People Get On My Nerves
It seems that people love to fuck with me at the airport. Read this or this for the 2 other encounters I blogged about.
So i'm in the airport in Atlanta waiting for my flight to Tampa today. I walked up to the gate with my Orange Chicken and lemonade from Panda Express, I sat down and started to eat my food. When I arrived at the gate, I noticed a line of about 20 people at the gate counter. I then overheard the gate agent tell the people in line to please have a seat and they would be called when their seats were assigned. Apparently, they were passengers on standby who missed their earlier flight due to weather and long lines at security. Some of them took seats and some of them decided to remain standing in line.
A second gate agent was handling passengers who were already confirmed on the flight. Just as I finished eating, she called my and the names of 2 other people to come pick up new boarding passes for upgraded seats (it pays to fly an airline exclusively). So I get up and walk to the counter. While standing in the line for upgraded and confirmed passengers, a guy in the standby line (white, of course) picks ME (the only black guy) out of a line of people to tell me something.
White Guy: Sir you're going to have to go the end of the line and wait like the rest of us.
Me: No I don't.
White Guy: And just why not?
Me: I don't because I was called up here by the gate agent. I'm flying first class and you're flying standby in coach. So could you please go back to your standby line?
*He then steps back into his line looking stupid as hell*
White Guy: Sir i'm so sorry...
Me: Please don't aplogize to me for your racial prejudice. Just change your mindset about Black people.
And with that, I picked up my first class boarding document and boarded the plane.
Here I am a Delta Gold Medallion member minding my own fucking business and this white guy decides to pick me out of a line of people to tell me that I need to go back to the end of the line. Why the hell didn't he address the 2 white guys who approached the desk at the same time I did? Sometimes, white people get on my fucking nerves with their prejudiced thoughts and actions. It's like they think that they are entitled to everything and other races are supposed to cater to them. Experiences like these can cause a person to honestly become prejudiced also and i'm trying my best not to become what have experienced.
But you know what? I've learned that this shit is going to happen just because I'm black. And it's going to happen for the rest of my life. I can't hate the entire white race because I encounter some stupid individuals who think the worst of my race.
So i'm in the airport in Atlanta waiting for my flight to Tampa today. I walked up to the gate with my Orange Chicken and lemonade from Panda Express, I sat down and started to eat my food. When I arrived at the gate, I noticed a line of about 20 people at the gate counter. I then overheard the gate agent tell the people in line to please have a seat and they would be called when their seats were assigned. Apparently, they were passengers on standby who missed their earlier flight due to weather and long lines at security. Some of them took seats and some of them decided to remain standing in line.
A second gate agent was handling passengers who were already confirmed on the flight. Just as I finished eating, she called my and the names of 2 other people to come pick up new boarding passes for upgraded seats (it pays to fly an airline exclusively). So I get up and walk to the counter. While standing in the line for upgraded and confirmed passengers, a guy in the standby line (white, of course) picks ME (the only black guy) out of a line of people to tell me something.
White Guy: Sir you're going to have to go the end of the line and wait like the rest of us.
Me: No I don't.
White Guy: And just why not?
Me: I don't because I was called up here by the gate agent. I'm flying first class and you're flying standby in coach. So could you please go back to your standby line?
*He then steps back into his line looking stupid as hell*
White Guy: Sir i'm so sorry...
Me: Please don't aplogize to me for your racial prejudice. Just change your mindset about Black people.
And with that, I picked up my first class boarding document and boarded the plane.
Here I am a Delta Gold Medallion member minding my own fucking business and this white guy decides to pick me out of a line of people to tell me that I need to go back to the end of the line. Why the hell didn't he address the 2 white guys who approached the desk at the same time I did? Sometimes, white people get on my fucking nerves with their prejudiced thoughts and actions. It's like they think that they are entitled to everything and other races are supposed to cater to them. Experiences like these can cause a person to honestly become prejudiced also and i'm trying my best not to become what have experienced.
But you know what? I've learned that this shit is going to happen just because I'm black. And it's going to happen for the rest of my life. I can't hate the entire white race because I encounter some stupid individuals who think the worst of my race.
posted by That Dude Right There at
4/06/2008 08:56:00 PM
30 Comments:
Yeah, that was obvious racism. And you're right, every white person isn't racist or stupid. You handled it well, at least you didn't throw something at him.
lol, you got him right together! I wish I could have seen the look on his face. Yeah, you handled it well!
My brotha my brotha you will experience this type of behavior not just from white people, but other races as well and it never feels good, for some odd reason or other some folks don't believe we are privy to certain things or should I say: We shouldn't be privy to various things such as travel and First Class Travel at that truly disturbs certain folks.
It never fails their mind set is the same always "Blacks don't belong here." Generally I am mistaken for Airline Personnel or Security when I travel very rarily will certain folks accept or acknowledge that I too will be traveling on the same airline/plane and may even stay at the same hotel upon our arrive at our International or Domestic destination.
That man you encounter at the airport was a damn fool, he was entertaining the thought that you were jumping the line and probably thought you were traveling bogus, this is how certain folks think even some classes of Blacks tend to think along these same lines, oh yeah we tend to look down on other Black folk, but usually for other reasons. Yes what you have experienced was certainly a form of: prejudice.
You told his ass a thing or two, and left that damn fool looking foolish. Good for you! maybe folks will stop fucking with you! LMAO!
You have the worst airport experiences! but I thing that was hillarious, lol.
Good for you for not judging a while race for one's stupidity.
You definitely handled the situation the right way! I LOVE IT!
You know what? MyBaby has actually reversed the tides in his own way. When we were in Beverly Hills this past weekend we were getting a lot of looks from the white people. You know we were DRESSED but we were still getting the looks. We got on an elevator and this uppity white woman got on the elevator and she kind of looked like she was scared. Anyways, she was looking a hot mess, pushing a baby in a stroller. MyBaby made a comment about how cute the baby was and she replied with a dry, "Thanks." He did not miss a beat, "Are you the nanny?"--- BABY! If looks could kill! She replied with an offended, "I'm the MOTHER!" and stormed off of the elevator as soon as the door opened! We fell out into laughter!
The point of the story is people who are used to privilege don't like when the tables are turned. I am sure that you gave that guy in the airport something to think about.
Frankly, I would have just ignored him, gotten my boarding pass and gotten on the plane. He didn't deserve to be acknowledged really.
Allowing other people to make you upset gives them too much power.
And kennyking78, that story was priceless!
that was just what i needed...a good laugh
LOL, it's always good to put someone in his place especially if they deserve it and you don't lose your cool about.
You deserve a standing ovation. Bravo!!
I never have these problems.
I'm not with you one this one, Norris. Should you have gone off on the guy? Sure, why not?
But I can't charge this one to race. Sorry. You were there and I wasn;t and you reacted how you felt you needed to, but Im not seeing a racial thing here.
I'm seeing a man who should have minded his own business and let the workers handle the passengers as they were.
Yea, obvious racism. But, it's cool - you handled it well. Don't let it get to you though. It happened, you handled it well, learn from it and move on.
@Mr. Jones-I didn't ask anyone to be with me on this. But can you please explain why he only addressed me and not all 3 of us. Please remember that the other 2 guys were white. If he had said "you guys are going to have to go to the end of the line", then I would not have thought anything racial about the incident.
I'm seeing an open hand slap of the mouth, followed by a backhand to the temple and a knee to the nuts....but hey, that's me.
Yoou're a better man then me cause I would have cursed him out and shown him my backside adn told him to pucker up.
Lord have mercy! That's just crazy but as always, you've handled the situation with finesse.
Baaaaby, you did that damn thing! Chile, that's like in the 50s when whites stole rock and roll from us. "hey I love tthat song, but please dontt drink from that water fountain"
Did you really say all that ?
Did you really say all that ?
thanks for the reply! come check me out more often.
as for people getting on nerves, it seems i attract those who want me to smack the sparkles out their asses!
Nice story and I agree like the others, job well done. Nice and tactful.
oh the first class seat stories and the rudeness! Whew! Next time we get together in bed we should swap stories, mine'll have you dieing because I make a point of making my victims part of the comedy act -not only do they look stupid, they turn colors too!
Ummm....
Is it possible the guy was simply trying to help you? If you were off eating your meal...it may be that he had observed the other two people in the area previously, whereas you seemed a newcomer. Now, it's none of his business, but he might have thought he'd save you the trouble of being in the wrong line.
I am not sure this was racist. You were there, only you can tell for sure. I just wonder....that's all.
LOL@I'm flying first class and you're flying standby in coach. So could you please go back to your standby line?
Ur mouth is lethal
Wow. I love it. However, what we (sometimes) fail to realize is people of any race will attempt to do things just to make you lose your cool.
And when you do lose your cool, putting that person in his/her place, you're in the spotlight as being negative.
I think this further perpetuates the stigma of African-Americans (or blacks) being regarded as ornery and violent... much like what they see on tv.
You did the right thing by explaining to him why you're getting a boarding pass and he's not, in the most tactful way.
ROTFF @ KennyKing's story. Even when you're being cordially nice, some people still try to pull it...
@Mr. Jones-I didn't ask anyone to be with me on this. But can you please explain why he only addressed me and not all 3 of us. Please remember that the other 2 guys were white. If he had said "you guys are going to have to go to the end of the line", then I would not have thought anything racial about the incident.
I didn't say you asked me to be with you, hon. I'm just not with you on this one. Maybe if I were there and could interpret the situation for myself, I might see this differently. But given this information, I just don't see it. Sorry.
And anonymous #1 doesn't know me well enough at all to make those types of accusations. It's amazing what people have the gall to say under the guise of a computer handle.
"I didn't say you asked me to be with you, hon. I'm just not with you on this one. Maybe if I were there and could interpret the situation for myself, I might see this differently. But given this information, I just don't see it. Sorry."
THE most ironic answer given the recent information isn't it. you handled it much better than me, but i know you, so i know you had a bit of attitude with that reply lol!
What this post and comments tell me about racism in this country:
There's at least as much anti-white racism than the reverse, and it might even be more virulent.
Sad.
I try to live by two rules my momma taught me:
1) There is such a thing as the high road, and although it's a hard road, and is therefore less traveled, it's a lot less muddy and the people you meet are friendlier.
2) Two wrongs don't make a right.
I LOVE the way you handled that!!!!
I keep re-reading it cause I can imagine how it went down. They do feel that they are entitled to shit. I bet he stewed all day over that too!
You might be the racist....or is that you feel inferior because your are black?he said nothing about color..think how much better it would have been if you had said nothing.seems like you like trouble
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