Okay, I may be paranoid here... (racial question)

[rgf207]

I would not think anything of it. I am 26 and successful and I have been asked the same question when I am at retail stores because I look young. I just politely say "No, I'm sorry but I don't." I dont get offended. I often laugh because I'm never wearing anything that would resemble a uniform

 

[suzannen]

Robinrs, unfortunately, I think your gut interpretation was probably right on the money. Some people have no idea how some chance and ill-thought remark can end up being so hurtful to someone else. I am sorry that this had to happen to you while you were on vacation.

I do love the idea of promising towels and towel animals. Of course, you never think of all of those clever things to say when something like this actually happens to you. At least I never do.

 

[DWDreams]

I've never once in all my life been asked if I worked somewhere I didn't, particularly in a hotel on vacation dressed in vacation-wear. Considering most hotel employess, particularly housekeepers, wear some sort of signifying uniform and nametag, I don't see what could have prompted this woman to think she worked there dressed as she was. I'd be ticked too, it isn't right. I bet she learned a lesson though, so I'd be satisfied with that.

 

[Patch'sD]

Brooklyn, Sorry that this happened to you. It should not roll off your back. I am sorry that people are stupid and assume thing based upon Race. When I am in a Store I always look for a name tag before asking " Do You Work Here". If they don't wear tags, I don't ask. I will now look for your trip report.

 

[Disney1fan2002]

As a white person, I don't think I could ever tell a black person that they are over reacting if they feel they are being racially discriminated against.

Bottom line, as a white person,we can never know how it feels to be looked down on based on the color of our skin.

I have been asked questions while shopping in Wal-mart from people assuming I work there. I laughed it off. I have been confused for working at Blockbuster, only because I was more knowledgable with movie suugestions than some people who work there. Again, laugh it off. I cannot, in anyway compare those incidents with being confused with someone who works in a proffession predominately staffed by minorities.

 

[DWDreams]

I would not think anything of it. I am 26 and successful and I have been asked the same question when I am at retail stores because I look young. I just politely say "No, I'm sorry but I don't." I dont get offended. I often laugh because I'm never wearing anything that would resemble a uniform

I don't mean this harshly, but I think being mistaken for a retail employee for the reasons you state are a bit different than being mistaken for a housekeeping employee for the reasons the OP thinks. Huge difference, which does account for the offensive aspect of it. It's a valid concern that I don't think should be made light of by comparing to things not remotely the same.

 

[Hannathy]

I think she is reaching... She did say she was approaching the woman so she probably thought she was coming to the room. What I can't believe is the evidently low oppinion of people who work in housekeeping vs those who work in other entry level jobs now that is profiling.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

<<<What I can't believe is the evidently low oppinion of people who work in housekeeping vs those who work in other entry level jobs now that is profiling.>>>

I have to agree 100% with this statement, is there something wrong with working in Houskeeping that makes people offended?? that is why when asked this question i just laugh it off, it's not a big deal. Housekeeping is just another job.

 

[In a hurry]

<<<What I can't believe is the evidently low oppinion of people who work in housekeeping vs those who work in other entry level jobs now that is profiling.>>>

I have to agree 100% with this statement, is there something wrong with working in Houskeeping that makes people offended?? that is why when asked this question i just laugh it off, it's not a big deal. Housekeeping is just another job.

Perhaps that is a difference between the generations. You appear to be a young woman, (with beautiful babies!!), and have hopefully not had the same life experiences I've had. I cleaned offices in college, and the assumptions went from "just another illegal, I'll leave **** on the toilet seats" (said to me)to "just how bad do you need money, chiquita? ", another statement that was actually made to me.

I am too old to put up with prejudicial crap anymore.

The common assumption that I have about others is that if you are not wearing a HKing uniform, you don't work for them, no matter what the shade of your skin or the accent of your speech. I appreciate the same.

 

[FreshTressa]

Yup...I think the woman was ignorant and made a rude assumption.

 

[Mermaid02]

When she said, "Do you work here?" You should have flashed her a big smile, cocked your head to one side and said, "Why do you ask?" then got out your keycard and gone into your room.... smiling all the while....

 

[Feralpeg]

Saturday night, I was standing in Universal City Walk waiting for a friend to meet me. A woman walked up to me and wanted to know the price on something. I will admit that I was not to far from a kiosk, but I was wearing a Disney t-shirt and a fanny pack. I really don't think I looked like a Universal employee.

Some people are just clueless. Don't take it personally.

 

[vettechick99]

I think the person just made an assumption, but not necessarily a rude one. If she had stopped you in the hall and said, "I'm really enjoying my stay! Be sure to tell all your employees how great they are!" would you still be offended? No, you'd probably laugh it off and feel flattered.

If anything, the prejudice is going the other way...yours towards the housekeeping staff. JMO.

 

[Robinrs]

I think the person just made an assumption, but not necessarily a rude one. If she had stopped you in the hall and said, "I'm really enjoying my stay! Be sure to tell all your employees how great they are!" would you still be offended? No, you'd probably laugh it off and feel flattered.

If anything, the prejudice is going the other way...yours towards the housekeeping staff. JMO.

Prejudice means to prejudge. I am not prejudging the housekeeping staff, I just don't like to be assumed to be a member of the staff when I am a guest of the hotel and I'll bet you wouldn't like it either, JMO.

The attitude I got from this woman was hardly one of inquisition, it was one of condescension, but that was something you had to see in order to get. There was no doubt in my mind what she meant, my concern is only that I should forget about it. I wondered if it had happened to those outside of my race and I found out that it does.

I agreed with the poster who said it wasn't racial but ignorant. But isn't that what racism is?

 

[bimshire]

I am a white male and while on occasion have been mistaken for somebody who works in a certain store ( as my DD says never wear my red shirt and kakhi pants to Target) I can understand how the OP and her friends feel. It's very hard to put into words and very hard for many people to understand because they just have not been in that circumstance. Oh sure we all may have been mistaken for a worker at some point and just laughed it off but again, it's not the same. A very good friend of mine at work is a 6 foot 3 inch black male who weighs about 250. I am 6' 1" and weigh about 260. We are both big guys. We once attended a racial diversity class and talked about our feelings and other peoples reactions to us. We work in downtown Houston and therefore ride a lot of elevators. My friend is an MBA educated professional who dresses extremly well. Even in this day and age he feels the tension every time a woman gets on an elevator with him alone. Nine times out of ten she (usually white) will huddle in one corner and not make eye contact or acknowledge him. You could say that it's not because he's black but rather that he is a big guy. Well I am just as big but white and I have never encountered a white woman who has any hesitancy in getting on the elevator and smiling and saying hello. Now mind you we work in a 50 story building and we all work for the same company so how do you justify the reaction he gets vs myself. I have rode the elevator with him and when a woman gets on they will stand as close to me and as far from him as possible.

The moral of the story. If it makes you uncomfortable, I am sorry and I do understand. I will never be able to walk in your shoes and truely understand what you encounter in your life. I will not dismiss your feelings by saying it's no big deal. Because it is a big deal. I like to think that prejudice is a thing of the past and that we have moved past it but the reality is we have not. We have come a very long way and I hope we continue to improve but the reality is it still is out there.

Well, said.
Some of the other posters continue to fool themselves by comparing apple situations to orange ones.

 

[Crankyshank]

I'm getting a lot of "white people really shouldn't comment because they don't know what it's like to be prejudiced against" tones on this thread. Which is pretty presumptuous because it's not something experienced exclusively by those with darker skin tones.

I'm also not understanding what is wrong with being asked if one was a member of housekeeping? There's no shame in it. In fact I know cleaning staff members that make an enviable salary with excellent benefits - certainly nothing to scoff at.

that said we can't tell by reading what transpired if it was a racial thing or not. It doesn't sound like it but you can't read body language or tone over the internet and none of us were there to witness it. Best just to chalk it up as a "WTH?" situation and move on.

 

[Aidensmom]

I don't know that any of us can say what was really going on in this woman's head, it could have been an innocent mistake (I have stayed in beach condos where the staff did not have uniforms, just a name tag), or it could have been racial.

I tend to think it was probably racial, but maybe that is because I live in an area where I have known quite a few "old-south" people who don't even REALIZE when they are being racist. I don't think most racism is out of meanness or such, but rather out of ignorance. There are a lot of people that have just learned those attitudes from their parents, and sadly they don't even know it. If I was in the OP's shoes, I would have felt the same way. However, I think I might actually feel a little sorry for the woman for being that way rather than be offended.

 

[dis ms.]

This is an interesting, albeit totally predictable, discussion.

I don't see where Robin is making a judgment about housekeeping or individuals in that line of work. IMHO, it's more the idea that this woman possibly assumed a black woman at such a hoity-toity place surely had to be the housekeeper.

Only Robin knows the tone of the woman's inquiry, and only the woman knows on what she was basing such an assumption. That said, as a black woman, I probably would have felt the same way Robin did.

 

[azgal81]

I thought the days of discriminating against someone because they are black not white was over. You would think people would be over that by now. I know I don't even think a second thought about it. I didn't know you had to necessarily be black to work in housekeeping either. I'm sorry this happened to you!

 

[auntpolly]

I'm getting a lot of "white people really shouldn't comment because they don't know what it's like to be prejudiced against" tones on this thread. Which is pretty presumptuous because it's not something experienced exclusively by those with darker skin tones.

Presumptuous? I don't think so. I'd say it's presumptuous for us to say we white people can understand what something like this would be like.

When I gave the example of my husband getting mistaken for the gas station attentant/Kmart employee/bus boy, it wasn't to say "I know how you feel", that was just to tell what we did in the situation. His clothes werent' who he was -- put a polo shirt and some dockers on the boy and he'd have looked like everyone else. But we're talking about people who are are judged for who they are all of the time and are just tired of it, that's all.

I really don't think the OP meant to start a big thing, either, she was just venting about an irritating thing that happened to her, like all of the rest of us do every day of the week on this board -- if I'm wrong, correct me, Robin.