Racism Today

Yesterday after leaving work, my boyfriend and I went to Chipotle--for those of you that don't know, Chipotle is a restaurant that serves Americanized Mexican food, and could probably be considered a fresher, somewhat healthier version of Taco Bell--where we stood in line to order burritos. While in line, I observed an encounter that exemplified the subtle way in which racism is operating in America.

An older white man--probably in his late 60's--carried a tray of food, heading to the back of the restaurant. A younger Latino man--probably in his mid-30's--was walking toward the front, carrying an empty cup in each hand. As they neared one another, the white man stopped the Latino man and said the following, very politely:

"Excuse me, but you're out of straws up front."

The Latino man didn't seem to hear him and just nodded, and moved on, but stopped after a step or two it registered and he turned around with his mouth open, but the white guy had already gotten to his table and was sitting down. The Latino guy looked conflicted, then just shook his head with a look on his face that said, "What do you do?"

Now, the white man meant no conscious disrespect. But does this nullify the offensive assumption behind his words? The Latino guy with the cups--who was there eating with his wife and two children--would probably say no, it does not. I would say no, it does not. But the white man would say otherwise: in his mind it is probably reasonable that an Hispanic male walking through a Mexican restaurant (albeit imitation) is an employee.

But his reasoning has holes. Big ones. The Latino guy was not wearing an apron or a beige Chipotle shirt or a chef's hat, all the things a person who I would consider reasonable would use as clues for identifying a serviceperson. The guy was wearing a black and white pinstripe collared shirt. But the logic used by the older man was much simpler--or should I say more base--and required much less thought. The only sign he needed was the younger man's apparent ethnicity: brown skin, walking through a Mexican restaurant. In his mind, this alone signifies servitude.

This is an example of one of the many ways racism operates in America in the 21st century. These are the subtle sleights and mistakes and assumptions that are enough to ruin someone's day. So many excuses can be made for them, a practice which I vehemently denounce.

"Well," one such excuser might say, "it's not like he called him a wetback! It was just a mistake!" But this is the type of logic that infuriates me nearly as much as the "mistake" itself.

The "mistake" is never just a mistake: there are seldom coincidences in racial rhetoric. By mistakenly assuming that the Latino man crossing the restaurant--no matter how nicely he was dressed--was a serviceperson, the older man reveals that his belief is that one's apparent ethnicity is enough to automatically categorize him/her as "the help."

We have a reached a point in American society where, no, black people are not being lynched and racial slurs aren't being screamed from vehicles at Latinos--oh wait, yes they are: read here--but racism clings doggedly on to the mentalities and perceptions of many Americans.

We cannot excuse this behavior. Subtle racism is the hardest to combat due to its unspecific nature, but when it can be caught, it must be dealt with. We choose our battles, but how about we start choosing more?

Here's your straw, sir.