racial restaurant humor

[jefhatfield]

true story

so i get this letter recalling a waitress's experience this one day from a greek diner

she says, "i work in this restaurant in the tough area of nyc burroughs, and in walks three african american men and one white man...the european born white owner of the restaurant, who knows nothing about american culture, seats the men in the cheap seats of the restaurant even though they ask for the best seats...so having been put in the cheap seats, which is the area served by this waitress, she takes their order, they eat a large meal, and then pay by credit card...the card reads george benson"

i got a real laugh out of this

[mkrishnan]

I don't get the joke (or know who George Benson is), but it's sad that this sort of thing happens. Thank you for sharing. :)

[jefhatfield]

george benson is perhaps the best known jazz guitar player

where i live is 95% percent white and i am one of the few people of color in my town...and where i live is so far removed from popular culture or youth culture since it's a retirement village

but here's one story if you know baseball players...this former new york yankee/oakland a's/california angel player walks into a carmel, california real estate agency and asks for a house with a five car garage (which is a very rare thing, not to mention very expensive)

she says that's an unreasonable request and he should go for a smaller house

he says, "my name is reggie jackson"

and her reply, typical of the real estate agents here is: "who?"

[solvs]

Yeah, I believe it. Racism still exists today, whether we acknowledge it or not, as I recall something similar just happened to Oprah. Same with that rapper, what's-his-name. I think back to when I was in school and had many friends of different backgrounds and it not mattering the least. Ah, the innocence of children.

[mkrishnan]

Same with that rapper, what's-his-name.

See, now, him, I would've recognized! :eek: ;) :D So do you think that this never happens to white celebs? I'm curious. Not that I don't believe in the existence of racism. I certainly do...sadly. :(

[jefhatfield]

See, now, him, I would've recognized! :eek: ;) :D So do you think that this never happens to white celebs? I'm curious. Not that I don't believe in the existence of racism. I certainly do...sadly. :(

i am asian but when i turn on the tv, most of the celebs are white, but then again, so is most of america...there are a few asian celebs but i am not a huge fan of martial arts screenstars which asians typically get typecast into...but jackie chan is so funny that he can carry a movie without stunts if he so desired

i pretty much can pinpoint, sort of, most very well known white celebrities but this beckham guy who is the world famous soccor star

he changes his appearance so much that i would not know if i bumped into him in the street ;)

[Doctor Q]

We ate in a restaurant in Washington D.C. where another patron was getting all the attention and we felt ignored. Was it because we're Mac users -- a clear case of unfair discrimination?

Or was it because the other guy was Jessie Jackson, who is tall, spoke loudly, and came in with a big entourage?

[jefhatfield]

We ate in a restaurant in Washington D.C. where another patron was getting all the attention and we felt ignored. Was it because we're Mac users -- a clear case of unfair discrimination?

Or was it because the other guy was Jessie Jackson, who is tall, spoke loudly, and came in with a big entourage?

wow, you saw jesse jackson? when i went to dc on a junior high school trip, all 40 or so of us had our eyes peeled for seeing someone politically famous and we saw nobody in the 10 days we were there

i guess i unrealistically thought that congresspeople, senators, and others just walked up and down pennsylvania blvd

[IJ Reilly]

Jesse Jackson and Reggie Jackson walk into a bar...

(supply your own joke)

Honestly, I don't see the racism in this situation. It seems Mr. Benson was expecting to be treated with special deference because he's famous. Who asks for tables in restaurants? I also have to laugh at the thought of "good seats" vs. "cheap seats" at a Greek diner in a tough NYC borough. What's a good seat -- the one nearest the spanakopita?

[jefhatfield]

Jesse Jackson and Reggie Jackson walk into a bar...

(supply your own joke)

Honestly, I don't see the racism in this situation. It seems Mr. Benson was expecting to be treated with special deference because he's famous. Who asks for tables in restaurants? I also have to laugh at the thought of "good seats" vs. "cheap seats" at a Greek diner in a tough NYC borough. What's a good seat -- the one nearest the spanakopita?

in any tough nyc diner i guess it would be the seats furthest from gunfire

[zimv20]

Jesse Jackson and Reggie Jackson walk into a bar...

...to meet barry manilow and joe montana...

[takao]

well i've never heard of George Benson or Reggie Jackson either ...

[Doctor Q]

wow, you saw jesse jackson?Yes, and it was hard to miss him. But he didn't ask for my autograph. :confused:

when i went to dc on a junior high school trip, all 40 or so of us had our eyes peeled for seeing someone politically famous and we saw nobody in the 10 days we were there

i guess i unrealistically thought that congresspeople, senators, and others just walked up and down pennsylvania blvdPeople come here as tourists expecting to see movie stars walking down the street. Actually, they do more often than they realize, because most movie stars aren't instantly recognizable, and those that are usually dress down when sneaking out in public. The people in Beverly Hills windowshopping in fine clothes are more likely to be other tourists or non-celebrity locals. The guy in jeans and a cap is the movie star.

[Applespider]

The guy in jeans and a cap is the movie star.

Yup... Orlando Bloom slopes off to his gym (across from my office) in slouchy trackpants and a dodgy beanie at times.

As for the seating of George Benson, or any 'person of colour', I think it's appalling. I live in a very multi-racial area in London and consider myself to be pretty broadminded. I don't particularly notice what race someone is; nor would I expect to see/get any other form of treatment because I'm a white woman.

I do notice though that when friends from my home town (mainly white) come to visit, or I go home, that attitudes are different; not intentionally necessarily but almost subconsciously.

[mkrishnan]

As for the seating of George Benson, or any 'person of colour', I think it's appalling.

Yeah, after reading IJ's post, I should clarify how I feel too...it's a problem when people are being seated in the back because they're black. I'm no big fan of hero worship, though. I don't particularly feel that celebrities deserve good tables, although some restaurants do this merely because it helps to draw a crowd in (or, of course, to get them to spend more).

I guess, though, that when you're a minority celebrity, it's easy to feel defensive about this kind of thing, because of what you and your people have gone through. What happens to you could be because of racism. It could also be because a perfectly honest person doesn't know or care who you are.

[solvs]

See, now, him, I would've recognized! :eek: ;) :D So do you think that this never happens to white celebs? I'm curious.
Yeah, I realize the irony of not remembering his name. Honestly, I'm not a fan, but still. And it actually happened to David Spade once too, but the restaurant was full, and he was kinda being a dick about it. "Do you know who I am?" Of course, they knew who he was and didn't care... At least he got a good joke for his trouble.

Honestly, I don't see the racism in this situation.
Apparently you've never had to sit next to the bathroom. ;) You'd think flashing some cash would get you a window seat. If they were open that is.

I'm also reminded of a time I was at karaoke at some Mexican restaurant and some of our black friends came with us. The waiter actually had the gall to ask us to leave because the manager said one of the guys looked like someone who had skipped out on a bill. Pretty odd considering he hadn't been in the area long, had never been in the place, and I never knew him to do anything like that. Especially ironic considering the waiter could barely speak English. It's not just whitey that's racist.