We all know that racism exists, though some people try to act like they don’t see it and they simply don’t want to acknowledge that it still exists. Regardless of what those people think, the fact of the matter is that racism is still very real. Some argue that it’s not as bad today as it was in the past.
That may be true, but it doesn’t mean that it’s not out there anymore and it doesn’t mean that it isn’t as deadly as ever. I mean look at all the police shootings of young and often innocent black men, this doesn’t happen as often to their white counterparts. So yeah it can be deadly.
One of my friends knows that I often write about these things so he shared a story with me. He was driving to Philadelphia and came upon a place called “Boothwyn, PA.” He and some of his friends went to a Wawa store out there for a quick pit stop. As his friend was exiting the store, he was entering and heard a white middle aged white woman say to him “you are welcome n*gger” as he didn’t notice she held the door for him. The guy was understandably upset about what happened and he asked the woman if she was racist, the woman replied that yes she was a racist.
At this point the recipient of the racist slur started to become loud and asked the woman how or why she could be racist in this day and age? Once the conversation was no longer between them two she started to deny being racist, when only moments before that she had stated to him that she was indeed a racist and she didn’t care if he knew.
One detail that my friend found extremely interesting was that the staff who worked at the Wawa store was black. But for some reason these individuals said that some people just want attention. They told the white woman to ignore the crazy guy because he just wanted attention. These black individuals took the side of the white racist woman over a Latino who was just called the N word. What the fuck was that all about?
Some of you have seen the movie “get out” and you’ve heard of the sunken place. I can’t help but think that there are people who are actually in that place. I will admit that they were a long way from home and probably in a town were pretty much everyone thinks the way that this woman thinks. I don’t know this neighborhood and I’ve never been there, but I can tell you that the gentleman who shared the story with me is extremely reliable. He’s not one to lie.
He didn’t even want to record the situation because he was concerned for their safety in a place like Boothwin where people can carry concealed firearms. We know all too well that guns and racists do not mix very well. My friend wanted to get the hell out of there as soon as possible, and I don’t blame him.
I don’t know how many times I’ve had to say that racism is not a figment of our imagination. It is a very real thing and episodes like this one just reiterate the reality that is racism.
Just a life long New Yorker sharing the journey through my lens. Please take note of a post’s date. The views I express here are subject to change and evolving as I grow and learn.
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