Greetings! Today I want to share an experience I had this week while dining out. While I am not surprised nor dumb to the fact that racism is real or that it still exist, sometimes I am a little stunned at how people try to minimize their racist actions. Everyone has their preferences of how they feel or deal with certain situations. However, me personally, I feel that if you make a choice to be or do something, you should go at it FULL THROTTLE. Don't try to disguise your actions as jokes, when they clearly have an underlying message.
My mate and I were having breakfast at a Cracker Barrel, something we do often. Our waitress, an older Caucasian female was friendly and helpful for the entire meal... until the end. She brings our check and makes a comment, "This is your get out of jail free ticket." Confused, I looked at her with what probably was a "question mark" stare. What exactly did that mean? My mate, gave her a similar look but sort of laughed it off. When she walked away, I asked him "what was that about?" In my opinion, she was eluding to the possibility that we were going to dine and dash. We had a brief discussion and blew it off. Shortly thereafter, the waitress returns. She makes mention of the check again. This time however, she "jokingly" says something to the fact of, its a get out of jail ticket, because if you don't pay your bill, we might see her in the parking lot, using some of her skills from when she lived in South Central L.A. Personally, I was heated. How dare you try to "subtly" racially profile us. What indication have we given you that we won't pay our bill? And really lady? You're talking about South Central and Compton, like you're about that life?
If you are predjudice or have an issue with African Americans and their "dining etiquette" or lack thereof, perhaps you need to rethink your occupation.
If you have concerns about African Americans and their dining habits, or are just flat out racist, KEEP IT REAL! Opt to not wait on those tables. In this day and age, you have to be very mindful of your surroundings and the messages you send. Had we not been civilized individuals, this waitress may have had a BAD day. You never know what frame of mind an individual is in, therefore, it is important to have discernment and tact when conversing with unknown people. To say the least, I was appalled, angry and felt disrespected. Definintely did not want to leave her a monetary tip. I would have much rather left her a written tip: "Be mindful of subtle racism!"
Needless to say, we left a tip, because we do have the proper dining etiquette.
Racism is still live and well in our world. People just try to minimize it or mask it with other tactics such as sarcasm and lousy "jokes." If you want to be a racist or anything else, do it full throttle! I can have more respect for someone who is honest with themselves about what they really are, versus a person who hides behind a disguise!
~PhatPhat~
