."
Me: "Yes."
Teacher: "You're not native American."
Me: "Yes I am! I was born here!"
Teacher: "...yes, but you're white, you're of European descent."
Me: "Nuh-uh! I was born in Texas!"
Teacher: "But you're not-,"
Me: "I've never been further than Oklahoma!"
Teacher: "Never mind. I'll take care of it."

It took me until 8th grade to finally understand what those tests were asking me. Whoops?

I have been tempted to put down Native American when asked, because I was born here.

Most people are shocked though when I come in for an interview and I'm NOT Italian, since I have an Italian last name. I guess the thought that I married into an Italian family never entered their minds.

[Rapscallion]

It took me until 8th grade to finally understand what those tests were asking me. Whoops?

Actually, I think you had it right the first time. I've never understood the desire for so many people in the US to factor in where their ancestors came from. As far as I'm concerned, it's not about what your grandfather did or where he came from - it's about what you can and do do.

Rapscallion

[powerboy]

Heh. This was the one that always got me on the standardized tests. We got the weird ones that had stuff like "European descent", "Latin descent", "African descent", etc. My teachers would bring me back my little biography sheet and ask me about it.

Teacher: "You checked 'native American'."
Me: "Yes."
Teacher: "You're not native American."
Me: "Yes I am! I was born here!"
Teacher: "...yes, but you're white, you're of European descent."
Me: "Nuh-uh! I was born in Texas!"
Teacher: "But you're not-,"
Me: "I've never been further than Oklahoma!"
Teacher: "Never mind. I'll take care of it."

It took me until 8th grade to finally understand what those tests were asking me. Whoops?

I done that once, on this one sheet, and I got in trouble for it. But I showed them my indian card, that proves otherwise, and I got in trouble, for being a smartass