Could be worse, you could have red hair. What is it they have over there, kick the carrot-top day?
I have a couple of examples. These didn’t happen to me, but to my wife when she worked at a local deli.
Number 1:
The place was short-handed and management was in the process of hiring someone new for the day shift. My wife was the weekend supervisor and one of the few full-time workers, which meant that management was slightly interested in her opinion about potential new hires. With that in mind, one afternoon the deli supervisor pulled her aside and very quietly asked her only one question - “Would you be ok working with a black person?” Seems rather tame compared to how the question could have been phrased but, as Mrs. Machine said to me, “Is this not 2008?!”
Number 2:
Same place of employment, different supervisor, just as headdesk. One of my wife’s co-workers, Anna, came to her upset and needing to talk. Apparently, management had needed her to do something, so the manager walked up to Anna, pointed *at *her and asked a different worker “Does she speak English?” Anna, by the way, had immigrated to Canada from Mexico ten years earlier and spoke perfect English.
Now I definitely need to start coming. Text me next time he’s there, I’ll casually drop by and happily instigate a brawl.
This seems relevant, from a similar thread.
My father had several classic cars when I was growing up. As a teenager I was occasionally allowed to borrow them for “events.” Fourth of July, school dances, etc. I recall getting read the riot act because I had let a gay friend of mine ride in his 57 Chevy when I drove him home from something - I don’t remember what exactly. Dad’s exact complaint was “What if he has a disease or something? I could catch it.”
I grew up knowing my dad was a bigoted asshole and he’s said far worse things about all manner of minorities before and after that one, but that was the only time it was in reference to a friend of mine. Fighting with him was useless, as it often is with that kind of person. I just rolled my eyes, said “It doesn’t work that way.” and went to my room. Never asked to borrow one of the cars again.
In the 70’s I worked for an older man who was originally from Holland. (This was in California.) I had many reasons for disliking him intensely. Anyway, one day he was yakking about life in Holland, and he made it clear that most of Holland’s problems were caused by the large population of Libyan immigrants. I’ll never forget his exact words: “They’re lazy and shiftless. You know- like colored people.”
What struck me most was how he automatically assumed that I shared his pathetic racism. I’d never said anything that might have given him that impression.
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I once worked with an Indian (from India) guy and a middle-aged white guy who hated everyone who wasn’t just like him. Idiot kept referring to Indian guy as a “Chink.” I said to him, “If you’re going to use derogatory slurs, at least try to be more accurate. He’s not Chinese.” He answered, “Fuck, they’re all the same.”
Mild one: when I told my uncle about what I was studying in my osteology class one time, I talked about determining race (well, ancestry) from a skull. He said “oh yeah, I heard somewhere that blacks have denser bones. It’s in their genes.”
My uncle is decidedly not the type of guy you’d want to debate, so all I could do was smile and nod. My dad said later that that was probably the right thing to do. But it sure did throw me for a loop.
Another, from a classmate: my forensic anthropology class was doing a sort of demonstration thing at an open house for the new medical examiner’s office. We had tables set up in the forensic anthro lab with bones (some real, some replicas), and talked/answered questions about what it was forensic anthropologists did. Said classmate was talking about sex determination. A woman listened to his spiel, and then said “so…do gay men’s skulls look like women’s skulls?”
Another classmate said “you should’ve told her yes, dude.” 
I was at the dentist getting a crown fitted during the 2008 election. They usually have a t.v. on in the room, tuned to CNN, or whatever. I always ask for a bite guard because it gives me a headache to keep my mouth wide open for a long time. Anyway, as the hygienist was rooting around in my mouth she commented that she hoped Obama wouldn’t win because then “the blacks will get all cocky”. :eek: :mad: I was so stunned I’m not sure I would have had an immediate comeback even if I DIDN’T have a block of rubber forcing my jaw open. I could have bitten her, though.
I go out of my way to ensure I don’t get her again.
How about the other way around?
I‘m buying a house, on a short sale, with my best friend, who I’ve known for over 18 years. She stayed with me when she thought she was pregnant by the guy she only wanted to know to have sex with. She phoned me daily for 7 months when I passing out from low hemoglobin count (4.8 – 5.7) before my hysterectomy. We don’t explain the history of our friendship to people we’ve just met.
I went to my first homeowners association meeting, for the house we will be buying, last Wednesday. I parked behind an older woman, Liz, whose car was festooned with religion bumper stickers, and she carried a large well worn bible into the meeting with her. After the meeting I was in one of the stalls in the ladies room when Liz and another woman came in. The other woman said, “The new people are lesbians.” Liz went into her own stall and said “As long as they pay their dues on time, and don’t do anything outside where other people can see, its none of your business or mine what those two do in the privacy of their own home.”
I could have kissed her, but that would have really given her the wrong idea. I’m going to like living there.
I’m conflicted about this. As much as I’d like to see a racist scumbag left to fend for himself, this could have been used as a very good example to treat him (and make it hurt as much as possible) and then let him deal with the fact that it was one of those “chinky girls” who helped him out.
Also, perhaps I’m being naive, but I would never refuse a patient who needed emergency treatment just because of some pathetic comment he made. A doctor/nurse/EMT should treat anyone regardless of anything. Medical practitioners have a responsibility to treat the health of patients, not their politics. It might have been a learning experience for him.
An old classic from Australia: a reporter confronts a landlord who has specified No Asians.
About a year ago I was talking to my mother-in-law, who is, well, odd. She was describing riding in a car around treacherous mountain roads while she was in labor with my husband, on her way to the hospital from her rural home on Oahu. She recalled that there were some bridges washed out or something and they were worried about getting to the hospital in time. I said something to the effect of “You must have been worried”, and she said “Oh no, I was used to that stuff and the windy roads were fun”. Sure, I said, but weren’t you concerned for the baby?
“Oh no, I could always have more children”.
Oooookay.
There are two things I can’t stand in this world: People who are intolerant of other people’s culture, and the Dutch.
I use to work in an office that had some weird, outdated, ignored policy that only relatives and customers could be allowed behind the front desk.
My brother and his wife and children (one adopted, two genetic) came and visisted me behind the front desk. No problem. About two months later, my sister the lesbian and her partner with their two children (the partner had them, my sister adopted them( came and visited me behind the front desk.
The office bigot called me on it, saying the partner and children should not have been behind the front desk. When I pointed out that he hadn’t called me out on having my brother’s adopted child behind the front desk, he said "Well, he’s really your nephew. But the lesbians’ daughter’s are NOT really your nieces."My facial expressions were: :eek:
:rolleyes:
I’m really starting to feel like I should chimp out after reading this thread.
“Be careful with your things. The gypsies steal.” - my host mom, when I was on the way to an event to meet kids who were living in an orphanage.
“Gypsies are the problem of Bulgaria.” - my landlady
“I have to watch him, or he’ll steal things.” - my landlady, on why she was so closely attending the plumber.
“How come I have to be on the team with all of the gypsies?” - one of my 5th graders, after I had separated all the kids into teams for a game.
“Be careful, there are many gypsies downtown.” - the landlady of my hostel, Sarajevo.
“Be careful, there are so many gypsies in Bucharest, even more than in Bulgaria.” - A Romanian girl who helped me get to my hostel.
“Kyla, do they have gypsies in America?” - one of my colleagues, after I had complained to him about the behavior of one of the students in his class, by way of explanation.
“They don’t have books, they are gypsies.” - my counterpart, when I wondered why half of my 5th graders didn’t have textbooks.
Except eventually this shit stopped blowing me away.
I was at a Bible study class (shut up, you heard me!) and I was shocked to hear my extremely educated pastor say something derogatory about All Muslims (not just, you know, terrorists).
So, I snapped back and gave a little speech about how there are plenty of Muslims in America and they work with us, they’re our neighbors, they go to school with our kids, and they’re peachy keen. No worse than any regular American or, heaven forbid, any regular Christian.
This was at the end of class, and we wrapped it up, and one lady came up to me and asked - wide-eyed and quite concerned - if I really lived next door to Muslims. Like she was concerned that there might actually be Muslims in our community and they might live next door to One Of Us.
I really wanted to take that conversation further, and either lie and say “yes” or say “so what if there is?” but I was too taken aback at her question and demeanor to say anything but “no, that was a broad generalization of ‘us’.”
That’s hilarious!
I hope I’m misunderstanding you, but just in case…
He had given me many reasons to dislike him, but his being Dutch had nothing to do with it. He was an awful person, who happened to be Dutch.
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