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Friday open thread: Oh, Timothy

There's an old "joke":

Q: What do you call a Black doctor?
A: A n***er.

Meet Timothy, manager at a swanky hotel in Laguna Beach, CA. Now, Laguna Beach is down in Orange County, which is about ten years behind evil Los Angeles insofar as racial awareness goes. And Laguna Beach is in the southern part of the OC, which is, quite frankly, where you go for Trump boat parades. However, I've been told that solving issues of "economic anxiety" would also ameliorate the pernicious problem of racism.

Laguna Beach is wealthy. I mean, it's "I can't afford to live there" wealthy. A great place to go to for a day trip. The economically anxious are nowhere to be found. That includes the Black family which was trying to eat indoors, because none of the tables outside had an umbrella, and it was quite warm over the weekend.

Timothy, however, insisted that these folks had to eat outside, even though there were plenty of socially-distanced tables inside. Here's part of the interaction:
Now, I don't know much, but I know a bit about customer service. Sometimes, being harsh is unavoidable. But with every customer interaction, those of us who serve should approach each situation with calm and professionalism. You can read the entire interaction here:
Timothy did everything wrong which he could possibly have done wrong. He was hostile when he was being offered no hostility. He was rude when no rudeness was visited upon him. He was, quite frankly, a dick.

Of course, the question arises: Was Timothy's attitude colored by, well, their color? 

Again, we go back to the old joke at the head of this piece: No matter how many accomplishments you have as a Black person, at the end of the day, for too many white people—and I don't mean just the bubbas from the back of beyond—they're just racial epithets.

Now, even in Laguna Beach, such actions will have consequences. Timothy may find himself utilizing the enhanced unemployment benefits provided under President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan Act. But consider this yet another data point that economic advancement is no panacea for good old-fashioned white American racism. Maybe Timothy doesn't say the n-word. But his attitude towards this family embodied it. And of course the family was going to record him; it's one of the few tools Black people have to possibly prevent an interaction from turning deadly.

Good luck, Timothy. I doubt corporate wants the headache you have now become.
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