# It's like having your own black man in the pool! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 13, 2002, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-like-having-your-own-black-man-in-the-pool/113850 "2002-06-13T14:02:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-like-having-your-own-black-man-in-the-pool/113850/41 "2002-06-13T19:57:30Z")
Actually what this whole interchange shows is that **Scylla** is a decent human being, a nice guy and a genuine mensch. And elucidator’s an jackass who snipes at his betters and who doesn’t have the courage to stand behind his convictions (however baseless) using the lame excuse that “I wuz jes’ jokin’.” In other words, no surprises. I fully expect elucidator’s next excuse to be “Well, I was just conducting an experiment.” :rolleyes: Fenris ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-like-having-your-own-black-man-in-the-pool/113850/42 "2002-06-13T20:00:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by andros \* > \*\ ***lobely** : > > Odd? Not a bit of it. **Tansu** said it quite well, I think. If I find myself offended by a shop employee, I won’t buy there. Simple enough–it’s voting with my pocketbook. > > Although I would suggest, **Scylla** , that you let the store owners/management know about your decision not to purchase from them. \*\* Not ‘odd’, ott as in Over The Top. You have almost proved my implication that it is just a difference between the two sides of the pond. Brits will probably all think it is OTT to decline a good pool cleaner because the guy selling it made a racist comment. (Brits think a lot of what Yanks do is OTT) I am a brit so I think it is OTT. It’s all OTT ---
**Author:** ![Macro\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Macro\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macro_Man)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-like-having-your-own-black-man-in-the-pool/113850/43 "2002-06-13T20:03:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Scylla \* > \*\*I’m going to have to go back there from time to time. I think I’ll wait for the right opportunity to say something to the owner about it. \*\* Do you really want to mess with a guy’s job for this? Sure, it was a bad joke, but it’s just that… A JOKE. He obviously was not seriously spewing hatred. He was trying to make you laugh. Admittedly it was a stupid, juvenile, and bigoted comment, but you already called him on it. From what I’ve heard, :smack: was probably his immediate thoughts after the comment. Is he a racist? Maybe, maybe not. If he is, then you should go rat him out to his employer. I just don’t think you have enough information to conclude there was malice in his comment. Plus, he’s probably still waiting for the reprecussions from his comment, and will be for many several months. That waiting is probably worse than the whatever consequences of going to his boss would be. ---
**Author:** ![Bandanaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ab097/32.png) [@Bandanaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bandanaman)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-like-having-your-own-black-man-in-the-pool/113850/44 "2002-06-13T20:04:27Z")
Jesus Christ. Can I get those minutes back. What a boring thread. Poor Scylla, you’re so deprived. If you can’t handle owning a pool, fill it up with dirt and plant tomatoes, and quit wasting bandwidth. My heart pumps pisswater for you dude. :rolleyes: And that would be PC pisswater. Geez. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-like-having-your-own-black-man-in-the-pool/113850/45 "2002-06-13T20:13:46Z")
> [@](#): > > Do you really want to mess with a guy’s job for this? If you mean by talking to the management, yes. The store owners have a right to know what image theire employees are projecting. And **Bandanaman** , don’t you have another message board to go to? ---
**Author:** ![Macro\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Macro\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macro_Man)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-like-having-your-own-black-man-in-the-pool/113850/46 "2002-06-13T20:14:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bandanaman \* > \*\*Jesus Christ. Can I get those minutes back. What a boring thread. Poor Scylla, you’re so deprived. If you can’t handle owning a pool, fill it up with dirt and plant tomatoes, and quit wasting bandwidth. My heart pumps pisswater for you dude. :rolleyes: And that would be PC pisswater. Geez. \*\* Then don’t read the thread, fuckface? What are you, dense or just trolling for a fight? This isn’t some elaborate ploy just so Scylla can annouce to the world that he/she has a pool. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-like-having-your-own-black-man-in-the-pool/113850/47 "2002-06-13T20:19:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Macro Man \* > \*\* > > Then don’t read the thread, fuckface? What are you, dense or just trolling for a fight? This isn’t some elaborate ploy just so Scylla can annouce to the world that he/she has a pool. > :rolleyes: \*\* ::Note to self:: Better scrap the Mexican/Jacuzzi thread, and the Polack/Porsche incident, they’re onto me. ---
**Author:** ![Macro\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Macro\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macro_Man)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-like-having-your-own-black-man-in-the-pool/113850/48 "2002-06-13T20:26:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by andros \* > If you mean by talking to the management, yes. The store owners have a right to know what image theire employees are projecting. I just don’t see it. So what happens? He gets fired from a job paying $7.00 an hour, and he goes somewhere else to make $7.00 an hour. Meanwhile, the store owner gets to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars hiring and training someone else. For what amounts to a stupid, impulsive joke that may or may not indicate underlying bigotry that he profusely apoligizes for. In short, Scylla, if you have never, ever said anything and then immediately realized it was stupid and wished you could cram the words back in your mouth, then by all means I agree that you should inform management. BTW, I think that up until this point you have handled the situation perfectly, up to and including going back to the store to buy the cleaner. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-like-having-your-own-black-man-in-the-pool/113850/49 "2002-06-13T20:39:06Z")
It’s a discussion on morality in the marketplace, **Bandanaman** , not aquaculture. Your post would appear to have contributed the least amount of insight to date. Congratulations. ---
**Author:** ![Tiburon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e36b37/32.png) [@Tiburon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tiburon)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-like-having-your-own-black-man-in-the-pool/113850/50 "2002-06-13T20:47:37Z")
Hm. I see what you’re saying, Macro Man but consider this: Let’s imagine that this is the 14th comment this guy has made to a customer and his boss has heard about 1 or 2 of them. Why not let his boss be the decision maker here and let the boss decide if this guy deserves the benefit of the doubt? I would certainly want to know if my employee were making these comments. Maybe the boss already heard about one comment and gave the employee the benefit of the doubt once. I’m still on the side of telling management - not nominating the saleman for death penalty in doing so, but simply relaying the story, including his apology. Tibs. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-like-having-your-own-black-man-in-the-pool/113850/51 "2002-06-13T20:50:18Z")
We once owned a home that came with a pool, and a robot pool crawler. For some reason, we got into the habit of calling it the Pub Crawler. It tended to be under the weather and occasionally passed out, requiring fussing and repairs. I recommend calling your local dirt contractor and filling in the pool. Much less stress and expense. **elucidator** , ya gots to learn not to pee in the pool. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-like-having-your-own-black-man-in-the-pool/113850/52 "2002-06-13T21:00:50Z")
> [@](#): > > Jesus Christ. Can I get those minutes back. What a boring thread. **Bandanaman** sure is full of quotable quotes, isn’t he? **Scylla** , I like you now. You got on my nerves with the whole let’s-call-black-people-Sable thread, but you’ve made up for it and then some. The guy’s joke–in the words of my favorite TV bitch of all time–wasn’t not funny. If you had been black, there’s no way he would have made that comment. He told it to you hoping–no, **knowing** –you would find it funny too. Just because you’re white. And now he’ll think twice before doing that again. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-like-having-your-own-black-man-in-the-pool/113850/53 "2002-06-13T21:36:16Z")
I thought the same thing **Tib** did. You can approach the store owner with this situation, and not be gunning for the guy’s head. The guy may actually be a nice guy, and said something infinitely stupid that he completely regrets. The store owner may decide to give him a second chance. But on the other hand, this may be a pattern, and if it is, he needs to get canned. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-like-having-your-own-black-man-in-the-pool/113850/54 "2002-06-13T21:37:06Z")
That guy was way out of line. I say, tell the manager. And yes, the guy SHOULD lose his job. There’s no place for people like that. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-like-having-your-own-black-man-in-the-pool/113850/55 "2002-06-13T21:42:02Z")
D’oh! I mean, there is no place in customer service for people like that. If he says that to the wrong person, he’s liable to lose them a lot of business! ---
**Author:** ![Tansu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@Tansu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tansu)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-like-having-your-own-black-man-in-the-pool/113850/56 "2002-06-13T22:02:10Z")
hey - **lobley** - I’m all Brit and I definitely don’t think it’s OTT. I simply don’t like doing business with people who offend me. In a situation like this, it’s easy to walk out of the store (which in itself gives the offending salesperson a small lesson in salesmanship) and it’s also easy to mention it to the manager. “I found your employee’s comments offensive - I just thought you ought to know” Yes, Brits have a reputation for not wanting to make waves, but we don’t have to keep our mouths shut all the time. It’s not about punishment, it’s about challenging offensive behaviour, and giving people the opportunity to learn to be less rude. ---
**Author:** ![Bandanaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ab097/32.png) [@Bandanaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bandanaman)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-like-having-your-own-black-man-in-the-pool/113850/57 "2002-06-13T22:29:00Z")
Jambo **monstro** Haba di yako? ---
**Author:** ![seawitch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@seawitch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seawitch)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-like-having-your-own-black-man-in-the-pool/113850/58 "2002-06-13T22:29:25Z")
I agree with **Guin** ’s comment. It’s entirely possible this salesman has made the same comment before, to prior customers who either decided not to buy or who did not patronize the store for future needs. If the owner doesn’t know, he might think the decline in sales is due to something else - instead of finding out it’s something he can fix. You’d be doing the owner a favor to let him know. If he’s either the same sort of clueless git the salesman is, or if the salesman in fact does own the store, please ignore me and everything I say. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-like-having-your-own-black-man-in-the-pool/113850/59 "2002-06-13T23:18:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lobley \* > \*\*Brits will probably all think it is OTT to decline a good pool cleaner because the guy selling it made a racist comment. (Brits think a lot of what Yanks do is OTT) I am a brit so I think it is OTT. It’s all OTT \*\* Who appointed you our spokesman?; **Scylla** did the right thing; vote with your feet; give the bloke cause to think a bit. “Brits will probably all think just like me” pshaw! honestly. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![ladybug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@ladybug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladybug)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-like-having-your-own-black-man-in-the-pool/113850/60 "2002-06-13T23:31:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zette \* > In other news, I have a Hayward Waterbug for my above ground pool. It’s like having your own personal **ladybug** cleaning your pool for you! > [http://poolandgarden.com/hayaqautpool.html](http://poolandgarden.com/hayaqautpool.html) > It works great! Hey! It is kinda cute. 😃 For what it’s worth, **Scylla** , I think you did the right thing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-like-having-your-own-black-man-in-the-pool/113850.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-like-having-your-own-black-man-in-the-pool/113850.md?page=4)