Ethan Pickering
Washington, DC
…a drink. Because he stumbled into the bar hammered. But he was Salvadoran and I am white. Nevermind that I was speaking to him in Spanish (NOT my first language). Nevermind that I was conversing with other Spanish speakers who were drinking–some who were drunk–at the bar. Nevermind that nobody else in the restaurant was causing a ruckus.
All the white ladies at the table I had been serving saw was me refuse to serve a drink to a Hispanic guy. So one leaned to the other to scathingly assert that OBVIOUSLY, the bartender was racist. And when they paid me with their Human Rights Campaign credit cards, their perception of me was reflected in my less-than-five-percent tip.
Apparently self-important, self-described “progressives” who don’t speak Spanish but fight for the rights of other demographics are perfect human beings.
Not everything is as it seems. There’s usually some kind of context to what is happening around us, so let’s all be wary about casting judgment.
