posted
Sorry Hatrack, I don't mean to sound like a whiner, but I need to vent this more or less immediately or a brick might go through the window of my store and/or a gas station may get held up.
I've worked in retail, customer service, and sales for about five years now, and I thought I'd gotten pretty used to dealing with racism and racial stereotypes, but recently they've just been overwhelming me and today was pretty much the last straw.
For years, I've been dealing with racial stereotypes & misconceptions, both positive and negative, and generally shrugging it off or trying to make the best of it. After all, asians generally have it pretty good when it comes to minority stereotypes: a lot of them are "positive" (insofar as a stereotype is ever positive). The men may have small penises, the women have no curves, but at least we're all brilliant at math and science and know kung fu, right? We know all the crazy tantric sex secrets and our porn is crazy and widely desired, right?
But the past few weeks...ugh.
Incident 1:
Customer: (to my boss) Yeah, you know, this thing here, it's a dive refractometer or something. Boss: Ok, what's a dive refractometer? Customer: F*** if I know. Hey, Chinese boy, the hell's a refractometer? Me: I have absolutely no idea. <big smile>
Incident 2:
Elderly, rich female customer: Please be careful with these antique jewelry pieces, they're very fragile. Me: Ok. <proceeds to input info into the database, noticing that elderly, rich female customer is staring at me.> Yes? ERFC: Oh...so, uhm, are you from Asia?. Me: (Must...control...fist of death...)
Incident 3:
Customer: Andrew, how do you pronounce your last name? Me: I'm sorry, sir? Customer: On your name tag. Me: Sir, "E.C.A.T." stands for Efficiency Consultant & Auction Technician, my position in the store. Customer: Oh, I'm sorry, it's just that I'm going to China soon and I wanted to brush up on my pronunciation. Me: Sir...I'm Japanese.
Incident 4 (about 15 minutes ago, and this is the one that makes me want to kill something):
Customer: Look, the diving suit you sold me has broken neck seals. Me: Oh, don't worry, the neck seals aren't broken, they've just constricted due to storage, you can stretch them out again by-- Customer: Look, Mr. Miyagi, I don't care what you think you know about-- Me: ...sir, what did you just call me? Customer: What? Ching chang chong chong dumb f***? Look, I want my money back on this suit, if you can't help-- Me: Get the hell out of my store. Customer: What? Me: Get. The hell out. Of my store. Customer: Whatever, bud. Don't get all jet li on my ass. <pushes the diving suit off the counter and leaves>
There are a lot of assholes out there. Maybe your stores just gotten an unusual influx of em of late With luck it'll subside.
Posts: 3295 | Registered: Jun 2004
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posted
Holy...wow. I don't have any idea how I'd react to the sensless, jackass hostility of that last one. That's just...I'm glad you kicked him out of the store.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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posted
Wow. Every once in a while I forget how totally sucky people can be. I'm glad you kicked that last guy out of the store. Vent here where it's safe.
I'd do the little () hugs thing, but what with all the crazy making out in that other thread, we'd best not get carried away. Not while you're at work.
posted
Whoa...yeah, I definitely would've snapped on that last one too. Screw "the customer is always right"! I would've been strongly tempted to leap over the counter and claw his eyes out while screeching incoherently. But then, I'm a non-athletic girl, so this tactic would most likely have been singularly ineffective.
(((eros)))
I'm Asian-American too (half Filipino, half white), and I've certainly met a lot of idiots at work. The worst also involved some fake "Asian" language spouted at me, but that was a faint shadow of what you got. It was also the only time I've ever lost my temper with a customer, which at a casino, is a bad thing to do.
I'm not a die-hard political correctness fan by any means, but it seems to me that as far as racism in America goes, black-white relations get an inordinate amount of attention, followed by Hispanics, and lastly Asians. In my experience, Asians are more likely to be assumed to be immigrants, regardless of whether or not we speak with an American accent that clearly indicates we were born and raised in the US. (I have no idea if this applies to you, eros, I'm just sayin'.) And people rarely get called on it. Drives me nuts.
Of course, this depends a lot on the location - I grew up in the extreme Chicago suburbs (think lots of cornfields), which is where I've met the vast majority of ignorant idiots. But after I moved to Long Island, I actually can't recall any incidents of people assuming I'm not American. And when I lived in London for several months, everyone pegged me as American almost immediately.
I'm sorry this happened. And I think you need another hug. Hopefully that guy won't ever be back while you're working.
posted
That's just wrong, why do people have to be such morons? Would it really kill a person to be kind to others? Sorry this happened to you eros, just brush it offand know you're ten times better than those people.
Posts: 67 | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
There are way to many ignorant people out there. A lot of it is subtle, things buried deep in the subconscious thanks to societal progression, but I've noticed if two people of different races, are angry at each other for any reason, race gets interjected. It's like people haven't lost their racism, they only started being less overt about it since its not socially acceptable.
I can’t stand those kinds of people and I’m amazed you didn’t do more than you did.
Posts: 959 | Registered: Oct 2005
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posted
aww! You'll be back in Hawaii soon and those people must be really really retarded because not one called you korean. umm, chinese? wtf?
Posts: 308 | Registered: Sep 2005
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posted
Thanks for the sentiments, folks. Two hours and half a pack of cigarettes later, I feel much better about being me.
quote:I'd do the little () hugs thing, but what with all the crazy making out in that other thread, we'd best not get carried away. Not while you're at work.
--Enigmatic
But...but...my makeout sesh...
quote:I'm not a die-hard political correctness fan by any means, but it seems to me that as far as racism in America goes, black-white relations get an inordinate amount of attention, followed by Hispanics, and lastly Asians. In my experience, Asians are more likely to be assumed to be immigrants, regardless of whether or not we speak with an American accent that clearly indicates we were born and raised in the US. (I have no idea if this applies to you, eros, I'm just sayin'.) And people rarely get called on it. Drives me nuts.
I've mentioned this same discrepancy in the past - I think it's largely related to time. As compared to African and Hispanic immmigrants (if you can call the first African Americans "immigrants"), mass Asian immigration to the continental U.S. is relatively recent, and there are (or at least seem to be) more first-generation Asian-Americans than African-Americans, etc. That sort of helps explain to me why people are more likely to assume I don't speak English (incidentally, I have no accent, nor do am I fluent in any language but English).
With other aspects of racial tolerance, I think it just takes time. "Chink" and "Jap" and other derogatory terms still slide in public media where the N-word would get censored (indeed, I'm willing to spell out the first two while very reluctant to spell out the N-word, even in the spirit of objective consideration...!), but this state of affairs can't last long, especially given that the Asian American community has begun speaking out vehemently against the seeming double standard.
quote:There are way to many ignorant people out there. A lot of it is subtle, things buried deep in the subconscious thanks to societal progression, but I've noticed if two people of different races, are angry at each other for any reason, race gets interjected. It's like people haven't lost their racism, they only started being less overt about it since its not socially acceptable.
I completely agree. Truth be told, I'm subject to minor bouts of racist thinking myself (and I think, to an extent, most people are if they'll stop and think about it): I think what seperates civilized people from the morons I've been dealing with is the ability to stop, recognize that you're carrying preconceived racial ideas and attitudes, and either ignore or suppress them. I don't always succeed - I don't think most people do - but the effort is worth something.
quote:(Is now a good time to mention that I consistently misread your screenname as "ersomaniac?")
You're not the only one .
Posts: 4313 | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
What part of the country are you in, I can't imagine that kind of thing happening in the bay area, although it doubtless might
Posts: 9912 | Registered: Nov 2005
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posted
I live in Seattle, and I work in Bellevue, WA - I've referred to it in the past as the O.C. of Washington. It's where all the ridiculously rich folks in the pacific northwest live - for example, Bill Gates lives about 5 miles from my store.
Posts: 4313 | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
So these aren't redneck/WT type people your talking about, but instead the "Megarich" generation of Microsoft and starbucks fame? How sad for you.
Posts: 9912 | Registered: Nov 2005
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posted
That's... strange. I mean, they're jackasses, but I thought the Pacific Northwest has a relatively high Asian population. It must be hard for them to cling to their stereotypes.
And yeah, I love those types, too. You should see how angry I get if whites start talking down to my (accented) father. He's an engineer, assholes, not a gardener.
Posts: 3293 | Registered: Jul 2002
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posted
Strangely enough, the redneck types in Georgia really go for my dad's accent. He's German, and, well, to quote one "Both our countries have been occupied by the empire". The Union, that is. I'm not sure which is worse.
Hm. Well, erosomniac, I can kill one person a day by ESP. Which of these buffoons do you want out of the picture?
Posts: 767 | Registered: Oct 2003
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posted
I've never seen anything like that. I'd have no patience for it, either. I like the way you handled that last incident, and I think you should go to town like that whenever it happens.
Tell 'em you reserve the right to not serve Klanners.
edit to add: I can't be the only person who sees the irony of this kind of stereotypically "white-trash" behavior in one of the bluest of blue states.
Posts: 218 | Registered: Mar 2005
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quote:Hm. Well, erosomniac, I can kill one person a day by ESP. Which of these buffoons do you want out of the picture?
Well, the first and last ones were the only ones I think were actually ill intended, the other two were just brutally ignorant and annoying, so...flip a coin?
quote:I can't be the only person who sees the irony of this kind of stereotypically "white-trash" behavior in one of the bluest of blue states.
posted
Well, in fact WA is a pretty red state as these things go. Have you seen the breakdown by district? It's a huge red mass with a little island of blue around King County, but since the rest of the state has practically no population, it's carried by the Dems.
<--back home in my lovely Seattle.
Posts: 866 | Registered: Dec 2003
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posted
Perhaps you could get a T-shirt that says "Don't make me go Zelda on you." Point to it when somebody says something nasty.
Posts: 1877 | Registered: Apr 2005
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quote: I've mentioned this same discrepancy in the past - I think it's largely related to time. As compared to African and Hispanic immmigrants (if you can call the first African Americans "immigrants"), mass Asian immigration to the continental U.S. is relatively recent, and there are (or at least seem to be) more first-generation Asian-Americans than African-Americans, etc. That sort of helps explain to me why people are more likely to assume I don't speak English (incidentally, I have no accent, nor do am I fluent in any language but English).
With other aspects of racial tolerance, I think it just takes time. "Chink" and "Jap" and other derogatory terms still slide in public media where the N-word would get censored (indeed, I'm willing to spell out the first two while very reluctant to spell out the N-word, even in the spirit of objective consideration...!), but this state of affairs can't last long, especially given that the Asian American community has begun speaking out vehemently against the seeming double standard.
This does make a lot of sense, but it still sucks. I just wish more people - and not just Asians - would be more pro-active about it.
For example, the grade school I went to was fairly small and 99.9% white. I was definitely the only non-white in my grade, and I believe one of maybe 3 Asian kids in the entire school. When I was in 5th grade, a black girl started going to school there too - and the principle called an all-school assembly to introduce her to everyone and basically tell us all not to be racist towards her. But did I or any of the other Asian kids get this "special" treatment? Nope. Not that I would've particularly wanted to be singled out like that, but it seemed pretty hypocritical for them to be so careful about one minority and not the others.
Posts: 952 | Registered: Jun 2005
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quote: Truth be told, I'm subject to minor bouts of racist thinking myself (and I think, to an extent, most people are if they'll stop and think about it): I think what seperates civilized people from the morons I've been dealing with is the ability to stop, recognize that you're carrying preconceived racial ideas and attitudes, and either ignore or suppress them. I don't always succeed - I don't think most people do - but the effort is worth something.
I agree; I do sometimes have racist or stereotypical thoughts, and I'm always mortified by my own thoughts and try to change them. I would NEVER want anyone else to hear them. I can't believe the people (some in my own family!) who actually say them as if they're funny.
quote:I have no accent, nor do am I fluent in any language but English.
Are you sure you're fluent in English? Posts: 1522 | Registered: Nov 2005
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posted
I think they censor "Chink" on the radio here. But I can only think of one song in which it's used. At least, I THINK that's what's used...I haven't so much bothered to check the explicit version. So I could be wrong. But I think when it first came out, they didn't censor it, and then all of a sudden, they started to.
But that's not the point. Poor you, erosomniac! *lots of hugs* It's unbelievable how stupid people can be. And I get the impression that your job takes a lot of patience under much less openly-hostile situations.
posted
This thread has made me think, and I'm not sure if this is racist.
Last night my brother was having a party and me and a few or my friends were sitting in the other room just talking. As people left, they would walk through us to get to the door. Eventually it seemed like everyone had left and we were thinking about if anyone was still there. I said something to to the extent of, "No, the two Asian girls I don't know are still here." Of course everyone started naming off all of the Asian girls at the party, which was a lot because girls flock around my brother. And I was like, "No, I know who all of them are." and then I thought about it for a while and realized, "Actually, they might not have been Asian, they might have been white, I don't really remember." Turned out they were blond and blue eyed and about as stereotypically white as you can possibly get.
I figure there are two possible explainations for this.
A. I'm racist and just hadn't noticed it before. B. I'm clueless
Posts: 4655 | Registered: Jan 2002
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quote:Originally posted by blacwolve: This thread has made me think, and I'm not sure if this is racist.
Last night my brother was having a party and me and a few or my friends were sitting in the other room just talking. As people left, they would walk through us to get to the door. Eventually it seemed like everyone had left and we were thinking about if anyone was still there. I said something to to the extent of, "No, the two Asian girls I don't know are still here." Of course everyone started naming off all of the Asian girls at the party, which was a lot because girls flock around my brother. And I was like, "No, I know who all of them are." and then I thought about it for a while and realized, "Actually, they might not have been Asian, they might have been white, I don't really remember." Turned out they were blond and blue eyed and about as stereotypically white as you can possibly get.
I figure there are two possible explainations for this.
A. I'm racist and just hadn't noticed it before. B. I'm clueless
Er, call me insensitive, but I don't get it. How could this possibly be construed as racist?
Posts: 3293 | Registered: Jul 2002
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quote:Are you sure you're fluent in English? [Razz]
Typing and deleting thoughts leaves behind a trail sometimes
quote:I figure there are two possible explainations for this.
A. I'm racist and just hadn't noticed it before. B. I'm clueless
I don't know that I'd call that racism - I have no idea what you'd call that actually, since I have no idea why it happened in the first place, or what your motivations were in misremembering the blonde girls as asians.
quote:So, erosomniac, is your name Andrew?
That it is. Or just Drew, if you're lazy like my friends and two syllables is just way, way too much. Inevitably, I end up typing my name (An)Drew.
Posts: 4313 | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
I was looking up your screen name and found a review of a shirt at amazon which listed your first and last name along with your screen name. And one from a review of a digital camera. Posts: 9871 | Registered: Aug 2001
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posted
Googling my screen name turns up TONS of amazon reviews...and some other forum posts, mostly from MMOs. Most of the other stuff, I'm fairly sure I got rid of.
Mostly, though, it's reviews for the Fuji Finepix A340 and the Canon S410/SD200, and tons of other websites stealing the reviews. Bastards.
Posts: 4313 | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
Yeah, I saw all those, along with all the gaming forums, but the one that caught my eye was the amazon with your whole name and screen name. I then could get to all your reviews, and your whole name is probably on those also, but the wrinkle free shirts one is the one that caught my eye. But I'm paranoid.
I was just looking your screen name up to try and figure out what it mean, since it's being discussed so much in this thread. The fact that I found your real name and the city and state where you live (from the camera review) scares me, as a mother. I'm crazy, I know.
Posts: 9871 | Registered: Aug 2001
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quote:I was just looking your screen name up to try and figure out what it mean, since it's being discussed so much in this thread. The fact that I found your real name and the city and state where you live (from the camera review) scares me, as a mother. I'm crazy, I know.
They're only available because I made the conscious choice to make them thus: Amazon, by default, does not display your real name, and your location is changeable.
quote:<--Seriously not mentioning stereotypes about Japanese and their cameras. Seriously.
quote:Tante, it's worse than that! It's like he's reviewed every camera ever made!
I admit it, I'm a techno-whore. And I loves me them digital cameras.
Posts: 4313 | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
Blacwolve, you've reminded me of what inevitably happened when I worked as a Customer Service associate, answering an 800# for a national convenience store chain. When people would call with a complaint we'd ask for a name or description of the employee they were calling about. There are so many people who were afraid of being considered racist that they couldn't give a physical description. I'd get things like, "Well, I'm not being racist or anything, but he was (*whispers*) black." (Or Asian, or Mexican.) As if just mentioning their race as one of their physical characteristics was racist. We're so careful now. Not that we shouldn't be careful - but I prefer the way my little children still describe people: "He was brown - a lot browner than me."
Posts: 1522 | Registered: Nov 2005
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posted
I don't have a camera. Or maybe I do, but I don't know where it is. I used to have a gorgeous, but awfully heavy, 35mm SLR, where you manually set the focus, f-stop, aperture, and all that. I kind of liked that camera. It must be around somewhere. But it wasn't so handy for vacation or party photos, because you had to lug around the heavy thing, and the flash contraption that mounted off the top of it, and the different lenses and filters, and then fuss with all the settings, so by the time you were ready for the shot, the moment passed. But it was so good for artsy type pictures. I loved playing with the focus to bring one tiny feature into sharp detail and have everything blurry.
I think I'll go off and look for that camera. It's got to be (gasp!)over 25 years old.
I hope I didn't leave the batteries in the flash thingy.
Posts: 10397 | Registered: Jun 2005
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With luck it'll subside.
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Screw "the customer is always right"! I would've been strongly tempted to leap over the counter and claw his eyes out while screeching incoherently. But then, I'm a non-athletic girl, so this tactic would most likely have been singularly ineffective.![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
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and those people must be really really retarded because not one called you korean. umm, chinese? wtf?
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Well, the first and last ones were the only ones I think were actually ill intended, the other two were just brutally ignorant and annoying, so...flip a coin?![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
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