MountainMystery
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2013
- Messages
- 66
- Reaction score
- 0
Got one more vent to share, cause it's been a trying Memorial weekend.
My husband is not American-born. He's got an accent and darker skin so it's fairly obvious, especially in this area of the South. He's been called Indian, Mexican, and Middle Eastern, yet he's none of these. Thankfully, he doesn't let this really get to him, at least so he says.
But this weekend, we had a guy finally cross the line a bit. The man walked in while I was out of the office and upon seeing my husband standing behind the desk, the first thing he said was "is this place not American-owned?" My husband told him it was, and then the guy said, "So where are you from then?" My husband responded by saying we were both from Maryland. After several very uncomfortable minutes, my husband handed him the key to the most expensive room we've got, for $10 more per night than rack rate. It definitely made him feel a little better.
Coming from an area of the country that's very diverse and multicultural, the area we're now in is definitely a little different and many just don't seem to know how to react to someone that looks and sounds different than them. I actually grew up around here, so I sort of knew what to expect, but not my husband. We've had other people say discriminatory things to us on the phone, like "So many of the businesses are getting bought up by the Indians..." They don't want to stay at places owned by Indians. It makes me so sad and hurt to hear some of these things, and I just want to yell at them and say what's the big deal?? If you don't have something nice to say, then why not keep it to yourself! My husband has been here for many years now- nearly 20. This is home for him, and he loves it here. He's actually going to be sitting for his citizenship test soon. It really bugs me though, that even once he can officially say that he is an American, guests will still come in here and look at him suspiciously because he doesn't look like a local. Arrgghh.
My husband is not American-born. He's got an accent and darker skin so it's fairly obvious, especially in this area of the South. He's been called Indian, Mexican, and Middle Eastern, yet he's none of these. Thankfully, he doesn't let this really get to him, at least so he says.
But this weekend, we had a guy finally cross the line a bit. The man walked in while I was out of the office and upon seeing my husband standing behind the desk, the first thing he said was "is this place not American-owned?" My husband told him it was, and then the guy said, "So where are you from then?" My husband responded by saying we were both from Maryland. After several very uncomfortable minutes, my husband handed him the key to the most expensive room we've got, for $10 more per night than rack rate. It definitely made him feel a little better.
Coming from an area of the country that's very diverse and multicultural, the area we're now in is definitely a little different and many just don't seem to know how to react to someone that looks and sounds different than them. I actually grew up around here, so I sort of knew what to expect, but not my husband. We've had other people say discriminatory things to us on the phone, like "So many of the businesses are getting bought up by the Indians..." They don't want to stay at places owned by Indians. It makes me so sad and hurt to hear some of these things, and I just want to yell at them and say what's the big deal?? If you don't have something nice to say, then why not keep it to yourself! My husband has been here for many years now- nearly 20. This is home for him, and he loves it here. He's actually going to be sitting for his citizenship test soon. It really bugs me though, that even once he can officially say that he is an American, guests will still come in here and look at him suspiciously because he doesn't look like a local. Arrgghh.