You're right ma'am, I failed to notice you because I'm a racist jerk

[CrazedClerk]

This one happened yesterday and it still gets my blood boiling thinking of it.

Where I work we have to registers at our counter, but there really isn't a designated place for a line to form so people usually end up milling around and it can ocassionally be difficult to keep the order straight.

Anyway both tills are occupied and I notice the game in the hand of the lady I thought I was next. I grab the game and when one of the tills free up, I call her over.

Important note here: I was on the far till and another employee was serving a customer at the near till. The customer in question was tall, 5'10 to 6'2 I think.
So apparently I missed a much shorter dark skinned woman standing behind him. When I called the other woman to the still, the dark skinned lady said "we were in line". I immediately apologized and offered to put her through first. No repsonse from anyone for a few moments so I put the other lady through (since she was the person immediately in front of the till).

After she left, I looked after the dark skinned woman who was very upset. I apologized for missing her and she says to me: "oh yeah, you didn't see me because I'm a COLOR" (her emphasis, NOT mine).

Me: (inside)

Now I am white and the woman I served ahead of the dark skinned woman was white, but the reason I didn't see her because of the 6 foot tall dude in front of her and I even offered to put her through first! I thought of responding to her but she was already angry and probably wouldn't have believed a word I said. Thankfully she didn't complain to a higher authority because I would've been in big trouble (even though I didn't do anything).

The part that really irks me is that I don't have a racist bone in my body. One of my best friends happens to be black. I wonder what she would have said if I was black instead of white, or if the lady I took ahead of her was black. This is a middle class town in Canada, not the deep south.

Thanks for letting me vent.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

This exact thing happened to one of my best friends. She came to the counter and there was a white woman and a black man standing there. Neither indicated who was next, though she looked at them both and greeted them both.

All other things being equal, she waited on the lady first. Ladies first, right?

Apparently, wrong answer. Not when you are a black man who sees racism everywhere. He had a fit.

My guess is that he didn't say "I'm next" because he was really looking forward to his tantrum and didn't want to risk losing his big chance.

My friend, whose best friend and long time roomate was a black woman, was really upset by the accusation. I told her that the guy was an asshole and not to worry what assholes say.

She didn't take the white lady first because the lady was white and she thought the black man was a lesser person. She took the white lady first because the lady was a lady and she THOUGHT the black man was a gentleman. Unfortunately, while she was right about the white lady, she was very, very wrong about the black man.

[Maevis]

From time to time I've come across the same issue.

Who knows what that person in front of the counter has been through, or what their day has been like. There are people who randomly throw out the race card to see what it gets them, and then there are those who's buttons have been pushed one too many times that day and no matter what you do, they're just going to go off.

I've found that about the only thing I can do is let them know that I never meant to cause any offense and offer a sincere apology. If they choose not to accept my apology, well then, they can escalate it to my manager or DM or corporate office or whatever it is they want to do. But I try very very hard not to make an argument out of it.

When issues like this have happened with my co-workers, I've always considered their overall behavior when reviewing the customers complaint.

[NightAngel]

Makes you want to slap someone doesn't it?

When I was working security one of my duties was to stand in the lobby every morning and check every person's ID as they came through the door. So, I'm standing in the middle of the lobby and this black lady, whom I had never seen before, comes through the door followed by two white males whom I had seen every single day for almost two years.

Now, they were BEHIND her- I had them well trained and they just simply held their badges up as they walked by. They knew they had to show them and they did.

The black lady attempted to tromp quickly past me without so much as a nod that I was there.
I stopped her and said, "Ma'am I'll have to see your badge."
Her: "Why?"
Me: "It's required that a security officer see every person's badge who enters this building."
Her: "I'm not showing you my badge."
Me: "Then you are not leaving this lobby."
Her: "I have to get to work!"
Me: "Then show me your badge and you can go to work."
Her: "You didn't make those two white guys show their badges!"
Me: "I didn't have to ask them- they had them out and ready as they have worked in this building long enough to know they will NOT be leaving the lobby without showing me their badges."
Her: "You didn't see their badges! You're discriminating against me because I'm black!...*rants on about me being a racist a bit*
Me: *stands there staring evilly at her- arms crossed blocking her path*
Her: "I DEMAND TO SEE YOUR MANAGER YOU RACIST!"

Me: "Sure, no problem... JOHN! Could you come out here a minute?"

John, my supervisor, and two of my co-workers emerged from the office- they were all three black and I had been working with them for a long time.

Her: *jaw drops*
Me: "John, she would like to enlighten you as to how I am a racist for asking her to show her badge."

John and my two co-workers fell into a fit of laughter.

After that I never had to ask her to show me her badge again.

[Geek King]

This is a middle class town in Canada, not the deep south.

While it is not nearly as prevalent as some would have you believe, racism isn't just in the South. Remember one of the main rules: Idiots are everywhere. I've run into my fair share of them where I am, and to get any more "Yankee," I'd have to move to New York.

[Misanthropical]

We live just under 2 miles away from the middle school and if students live under 2 miles from school they have to walk, there is no bus for them, unless the student has a doctor's note.

My oldest son has a doctor's note and my daughter rides with him as a helper if he needs it.

Anyway, one of the kids that live here saw my children ride the bus and told my daughter that the only reason that girl wasn't able to take the bus was because she is black.

My daughter just walked away from her, since we don't feel the need to explain ourselves to anyone.

One child told me I wouldn't let my children play with him because he is black. I told him it was because he was bully and I won't allow my children to be around bullies no matter what skin color they are.

[Jester]

Whenever I am bartending and it is busy enough for me not to know who's next, I do one of two things.

If it's somewhat busy, I'll look at the small group of people waiting for drinks and say, "WHO'S NEXT?" very loudly.

If it's REALLY busy I'll basically just work my way down the bar, making drinks as best I can, trying to go in order of appearance at the bar when possible, but just trying to get drinks made and people happy, to be honest.

So far, this has not been a problem. Naturally, now that I say this, you know I am going to have a problem when I work tomorrow.

[Becks]

I would like to offer a great big Can't win, just do your best.

[Knightmare]

I want to know why, when someone says that they are not racist, they always follow up with "some of my best friends are black/asian/Jewish/white, etc..."

Just a thought.

[Giggle Goose]

I want to know why, when someone says that they are not racist, they always follow up with "some of my best friends are black/asian/Jewish/white, etc..."

Just a thought.

Defense mechanism? Attept to redeem themselves? who knows, but you're right, i've noticed that

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I know. I hear that a bit. As soon as someone says "Some of my best friends are black/jewish/gay/whatever", you can place a large money bet that they have no friends whatsoever that are not the same exact color/sexual orientation that they are.

In the case of my friend, though, it's true. They really, truly were best friends! Honest! And she was so very wounded by the accusation because she really DIDN'T have a racist bone in her body. The issue of race was so far from her mind that she honestly didn't even consider that the guy would try and play it off like she was treating him badly because he was black.

[zzapp the witch]

Just to show that you can't win either way, here's a story from my Walmart days so many years ago.

I live in rural Oregon, aka whitey central. White to the point of my friend Reggie being used to letting little kids touch him because they literally have NEVER seen a black person before (he is such a sweetie). That's just the way it is, no racism or anything, just a fact of life in the area where I live.

I usually worked as a front end cashier, but today I was at the Service desk. It was slow, so I sorted returns until I saw movement in the corner of my eye. When I turned around, there was a very stately white woman and Reggie both standing there with returns. I honestly had no idea who was first, so I said, "I'll be happy to take whoever is next?" Reggie smiled at me and looked over at the white gal, who just kind of looked over in the distance with a bored look on her face. So, Reggie stepped up, went through the return, and I wished him a good day.

White lady steps up and hisses at me, "I would expect you to know better than to do that, young lady."

Err....do what?

"Serve that n***** before me."

EXCUSE ME!?

"But then, what should I expect from white trash, you'd relate to THEM more anyway. Next time, know your betters and serve them FIRST!"

I just couldn't do anything at that point, I just shut my mouth and walked off to find a CSM. I was just too shocked by that to function.

[DesignFox]

I'll admit to having done that...
Guess it's just a natural defense thing, because being "racist" is one of the worst things you can be considered to be. I don't know why any of us feel any need to make a point of reminding our friends that we are not... maybe it's because...even though we aren't necessarily racist- you have to admit, most of us have fallen into stereotyping people on occasion- I guess it's a way of reminding ourselves not to do that; maybe, we feel the need to rid ourselves of the guilt of having done so before? just my

[Retail Associate]

White lady steps up and hisses at me, "I would expect you to know better than to do that, young lady."

Err....do what?

"Serve that n***** before me."

EXCUSE ME!?

"But then, what should I expect from white trash, you'd relate to THEM more anyway. Next time, know your betters and serve them FIRST!"

I just couldn't do anything at that point, I just shut my mouth and walked off to find a CSM. I was just too shocked by that to function.

WOW! Don't know what to say to that except when does SC season start?

(Please, just let me shoot one!)

[Lehk]

"Serve that n***** before me."

i still haven't figured out what i would have done if that happened to me at work, but whatever it would be would probably get me arrested