so uh, the skylanders display is REALLY close to the main counter and registers, so its gets really annoying when kids start pressing the buttons while I'm trying to talk and help customers
and today, I was trying to talk to a customer about SF X Tekken but I got interupted by a kid pressing a button over and over and over, resulting in the same sound effect repeating every second
when the customer left, I told the kid, nicely, that if he keeps doing that, it'll break . He must've been like 5 or something. and he was there by himself. I then noticed I had to put up some Skylander toys, so I grabbed one and looked, and the kid was still there. He was looking at me like "did you really just tell me what to do?"
and I was looking back at him......he pressed the button again
I didn't think much of it, just "damn kids" and I started to walk over to the station to put the toys up
he thought I was coming for him, and he RAN SCREAMING out of the store
the kid was white, so if he got his parent, I was screwed, but alas, he didn't.
and if you guys don't know, since most of you are very anti gamestop
the skylanders display is basically showcasing the first toys along with buttons for each character. when you press a button, the little screen plays a mini trailer for the character, along with audio
From: PartOfYourWorld | #010 you're white, aren't you
Well yeah. But I don't see why that's relevant. I worked in customer service for 4 years. White people are pushovers compared to some latino and black guys that aren't afraid to get in your face. Also, mods, no racism here. I'm just telling like I experienced it.
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Well yeah. But I don't see why that's relevant. I worked in customer service for 4 years. White people are pushovers compared to some latino and black guys that aren't afraid to get in your face. Also, mods, no racism here. I'm just telling like I experienced it.
try being a brown man in a white man's world and then piss off the white man
PurpleMonkDish posted... Why would a white kid be dangerous? I'd rather deal with a white parent that pretty much any other ethnicity.
As a white Canadian who grew up in a mostly Asian city and who didn't even look at who the user was before reading that post...
When I got to that line I was like "Oh, the author is black, and probably lives on the East Coast of America."
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pjbasis posted... White people are scared of other ethnicities because they think they'll be met with violence.
It's pretty cute.
That's partially it. Certainly in Canada I saw no reason to fear people of any ethnicity.
Living in San Francisco I got mugged by a couple of black men, and was kind-of scared by black men for the next couple years. But it's more that I'd avoid confrontation/eye contact/conversation. Although, to be fair, when taking the bus in San Francisco "Don't talk to or make eye contact with men" is pretty good advice regardless of race.
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White people are scared of other ethnicities because they think they'll be met with violence.
It's pretty cute.
I've never been in a fight in my life, but I once got beat up by two black guys.
I was at a party, saw a black guy being overly forward with a girl...intimidating her and she was backing away from him. So I stepped between them and broke it up like any good citizen would. Later on as I was walking home he and his friend jumped me for getting in between him and "his girl."
While I don't think black people are wired to be more violent, these guys felt they had to live up to something because of their culture.
So I don't know if you're implying that white people react differently to other races, because everyone does (see: Pun). If you're saying that white people are no less violent than other races, well in America...I won't finish this thought because I'll just get modded.
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try being a brown man in a white man's world and then piss off the white man
Yeah I dunno. I'd believe that was true in the deep south where white people kind of suck, anywhere else the worst type of customer is "sassy middle aged female, any race." The one who wants to speak to your manager or wants to argue about coupons. She rarely tips well. That's mostly white and sometimes black women, I dunno that I've experience that archetype with anyone else.
CommodoreTN posted... From: metroid composite | #026 Living in San Francisco I got mugged by a couple of black men What the hell? Thats horrible. What led to these encounters? Was it where you lived/worked/jogged or was it in completely random places?
Where I worked. I took a different route from then on, walking 4 blocks to a bus stop instead of 2. Also, when we were in crunch I'd come in early rather than stay late.
San Francisco is a city with poor race relations, though. Like...I was on the bus once, and the wheelchair lift was broken, and we came to a stop with a black man in a wheelchair. Some guy was screaming "YOU'RE ONLY SAYING THAT BECAUSE HE'S BLACK." And this kind of situation was typical; I can't remember a conversation with an African American on the bus where they were friendly to me.
Atlanta was the opposite, incidentally. African Americans were typically the most friendly people to me. Atlanta was a little unsettling, though, as most parties and clubs were either all white or all black. I felt a little dirty if I went to the all-white gatheings, but I felt a little out of place if I went to the all-black gatherings. In the end...I decided to forgo socialization and play Starcraft 2.
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From: Lich_Sandro | #033 Raka, you never spoke with a white guy? They're everywhere in Jakarta
It's not like I have a reason to approach them, and vice versa.
I did try to talk to a white woman as part of an English assignment, but she didn't want to speak with me so I was disheartened. But thankfully I had to attend OSN training so I didn't have to turn in the assignment.
From: OmarsComin | #032 try being a brown man in a white man's world and then piss off the white man
Yeah I dunno. I'd believe that was true in the deep south where white people kind of suck, anywhere else the worst type of customer is "sassy middle aged female, any race." The one who wants to speak to your manager or wants to argue about coupons. She rarely tips well. That's mostly white and sometimes black women, I dunno that I've experience that archetype with anyone else.
Eh.. I find that a lot of white people think this about the States, but it's kind of bad all over the place. People won't be overtly racist in most of the country (West Coast, Northwest, everywhere but the south...) but there are still racists all over the place. I can tell you that being black in the States is a hell of a lot different than being black in Canada. At least Western Canada.
From: OmarsComin | #032 try being a brown man in a white man's world and then piss off the white man
Yeah I dunno. I'd believe that was true in the deep south where white people kind of suck, anywhere else the worst type of customer is "sassy middle aged female, any race." The one who wants to speak to your manager or wants to argue about coupons. She rarely tips well. That's mostly white and sometimes black women, I dunno that I've experience that archetype with anyone else.
There's a big difference between just being a brown guy, and being a brown guy who scared the **** out of some little white kid.
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metroid composite posted... Atlanta was the opposite, incidentally. African Americans were typically the most friendly people to me. Atlanta was a little unsettling, though, as most parties and clubs were either all white or all black. I felt a little dirty if I went to the all-white gatheings, but I felt a little out of place if I went to the all-black gatherings. In the end...I decided to forgo socialization and play Starcraft 2.
Your description of Atlanta sounds about right. The people there are friendly but generally don't go out of their way to appear diverse. I've never had any blatant issues with racism, but then again I've lived in suburban/urban Georgia all my life. Definitely wouldn't want to move down to Bumblescum, Georgia (a town I've just made up probably) from what I've heard about the cities a bit farther south and west.
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This topic turned out very insightful. For its piddly post count, it's one of the more interesting reads I've seen on B8 recently. I'd like to clarify my "you're white, aren't you" post from earlier.
I can't speak for PUN, but for me, it has little to do with racism and nothing to do with hatred. It seems many whites are oblivious to this, but minorities are generally more guarded and apprehensive in their dealings with white people. It's a perception, whether accurate or not, that percolates through minority communities: the perception that whites have the power in this country and that black, brown, and yellow people are best off smiling agreeably and going out of their way to avoid confrontation (and in some cases, avoid interaction altogether). This is especially true of first or second-generation immigrants and blacks who have spent generations in black neighborhoods without really integrating.
Put yourself in their shoes: if you're an immigrant/minority from a culture where conflict resolution is two men yelling at each other for 20 minutes, wouldn't you be apprehensive to entangle yourself in a culture where conflict resolution is a web of insurance claims, lawsuits, and small claims court? My parents still are, and they both hold doctorates and have lived in America for 20 years.
I've tried to gain more insight into the hazy (but fascinating) landscape of U.S. race relations by peering through the eyes of my cousin, a little girl who immigrated here with her family as Iraq War refugees in 2010. She goes to school in San Diego county, in an economically frothy but ethnically rich area made up of Arabs, Mexicans, blacks, and whites. To her, the black kids are "black." The Mexican kids are "Mexican." The Arab kids are "Arabic." The white kids are "American." Only the white kids. I can tell that "American" is a title of which she is both envious and afraid, and it's reserved only for whites. Even I, a 20 year U.S. resident with no discernible foreign accent and better written/spoken English skills than many English majors, isn't a real American (WHATCHA GONNA DO) in her eyes.
Remember: this kid is seven years old. She hasn't watched documentaries or read books on this crap. She hasn't been instructed to think this way. Whether it was caused by her life at home, her life at school, or the media and other societal factors, this is simply the way she perceives America. The white people are real Americans. They're nice and pretty but they're the only ones who know the rules and hold the cards, so you'd better play nice and not ruffle their feathers. Everyone else... not so much. This same line of thinking holds true for many, many non-whites in this country, whether they realize it or not.
Anyway, back to PUN. Let's put ourselves in his shoes, but do it while keeping everything I've just written in mind.
If I were in the unenviable position of minority store clerk who unintentionally frightened or harmed (not saying PUN did the latter, but I'm putting myself in a sticker situation for the sake of example), would race make a difference? Yes. I would NOT be more afraid of a white parent yelling at or attacking me. I WOULD be more afraid of a white parent getting me fired and taking me to court.
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From: PartOfYourWorld | #046 This topic turned out very insightful. For its piddly post count, it's one of the more interesting reads I've seen on B8 recently. I'd like to clarify my "you're white, aren't you" post from earlier.
I can't speak for PUN, but for me, it has little to do with racism and nothing to do with hatred. It seems many whites are oblivious to this, but minorities are generally more guarded and apprehensive in their dealings with white people. It's a perception, whether accurate or not, that percolates through minority communities: the perception that whites have the power in this country and that black, brown, and yellow people are best off smiling agreeably and going out of their way to avoid confrontation (and in some cases, avoid interaction altogether). This is especially true of first or second-generation immigrants and blacks who have spent generations in black neighborhoods without really integrating.
Put yourself in their shoes: if you're an immigrant/minority from a culture where conflict resolution is two men yelling at each other for 20 minutes, wouldn't you be apprehensive to entangle yourself in a culture where conflict resolution is a web of insurance claims, lawsuits, and small claims court? My parents still are, and they both hold doctorates and have lived in America for 20 years.
I've tried to gain more insight into the hazy (but fascinating) landscape of U.S. race relations by peering through the eyes of my cousin, a little girl who immigrated here with her family as Iraq War refugees in 2010. She goes to school in San Diego county, in an economically frothy but ethnically rich area made up of Arabs, Mexicans, blacks, and whites. To her, the black kids are "black." The Mexican kids are "Mexican." The Arab kids are "Arabic." The white kids are "American." Only the white kids. I can tell that "American" is a title of which she is both envious and afraid, and it's reserved only for whites. Even I, a 20 year U.S. resident with no discernible foreign accent and better written/spoken English skills than many English majors, isn't a real American (WHATCHA GONNA DO) in her eyes.
Remember: this kid is seven years old. She hasn't watched documentaries or read books on this crap. She hasn't been instructed to think this way. Whether it was caused by her life at home, her life at school, or the media and other societal factors, this is simply the way she perceives America. The white people are real Americans. They're nice and pretty but they're the only ones who know the rules and hold the cards, so you'd better play nice and not ruffle their feathers. Everyone else... not so much. This same line of thinking holds true for many, many non-whites in this country, whether they realize it or not.
Anyway, back to PUN. Let's put ourselves in his shoes, but do it while keeping everything I've just written in mind.
If I were in the unenviable position of minority store clerk who unintentionally frightened or harmed (not saying PUN did the latter, but I'm putting myself in a sticker situation for the sake of example), would race make a difference? Yes. I would NOT be more afraid of a white parent yelling at or attacking me. I WOULD be more afraid of a white parent getting me fired and taking me to court.
From: LeonhartFour | #047 Wait, Genny is from Georgia?
There's a big difference between just being a brown guy, and being a brown guy who scared the **** out of some little white kid.
I guess? There's also a difference between being a white buy and being a white guy who accidentally said something racially offensive. Race relations in the US suck in general, it's not limited to one group of people.
My guess is that asians have it easiest in this race relations area, but they're also probably the most discriminated against so eh. It sucks. I blame old people.
Don't know how true this is in general, but my mom (who's white) definitely has no problem complaining as far up the chain of management as is necessary to resolve an issue of poor service, so I can just imagine what she would do if she felt me or my brother was being endangered by an employee back when we were little kids. I can definitely see where you're coming from, pun.
Kid sounds like he deserved to be chased off though >.>
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