I was shopping in Soho the other day, and I had stopped by a store to buy my Munny. It came out to a total of twenty-four something, so I asked the cashier, who was African American, if I could use my American Express gift card.
She said, "Of course, you can use it everywhere."
Everything was fine until the other cashier, who was also African American, said in this nasty tone, "Yea, everywhere in America."
At the time, I didn't really have a response, I just felt really embarrassed and wanted to leave the store as soon as possible. It didn't occur to me that I wasn't the one at fault here, and that the comment was totally uncalled for.
It also brings to mind an argument I had with my mother a while back, where she was worried about me going out late and saying how I might get mugged by people of color. I still remember the confidence in my voice when I had told her, "Mom, racism doesn't exist anymore."
I wouldn't really call my little experience with the cashier racism, but it definitely woke me up to the tensions and disputes between people. Comments like, "Go back to China," or "Ching ching chong," shouldn't hurt, because I know better, but they do hurt, because I'm also a person with feelings.
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