> My grandparents came from Ireland and the treatment of the Irish was no
> better than the blacks, Italians or any other immigrants but we didn't
> cry about it for the next hundred years, we sent our kids to high school
> and then the next generation sent theirs to college. We took over the
> police departments and then the political machines Tammany Hall for one
> instance. We worked hard, saved our money and made life better for our
> kids than that which we found when we came into this world.
Certainly... many of the Asians I know have the same philosophy. Work hard. Study.
Use the opportunities. I can tell you that I have worked hard for many years and
it's starting to pay off...
At the same time, I can understand the other viewpoint. A few years ago I visited a
stationery store in a moderately well-to-do mall looking for fountain pens to add to
my collection. Now I have a small collection as these things go. They range in price
from a nice $5 Waterman to a couple Parkers and Mont Blancs that are worth listing
in my homeowner's insurance. I'm not wealthy by any measure -- just a regular IT guy
with an IT income -- and I'm only saying this to show that I was aware of the price
of items in the store. Anyhoo, I walked in and immediately a lady approaches and
asks if she could help.. Nope, just browsing. Look around a little more and find a
fairly common Mont Blanc and a nice Schaeffer. I knew that the price for the former
was around $60 and the latter averaged $140. (The Mont Blancs are awesome pens, but
the low-end ones are always overpriced in these stationery stores to snag the pointy
heads and tourists.) There are lots of other customers but she'd hovering behind me
peeking over my shoulder, dusting the counter next to me, in general acting as if I
would smash and grab something. I ask her the prices...
First words that dripped from her mouth: "They're rather expensive."
That's it, nothing else.
In retrospect, I do look like the typical IT guy. I prefer jeans and T-shirt, a Polo
if I need to dress up, and often sneakers or loafers. But my clothes are clean, free
of holes. I speak standard English. I bathe regularly. But somehow I *looked* like I
couldn't afford a $60 pen.
And that's the point. There were other people in that store that dressed similarly
to me. But she seemed to single me out with her condescension based on my
appearance.
This happened to me once a few years ago and it still upsets me.
I can't imagine having to live with that on a day-to-day basis.
-- * The Digital Hermit http://www.digitalhermit.com * Unix and Linux Solutions kwan@digitalhermit.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This list is provided as an unmoderated internet service by Networked Knowledge Systems (NKS). Views and opinions expressed in messages posted are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of NKS or any of its employees.
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