A couple of nights ago, I was driving home and felt myself in need of a drink, so I took a quick detour into a fast food drive-thru. I gave my order – large root beer, light ice and an order of cookies, just for kicks – and pulled around to the window. Because there was a light rain, I had closed my car window after placing my order, so I wasn’t immediately visible to the cashier – my windows have a light tint that makes it hard to see in after dark if there’s a light behind the person looking in. (Did that make sense?) I had to fiddle a bit to get the money from my wallet, so it was perhaps fifteen seconds before I rolled down to pay and grab my snack.
When I did, I turned to face the cashier and he grimaced at me. He took my money without a word, thrust my food at me, turned on one heel and stalked away from the window almost angrily.
Now, folks of my complection are few and far between in these parts, and I’m well aware of that, and not particularly concerned about it, but it seems that seeing a black woman when that window came down shocked the heck out of him. And while I’m not (and never have been) one to presume racist intent behind people’s odd behavior without some concrete evidence to support such a thought, in this case, I think I may be on to something.
You see, the angry cashier had a shaved head, tattoos up and down his arms (I saw eagles, flags and a cross on just the arm that handed me my order) and another tattoo of an iron cross (without the swastika) on his neck.
Seems to me that I may have tripped across a skinhead at the Burger King. If so, I’ll probably avoid it in the future just to avoid starting something. But I’m not sure if that’s what I ran across. It seems like it, but I defer to the judgment of Dopers – does that sound skinhead-ish to you?
Could have been, but there’s a million reasons the guy could have been dishing out poor service, including no reason at all.
Was he at the window with the food ready to go the entire time you fiddled with your money and rolled your window down? When I worked at a fast food place, we were not supposed to have anyone at the window for more than forty seconds, so a wait like that could account for his grimace.
I’m guessing that, yeah, he was probably not on the “welcome” list at the next NAACP meeting. Or maybe he was a typical teenage angst filled dickhead. Obviously, he’s got something going on, but who can say except him. A visit to the manager might have been helpful, but maybe not.
I’m a backwoods, countrified redneck, whiter than white, and I’ve had shitty service at the drive thru too. People have bad days, it’s not all personal.
Oh, I’m not thinking this because of the service – the grimace when he saw my face was telling – but I was more concerned by his appearance.
In other words: shaved head, eagle, cross, flag and Iron Cross tatts – do these a skinhead make?
There are “Skinheads” that are non-racist…basically they are a punk subculture. Some are even "antiracist (SHARP = Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice). To the general public they look just like the Nazi kind, shaved head, leather jacket, Doc Marten boots.
Most hardcore Neonazis with tatoos would have either a swastika, a “Runic SS” (looking like two lightning bolts), or the so called “Celtic Cross” ( a circle with a plus sign superimposed over it).
The Iron Cross itself isn’t necessarily “Nazi”, even the current German military uses that pattern. Which is not to say this guy might not have a life size portrait of Hitler under his shirt or something. He is probably just a malajusted jerk, but he could very well be a Neonazi skinhead on top of that. I’m suprised a guy like that would have any sort of job working with the “public”, even at a remote Burger King.
Let’s distinguish between a skinhead and a neo-Nazi. Evil Ex Roommate was a skinhead, but he was a queer Jewish Gypsy.
Just because you shave your head doesn’t make you a skinhead either…Racist or Non.
The Iron Cross thing is iffy, but that seems to be the trendy new thing at Hot Topic lately, so, who knows.
The kid was probably just a bonehead.
Jon
what’s the Holmes quote… like “Do not attribute to malice that which can easily be explained by stupidity.”
Something like that. I’d just file him under “idiot” and go elsewhere. Life’s too short to spend time hating idiots.
I’d say it sounds like he fit the skinhead stereotype. But you know how stereotypes go. I guess better safe than sorry might apply.
OR next time go into the place with a friend or two and find out. I don’t mean get in his face or anything.
Who knows TeaElle, sometimes the best books have the worst covers.
My wife thinks so anyway. 
My mom-in-law says she thought I was a Hell’s Angel when we first met. Not anymore. 