Saturday night I was hanging out at a bar called Joe's Older Than Dirt, mostly because it has a huge outdoor area and that particular night was amazingly comfortable and humidity-free.
I was standing by a table sipping on a bourbon when I was approached by an older, visibly drunk black man. We proceeded to have a strange, but thought-provoking, conversation.
man: "I haven't seen this many white people since the Civil War." (He wasn't the only black person there, but the crowd was probably 80% white)
me, surprised by this greeting: "Uh, it's a nice night out."
He tells me he's from Mississippi, then drops this bomb on me: "So, does this place always let black folks in?"
I replied, "WHAT?! Of course it does."
He acted like he didn't believe me. "So I can come here with my wife, and have food and drinks?"
"Yes sir," I said. "They're here to make money."
He continued: "And nobody will bother us?"
"No. If ANYONE gets hassled, they have security to take care of it."
I guess that knowledge emboldened him to risk a trip to the men's room, because that's where he went.
Did this odd conversation have deep social meaning? Or was I merely being my usual freak magnet? I think the truth lies somewhere in between.
I was standing by a table sipping on a bourbon when I was approached by an older, visibly drunk black man. We proceeded to have a strange, but thought-provoking, conversation.
man: "I haven't seen this many white people since the Civil War." (He wasn't the only black person there, but the crowd was probably 80% white)
me, surprised by this greeting: "Uh, it's a nice night out."
He tells me he's from Mississippi, then drops this bomb on me: "So, does this place always let black folks in?"
I replied, "WHAT?! Of course it does."
He acted like he didn't believe me. "So I can come here with my wife, and have food and drinks?"
"Yes sir," I said. "They're here to make money."
He continued: "And nobody will bother us?"
"No. If ANYONE gets hassled, they have security to take care of it."
I guess that knowledge emboldened him to risk a trip to the men's room, because that's where he went.
Did this odd conversation have deep social meaning? Or was I merely being my usual freak magnet? I think the truth lies somewhere in between.
13 Comments:
It's a good thing you left your Klan robe and hood in the car.
I was intimidated by how white this town is when I first moved here and I'm white. It's more tolerant than it looks though.
Wow! That's crazy! It's sad that there are obviously places still around that don't let black people in.....
well you ARE in KY...
And now for the rest of the story....
When the man arrived in the men's room, he was greeted with a swift kick squaw in the nads by some hood-wearing, cross-burning Kentucky good ole boys, then beaten to a bloody pulp.
As he was lying there calling out to Jesus and fading in and out of consciousness, he gave Todd the finger.
The End.
maybe you were on candid camera?
that's sad.
Maybe he made a time machine and is from the past checking out the future?
Or maybe i should stop drinking in the mornings.
I feel sad that he even had to ask....surely even asking that question made him feel less than normal.
My bedroom is open to women of any ethnic background.
My love doesn't discriminate.
I'll have to go with freak magnet. I did end up here, after all.
Sadly, I think there ARE still some places that legal or not, they will refuse to serve your ass if you aren't white.
I was in rural Virginia last year and my buddy was showing me around. There were people on the streets carrying guns on their hips as if it was the old west, and had racial attitudes to match. My buddy asked me "So do you know where you are?" Meaning the south. My internal monolog was asking "Do I know when I am?"
P.s. Came here via Builder Mama.
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