Racism and Money

[blas]

At the gas station, we had this black customer who REFUSED to let us hand him his change back. He was an odd duck, he took forever to get gas and forever to swagger in, and always took forever picking what he wanted. It made no sense because I ended up touching his money anyway.

When I worked day shift in the beginning of my stint there and I saw him pulling the "NO NO, put it on the counter!" routine with my manager and the assistant manager, I thought HE was being racist and refusing to take money from Native Americans. He once overheard my manager telling a customer that I'm also part Native, so I figured that's why he didn't want my money either. Naturally, I grew to hate him for being such a racist jackass himself (I'm not enough Native to count, but just the thought itself irks me. My manager and the asst manager were NOT dirty people).

Come to find out this man had OCD really, really bad. He had to pump exactly the same amount of gas each time, he had to check his oil dipstick TWICE, he had to wash his windshield THREE times, and he had to pick the 4th pop back in the cooler (as in the 4th row). He was also germaphobic, so it didn't even matter the race of the cashier.

I felt like an ass for assuming.

[Jacen]

Come to find out this man had OCD really,

Whats OCD?

I felt like an ass for assuming.

Don't, it's not your fault

[Broomjockey]

Whats OCD?

Obsessive-compulsive disorder, characterized by the need to perform specific actions, usually repeatedly, and not performing said actions generally places the sufferer in great distress, unable to function until able to complete the action properly. Example actions are washing one's hands 24 times after eating supper, or only walking on every second stair, or washing the dishes ever day, whether they've been used or not.

[Knifeman]

Racism over here can result in tens of thousands of dollars fine. Does America not have similar penalties?

No, we don't have thought police and restrict freedom of speech.

[Shengirl]

It's also worth noting that there's OCD and OCPD. Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder does not center around one specific compulsion, where as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder does. Someone who is OCD may have to check the locks 4 times when leaving the house. OCPD's more general, and as wikipedia puts it, "is characterized by a general psychological inflexibility, rigid conformity to rules and procedures, perfectionism, moral code, and/or excessive orderliness." So when people colloquially say, "I'm kind of OCD," they really mean they're kind of OCPD.

[Tutorgal]

Obsessive-compulsive disorder, characterized by the need to perform specific actions, usually repeatedly, and not performing said actions generally places the sufferer in great distress, unable to function until able to complete the action properly. Example actions are washing one's hands 24 times after eating supper, or only walking on every second stair, or washing the dishes ever day, whether they've been used or not.

That's only partially true. I say this as someone who has OCD (but controlled now, fortunately). OCD is really characterized by bad and stressful thoughts, mostly that bad things will happen. The compulsions come about as a means for the person to control the anxiety and fear by "preventing" all these potential bad things.

For example, I used to worry that the stove's burners were on and the house would burn down and my cat would die. So I would leave the house and then have to go back to check. But then I would be down the street and think, oh, maybe I didn't check thoroughly enough and missed seeing the flames. So I would go back. Then I would get where I was going and think, well, what if the burners were off but when I turned to leave my arm hit one and it turned on and I didn't see it? So back I went.... and on and on. And then bingo, there's your compulsion.

[prosandcons]

i had no idea what a wetback was. (till i saw the post in here that explained).

id have figured she didnt want a wet bill. sometimes i get bills that are damp/wet, and i can understand not wanting one of those. and ive have told her 'oh, its okay, i dont have and damp bills in here' and handed her her change.