Aw, the race card.

[depechemodefan]

she was ok till she brings up the race card.

me: Good evening, thank you for calling the blah blah library, how may I help you?
sc: can you give me the number of Mile High Hair web? .
me: one moment please....I d found Mile High Hair in several states, but not a Mile High Hair website.
sc: It's Mile High Hair Wigs.
me: oh, sorry, one moment...ok, found it. The number is 1-886-xxx-xxxx.
sc: ok, it's 1-866-xxx-bxxx.
me: no, it's 1-886-xxx-xxxx.
sc: I got it, thank you have a good night.
me: you too.

3 min. latter, same patron calls back.
sc: I called 3 min. ago. Someone gave me the number of Mile High Hair wigs and she went too fast. I had a friend call the other day and I think the person she talked to was racist because she was really rude to her.
me: I helped you 3 min. ago. I repeated the number to you. If I was going to fast you could have asked me to repeat myself slower.
sc: I need the number again for Mile High Hair Wigs.
me: it's 1-886-xxx-xxxx.

It would be nice if the race card would go the way of the dodo.

[Amina516]

How the hell does that make sense? Does the library have video phones or something?! Lol.

People are dumb....

[EricKei]

I had the occasional similar experience when I was a pizza dude. People in certain areas of town would accuse us of not delivering to them due to "racism". The thing is, Contracts were the reason -- mainly, the one that said that they lived rather far away from us, (a different Parish), and, as such, were serviced by a different, much MUCH closer location of the same chain that was just down the road from them >_>

Said contracts actually had the potential -- at least in theory -- to get our Franchise license revoked if we delivered to another store's area...

[Calud]

But racism is so much more fun and way simpler!

[Lace Neil Singer]

I had the occasional similar experience when I was a pizza dude. People in certain areas of town would accuse us of not delivering to them due to "racism". The thing is, Contracts were the reason -- mainly, the one that said that they lived rather far away from us, (a different Parish), and, as such, were serviced by a different, much MUCH closer location of the same chain that was just down the road from them >_>

Said contracts actually had the potential -- at least in theory -- to get our Franchise license revoked if we delivered to another store's area...

When I used to work in a pizza place, we had that. The main problem was, another town with a Pizza Place franchise had a similar sounding name to the town that the franchise I worked in had. So we were forever fielding calls from people who didn't bother to check to see if they'd gotten the right town...

[EricKei]

Heh. In our case, it WAS the same name -- We were Daddy's Jim's in ...ahem, Old Messy, and they were the DaddyJim's in, let's call it, Gardenplatz. Same overall company, different owners (not like having the same owner would have made a difference if we crossed the boundary lines, tho).

The thing is, both stores went to *multiple* streets with the word "Canal" in the name which were unconnected and unrelated (St, Dr, Blvd, etc)...so we had to be reeeeally specific when orders came in from people who live on "Canal" ...

[Zell]

Yep. Not uncommon around here.

A few co-workers of mine a while ago told me years ago that there were a few incidents when people have said "You won't tell me where it is because I'm black" when they told "I'm sorry, we are out of that item."

Gotta love racists.

If it were me, I would have made a huge deal about it. I cannot STAND it when people assume that I am racist because I am white. Anyone can be racist, regardless of race.

[Boozy]

I can't believe the number of stories here about people claiming racial discrimination when dealing with someone over the phone.

Unless they begin every conversation with "Hello. I am [minority]" then they really don't have a leg to stand on.

[PepperElf]

Unless they begin every conversation with "Hello. I am [minority]" then they really don't have a leg to stand on.

i was going to say the "accent" can sometimes reveal race but... it's not always 100% accurate either.

One of my old coworkers, on the phone people would assume he was one race, but in person they'd see he was a different one.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I know, my friend K evidently has suprised more than one client when she showed up to meet with them and they expected a white chick. She would come back to the office and laugh and say "that dude did not expect a sister to get out of that car today." It was pretty funny because she is a media buyer and before she'd go meet with the client, they would have talked multiple times over the phone.

I've known a couple people like that. And down here in the south at least, "sounding black" does not mean that you ARE black.

I guarantee that these same people who like to play phone race card would also get offended if anyone suggested that they "sounded black."

[Tama]

But then sometimes you get people who get upset if you assume they're white, too.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

True, but K has a very good sense of humor and more important things to get worked up over. She thinks it's funny.

[depechemodefan]

i was going to say the "accent" can sometimes reveal race but... it's not always 100% accurate either.

not to give out my name, but my first name is the same as the woman who married a Kennedy and an Onassis. My last name is the last name of the 14th President of the United States.

I get a job in 1999. Few months (or maybe a year latter) a cw states that before I started, the people who hired me gave everyone my name and said I was starting work on x date. So cw, hearing (or maybe seeing, maybe it was posted on the bullitan board) my name, thougth I would be black.

[Pagan]

So cw, hearing (or maybe seeing, maybe it was posted on the bullitan board) my name, thougth I would be black.

Huh? Ok, that just don't make no sense.

[depechemodefan]

Huh? Ok, that just don't make no sense.

Yeah, I don't think there is a book on "this is a black name." No wait, I'm wrong, there is, for ex., Beautiful Names for Beautiful Black People & Their Children by Marques Jalil. But no way anyone can say, "that' can't be your name. That does not match your ethnicity."

I'm waiting for someone to ask me, "is your last name the anglicanized form of Perez?"

Going back on topic, I remember one day there were 2 african americans standing at the computer station. I go up to both of them and ask, "who was here first?" and the woman says, "help him." So I help the guy and leave, because I thought the woman was with him. She said, "I need help too." I apologize and then she started (and would not stop) about, "you only did that because I was black. YOu thought I was with him because we are both black. I don't like your attitude..." I think she had several questions and I told her, "I can only do one thing at a time. Let's work on your first question." So I find a book for her, but we have to put it on hold, and I ask her for her library card. She says, "Just hold a moment, I can only do one thing at a time. You are only doing this because I'm black." Luckily a cw said he would take over. The woman was sweet as pie with him and said, "I always liked you, you were always polite with md" even though she never been here before and my cw said he never helped her before.