Black Collegian News & Views

Here you have the normal Black soap opera setting: a quiet dinner, a wonderful meal, good conversation, a racist storeowner and the police. 

After confronting the owner of a restaurant in Florida, a Black man decided to call the police upon discovering that a gratuity had been added to his and his partner's bill; but not to the ticket of white diners. This sparked a national debate about the way the restaurant industry treats Black diners. 

I don't think this case is an example of blatant racism or discrimination; but it does call attention to the social perceptions that exist in this society. The owner reacted to his perception of Blacks as poor tippers and that is wrong.  However, those of us who hold similar perceptions but don’t act on them are not excused.  In many cases, the thought is just as harmful as the act, because your thoughts may come out through other actions you may not be aware of. 

On talk radio shows and in some magazines, Blacks now want to attack this negative perception that has been bestowed upon us. I am not detracting from this fight, but I recognize that we can't throw rocks and hide our hands, either. So now we know that the world thinks we, as a race are bad tippers, but what about what we think about them?  In political science, psychology and sociology classes, as well as everyday conversation, I have heard friends quote stereotypes that support racism.  They say Caucasians are the only serial killers, Hispanic people can't drive, all Asians own corner stores and most Native Americans are alcoholic gamblers. None of this may be true, and the people putting forth these ideas may not have a forum to vent their prejudice, like the restaurant owner does, but just thinking these thoughts is wrong.  

Since we think these thoughts about other people, we sometimes walk into a situation - if not looking for a lawsuit - looking for discrimination. If we go to a restaurant and find ourselves sitting too close to the kitchen or in the back, or if the service is slow, we want to blame it on the color of our skin. In some cases, this may be justified, but we must be objective.  After all, some customers are doomed to sit by the kitchen and in the back because there are tables in these places and if these become available first, that is where you will be seated. Poor service shouldn’t always be considered a race issue.  The server may simply be lacking time management or be poor at his/her job. 

Reverting to the tipping issue, the truth of the matter is, some Black people ARE poor tippers and some don't tip at all. By the same token, this is not a problem that is confined to one race, as whites, Hispanics and Asians have been known to skip out on tips also. I have been out with some of my friends who find reasons not to tip the waiter, which are totally unreasonable, such as not having enough ice in their drinks or their food isn't hot enough. They may never tell the server about their unhappiness, but they use this as a basis for not leaving a tip. This is not a cultural phenomenon. I guess my friends are just cheap; nevertheless, no matter how much we hate to agree, there are members of particular ethnic groups who live up or down to the stereotypes and perceptions of society. 

We must use this event wisely to address the perceptions society has, not only about Blacks but also other cultures. The worse thing that could happen is that this event is construed as a race issue or one that only matters to Blacks. To address the ills of society, we must begin to look at the broader issue and how it affects all of society and not just the particular individuals or races involved. Today it was dining; tomorrow it could be hotel accommodations or other public accommodations.  I'd like to see Black America attacking this issue not as one regarding only our community, but as an issue of American unity and social values.

Reprinted with the permission of the Xavier Herald.