links for 2008-05-08
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“Why is it every time I walk into a Home Depot people ask me where to find the plumbing fixtures? It’s not like I walk around wearing an orange apron. And why is it that when I dress up for a black tie event, people let me know that their table could use more wine.
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“It is no secret that a lot of people of color, for instance, are put off animal rights issues because of racism & colonialism in the movement.”
Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of 
wendi muse wrote:
i always get asked (by white folks) if i work in clothing stores when i am there just browsing
i used to take offense, guessing that whites assumed that i was the help because of my brown skin…
but when a lady and her daughter asked me for help once, i said “no, i don’t work here…what made you think so?” (not in a mean way) and they replied “because you were carrying a lot of clothes in your arms and wearing a cool outfit”
and then i just realized i was being over sensitive when these ladies just mistook my affinity for trying on a ton of clothes at once and my killer style for store employment
i don’t think this is always the case, esp if, say, i were a latino male and people assumed that i worked at a lawn care service center or something that correlated with a stereotype of my group…but sometimes, i say being mistaken as a member of the staff is a ton better than being followed around the staff and mistaken as a thief…
Posted 09 May 2008 at 6:31 pm ¶