Saturday and the BLues ETude
It's Saturday evening. Firda is making Chicken Porridge, I'm heating up the oven to make some toasted cheese bread, we are listening to the vinyl record BLues ETude by Oscar Peterson (I picked up last night for 1.50 yesterday at Value Village, which is quite a steal in my book). Life is good.
Racism in Action
Characters
Troy (T) and Firda (F): An interacial couple.
Man 1 (M1) and Man 2 (M2): Men of west asian descent.
Cashier (C): Cashier who would rather be elsewhere.
Lesbian 1 a.k.a. Bitchwhore for reasons to be explained (BW): The reason this story is being written.
Lesbian 2 (L2): Indifferent lesbian, who remained quiet, and was hopefully ashamed of the Bitchwhore but not likely.
Scene 1
The scene opens at the register in a Value Village. The cashier is helping Man 1 with his purchase. Man 1 and Man 2 are either friends or family and know each other. Troy is the next person in line, holding a basket of merchandise. Firda is immediately behind Troy, followed by Bitchwhore and Lesbian 2.
Cashier To Man 1: Would you like a bag for your purchase?
Man 1 does not answer immediately. He has zoned out for a moment, or doesn't completely comprehend what the cashier asked him.
Man 1: I'm sorry?
Cashier To Man 1: Would you like a bag for your purchase?
Man 1: No thank you.
Bitchwhore Speaking loudly to lesbian 2: I can't understand why Canada keeps allowing these immigrants to enter Canada when they can't even understand the f'ing language!!
Troy and Firda hear these comments. Troy begins to get agitated.
Bitchwhore Loudly: They want respect but they don't respect our language. Blah blah blah.. f*@kity blah!
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Anyways that is the start of the story, as far as I can remember it. By this point I was so enraged. My heart was thumping super fast, my hands were shaking, my brain was working to figure out what to say to this Bitchwhore. I shot a couple hate filled glances at the Bitchwhore. I think the cashier understood that I was angry since she didn't say much to me.
I wanted to turn to this Bitchwhore and say "They deserve respect because they are human beings", I wanted to say "for being a lesbian your are pretty intolerant", I wanted to say "The man had probably zoned out for a minute, give him a break", there were dozens of other things I wanted to say to the Bitchwhore. In the end we left without saying anything, which I regret but was probably for the best since I know the Bitchwhore wouldn't have listened. I also envision myself getting so angry and filled with rage that I would have to be pulled from this Bitchwhore with bloody fists, and I don't like that thought.
Firda and I went out for dinner after this incident. Firda shrugged it off. She said "There are people like that everywhere, you can't let it get to you", but it did. I calmed down during dinner. I still wish I had the guts to say something to the Bitchwhore. I know I would have done something if they were physically harming Firda or the gentlemen the comments were directed at.
During dinner we came up with the perfect response to the Bitchwhore's rant. I should have turned to her and yell "Sieg Heil Mein Fuhrer", while doing the Nazi salute, as a mockery of what the Bitchwhore just said. Also because they could have very easily been convincing in Nazi costumes.
So once again my "image" of Canada has been shattered a little more. Racism rears its ugly head. I can't believe people like this still exist in the 21st century.
I'm off to bed now.
