Does this sound like racism?

[scottcsmith]

Okay, first off, I'm caucasion.

I had to take my step-son to the doctor today. I was very late in picking him up, and we got to the clinic about 25 minutes after our appointment.

The receptionist was a middle-aged caucasion woman.

She checked us in and we went to sit down and wait for my step-son to be called.

As we waited, a young hispanic man came into the clinic for his appointment. I can't remember if he had a child or not, I think he did.

The receptionist frowned at him and, after checking him in, scolded him for being 20 minutes late and told him not to be late next time.

That struck me as sort of odd since she didn't say anything to me for being 25 minutes late.

Any thoughts?

[ecstatic]

1. yes

But she may not realize that she shows biased behavior. Studies have shown that most people refuse to accept that they are biased until they're confronted with overwhelming proof.

[Cleita]

2. Yep. It was.

[Renew Deal]

3. Hard to say.

Maybe he is late a lot. You are a new customer. Maybe it was racism. I would withold judgement.

[scottcsmith]

6. Not a new patient

No, this is my step-son's regular clinic. We've been there before.

[unblock]

4. given the few facts, sure

but you've obviously presented the racial info without other, possibly relevant, info.

that's the trouble with drawing conclusions from limited info.


maybe she was intimidated by you and not the other guy? or maybe she was more attracted to you and not the other guy? or maybe the other guy didn't have a kid and she makes more allowances for kids/parents?

or, maybe she was annoyed at you but took it out on the next guy because that guy was just one late appointment too many. or, maybe the other guy in fact had a habit of showing up late when this was your first time late.

without something more overt, or a hidden camera to observe a greater trend, i'd just make the generous assumption that it was not racist.

though, i'd be on the lookout next time for a repeat performance....

[scottcsmith]

14. I just thought it was strange

Maybe it wasn't racism -- but it definitely was odd. Not only was I late, but my appointment was one of those last-minute, we'll squeeze you in between appointments, appointment.

[Lars39]

17. Some receptionists are real dragons about time and protecting

the doc's time. One late appointment may(in her mind)be managable, two might have been the last straw. :shrug: Hard to tell. Were you both going to see the same doctor?

[celestia671]

5. Sounds like it to me

Where I live, blacks are the minority, and on quite a few occasions I've witnessed white people talking down to them.

It's a sad fact, but racism is never going to be eradicated.

[Leftist78]

27. I'm an advocate

of George Carlin's solution to this problem. "Everybody's gotta keep fucking everybody else till we're all the same color". That's the only way I ever see it completely going away. Till then, we've got to keep putting these racist freaks in their place. Let them know that we will not tolerate their hatred.

[Scott Lee]

7. Happens all the time.

My wife is Mexican. Very dark, and indigenous looking. In Salt Lake City she usually got treated like a second class citizen or a possible illegal alien in many places she went. Her son, who is as dark as her, was actually pulled out his biological dad's truck by border patrol and asked for his green card (the son was born in Los Angeles).

Whats odd is that when I'm with her (I'm whiter than a flour barrel), she doesn't get the shitty treatment - it's almost like "Oh, a white guy's with her, she must be ok". It's aggrivating but another sign that racism and bigotry is alive and well in the US of A, no matter what rosey scenario the Right tries to put on race relations.

[_Jumper_]

10. Just curious

Can you name some instances where she is treated as a second-class citizen?

[MercutioATC]

8. WAY too sensitive. Too many facts are unknowns.

Before I assumed racism, I'd assume that he was habitually late or that some other extenuating circumstance applied (he was squeezed in at the last minute and was still late for his appointment). Assuming racism is just not warranted in this case, IMHO.

[ecstatic]

13. excuses excuses

why not call a duck a duck sometimes?

[MercutioATC]

18. Had she made a racial comment, I'd agree

The point is, she DIDN'T. Maybe she meant to chastise the original poster too, but was busy doing something else. We simply don't know.

I think many legitimate instances of racism are ignored because of the tendency of some people to shriek "racism" over every percieved slight, real or imagined. With only two examples, there is NO proof of racism here.

[ecstatic]

22. even if she isn't racist, she is rude and disrespectful on an uneven basis

If you're going to act like a bitch, act like a bitch towards everyone. Not just the little Latino guy who is trying to get medical care.

[MercutioATC]

33. My point is that the sample group is too limited...

Granted, she was a bitch to him and she wasn't to you. How many other of the hundreds of patients she spoke to that week was she nasty to? How many of them were minorities?

By your criteria, we could assume many things...maybe she likes blue-collar workers (you in a t-shirt) and hates management types (him in a shirt and tie). Maybe she's always a bitch but is attracted to you. Maybe she's had dealings with the other person in the past. We just don't have enough facts to make a conclusion.

[scottcsmith]

15. Except...

This is a big clinic. You don't get the same receptionist each time. I've been there three times now and each time someone else was checking in patients. Remember, I was squeezed in at the last minute and I was 25 minutes late for my appointment.

[veganwitch]

9. yeah. i used to see this shit all the time at...

my mom's middle school. the secretaries, and i dont know how they got this much "power" anyway, would totally treat the black students differently than the white students. it pissed me off to no end.

[_Jumper_]

16. How?

Again, I am just curious. I am a minority and have faced little subtle racism, although I have suffered from plenty of overt racism. This is why I am cruious about instances of subtle racism.

[arewethereyet]

11. as has been suggested, there are not enough facts

He could be receiving indigent care or in some other way not a paying customer as perhaps you are. Thats crass and unprofessional but not racist.

Could be her husband or other relative and she's henpecking.

Or dozens of other things that may or may not be racism.

We'll never know.

[BringEmOn]

34. That's right, those brown skinned people

never pay their bills, are always late. We'll let the caucasian Mr. Casual Friday slide but be rude to the well dressed non white guy. I guess he forgot to take off his tie and slacks after picking fruit all day. Gotta keep him in his place.

I've lived with this crap up close and personal all my life...I vote yes.

[DuctapeFatwa]

12. The receptionist probably doesn't think of it that way

Most racists are deeply offended at any suggestion that they are racists.

It is so deeply ingrained that many of them sincerely do not realize it.

Like the things you hear on CNN about "force is the only thing they understand," etc., there is an unconscious tendency on the part of some white people to think of non-whites as "like children," and they really believe they are "helping" when they scold, talk down, and otherwise treat people like children.

In this case, she probably assumed that you were late because you were held up in a business meeting, and that the other guy was late because he has just not learned about punctuality :)

[scottcsmith]

19. In a business meeting?

I can't see anyone assuming I had just come from a business meeting, considering that I was dressed in a t-shirt and shorts.

The fellow that got scolded was dressed like someone who was dressed for work and/or a job interview, shirt, tie and slacks.

[DuctapeFatwa]

23. I used "business meeting" as a generic term

The assumption would be that you had a very good reason for your lateness, while the other (non-white) guy was just being thoughtless or engaging in stereotypical behavior.

Not that it is any less stereotypical to assume that you would only be late for a very good reason ;)

[Coldgothicwoman]

20. With the information presented?

I'd say yes. These kinds of things are far too common. :(

[Serenades]

21. If you have to ask . . .

. . . then your answer is "Yes."

[scottcsmith]

24. Let me flesh this out a bit

I live in a city called Beaverton. Nearby is a city called Hillsboro. Let's just say we have a lot of...migrant workers. And Hillsboro has a nickname: Hillsburrito.

[_Jumper_]

25. What state?

?

[scottcsmith]

31. Oregon n/t

[_Jumper_]

32. Thanks

n/t

[Catherine Vincent]

26. She may not be a racist, just sounds like a bitch.

We get that way sometimes.:-)

[Renew Deal]

29. You are probably right.

It's easy to look for something that doesn't exist.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

28. Not enough information to tell

If he had never been late before, then yes that may be the cause of it. If he had a history of lateness and you didn't, that might be the cause.

BTW, although some now use it, the term hispanic is really a white invention.

[AP]

30. You see this sort of thing with gender too.

Both men and women have an easier time bitching out a woman than they do with a man.

People are pretty stupid sometimes. That, or our culture is pretty stupid.