Tuesday, September 9, 2014

1/(Ferguson)

Y'know, we went out to dinner Sat night.

Ended up at an Olive Garden. Food was good, but that isn't what I intend to discuss
I'm gonna talk about race relations:

See, Olive Garden doesn't do reservations, so ya shows up and gives 'em yer name and waits yer turn.

20+ minute wait.

Now there were Black people and White people and Hispanics and Eastern Indians and some folks where the women were wearing Hijab-like headcoverings, so I am gonna assume Muslims. There were Eastern Asians and (likely) Pacific Islanders.

Everyone was polite, and decent to everyone else. Maybe not friendly, but at least polite and decent. Social, one might say. Well behaved.  Not loud. Doors were held for the old or ladies... No pushing or shoving, and people tried to make room for the next guy...The kids were (for kids), well behaved. Parents corrected them or disciplined when they got out of line.



There were several tables with a broad mix of skin tones and facial features. Whites blacks Hispanics, etc. not sure if work folks with families or what....It doesn't matter. They seemed to get along.

Everyone spoke clear english. Accented, perhaps, but clear. No Ghetto accents. No one was loud or overbearing either. And no one was rude. While I doubt any of us were unaware of color or ethnicity, I also don't think any of us cared that much about it. All we cared about was passing the time until we could be seated and then waiting for our food.

Now, these folks, none of them, were poor. Nor were they Ghetto, by their actions...raised right. With manners. I doubt that any of us had "Private Plane" money, but I also doubt any of the folks there were on welfare, either.


Thing is, I would  doubt that these people have issues with the police in their daily lives....,...I also doubt that they have racial tensions in their neighborhoods. In fact, I'd bet that their neighborhoods don't look like Ferguson, either. 

Point is, no one was a lowlife...or at least no one acted, or dressed like one.

And no one got treated like one either....Were there racial tensions in the restaurant? Not that one could easily notice. No one blamed me for anything because I am white, and I didn't expect to be mugged because there were Black and Hispanic people there. We were just people eating. As it should be.

Draw your own conclusion from this anecdote.




2 comments:

og said...

Don't start no shit, won't be no shit. Well said.

Aaron said...

In short it isn't color that's the problem, it's culture.