First off, a half-serving of crow, for yours truly.
Upon review and reflection, there was nothing in the OP that deserved my response. Not that it wasn’t fun, mind you. But it was wrong. Hence, I must apologize. Not that I wouldn’t prefer to pound broken beer bottles into my bunghole.
But wrong is wrong. I was wrong, and Scylla’s dignity unjustly slighted.
I will repair hence to the nearest river, to perform the Ancient Tasmanian Ritual of Self-Abasement, accompanied by a Chorus of Bitter Virgins, intoning dirges of Woe and Humiliation.
I just want to add that my parents bought one of the pool sweeps with wheels, that moves along the bottom and walls with a “tail” that waves back and forth, squirting water for propulsion. Their dog (big black lab) thought this thing was a sea monster. Every time the thing was running, the dog would charge to the pool and stand there, still as can be, until the sweep got near the surface. Then she would jump in and attack it, biting the tail, shaking her head back and forth, getting dragged under, then swimming back up to the surface with it, etc. It was really fun to watch, especially when we would all chant the Star Trek “Amok Time” fight music.
So, Scylla, if you have a dog that likes to swin, you may want to consider that model for the entertainment value.
Its possible, given the paucity of evidence, that it really was a joke.
A joke between strangers is a very uncertain thing. There is a presumption of commonality which may not be true, or even plausible. He may have been operating on the unspoken assumption that you were so cool a guy that you would instantly know he was joking.
To the point: don’t tell the Boss. This might be his livelihood, it might not. But that is out of your jurisdiction.
Sure, it could well be a joke. But that kind of joke is only funny if you know the person well enough to be absolutely sure they’re just being ironic. You don’t make jokes like that to strangers, and you definitely don’t make them to a client when you’re at work. And if this guy doesn’t know that, well, it’s time he learned.
Doesn’t remind me of a black guy, not even Cuba Gooding Jr. in that scene in Men of Honor when Robert De Niro scatters his tools across the bottom of the lagoon but he still gets the job done.
It’s a Hayward Navigator, and it’s a little square box with stubby wings that flap. a suckhole, and a hose. It’s kind of difficult to anthopomorphize the thing.
Doesn’t remind me of a black guy, not even Cuba Gooding Jr. in that scene in Men of Honor when Robert De Niro scatters his tools across the bottom of the lagoon but he still gets the job done.
It’s a Hayward Navigator, and it’s a little square box with stubby wings that flap. a suckhole, and a hose. It’s kind of difficult to anthopomorphize the thing.
Ok, perplexed. Do salespeople in the UK not get commissions of a particular percentage for items sold? This is the source of the toadying, bootlicking abject grovelling that salespeople in the USA often display (“Hi, welcometotheGapcanIhelpyoufindanything?”), which allows us the possiblilty of directed punishment at particular salespeople rather than establishments (and also the proliferation of businesscards for said salespeople-- “If you decide you want it give ME a call. . .”)-- is this a purely American thing?
Well some of us happen to think that racism is a bad thing, and don’t like to give our money to the lowlifes who spout it. I would find it questionable to have bought the thing from the guy after that comment, actually. I’d have said something, then talked to the manager right then and there. If the manager was able to deal with the situation in a way that I felt was appropriate, I might have bought it anyway. Otherwise I’d have bought it later or from another store. Maybe to you racism is a minor thing that you shrug off, but to a lot of people it is a very serious issue.
capybara - sales people in a shop don’t tend to be on commission - or at least if they are, it’s a small bonus on top of a salary. So we don’t get the same level of bothering that y’all do.
Estate agents (realtors), car sales people, wholesalers, recruitment consultants and the like are on commission. Shop assistants aren’t.
Maybe it would be better if he stayed on. Better still if scylla were a regular customer and interacted with this person on a regular basis. Sure, it would be uneasy at first, but perhaps an opportunity to be a positive and constructive force for change?
Lobley, dear heart, my British parents policy of not creating a stir or raising a fuss lead to them doing nothing when I was (mildly) sexually abused/assaulted at 16 [long story omitted]. That’s why this Anglo-American is somewhat more outspoken.
Getting back to the issue, I grew up on the edges of rural Pennsylvania and worked in a small manufacturing plant there until about 4 years ago. I’m afraid I’ve run into a lot of instances of quiet, assumed racism. Scylla, what I’d do is have a talk with the store owner telling him about the incident. If this is the only alternative in your area, I’d tell him I will not deal with that salesperson again. If it isn’t, I’d tell him that I will be taking my business elsewhere. The nice thing about capitalism is, when I’m buying something, I have the power. I do not have to, nor will I support predjudice or poor customer service. I don’t know what it was in this guy’s case, but, if he’s driving off customers, his boss should know.
hijack - the thread title has started to remind me of the TV ads we have in the UK for a travel company (Thomson). They feature a really fit, really good looking (IMO) black man relaxing on an idyllic beach, doing a few lengths in a luxurious pool etc. I keep thinking “hmmm, wouldn’t mind splashing about with him in my pool…” Can’t find a good picture of the sexy ad man on the net, which is a shame, because he is quite the hottie.
A friend reported to me, when he turned 25 and his car insurance rates dropped with State Farm, when he went into the office to discuss his new rates, the insurance agent clapped him on the back and said with a great big smile:
“Now you’ll be payin’ WHITE MAN’ S RATES!”
He felt sick about it, really sick. But he stayed with them, since he had an accident-free discount, and car insurance was high for him (even at 25).
It was sorta “economic blackmail to accept racism”.
