drapg, sorry about your experience at the Cool River and NXNW. I personally haven't been to either restaurant. However, I have been told that the food at NXNW isn't all that. It's mostly just a place for the uppity elitists who think they're important cause they pay $12 for a cheeseburger. I've heard good things about the Cool River's food, but I don' t think that I'll be going after the 3 consecutive bad experiences you've had there. Next time try Bahama Breeze: good food, young atmosphere, and not full of yuppies. It's a shame that in a liberal city like Austin you've gotten crappy service. I'm usually treated really well here, and I avoid places like NXNW, Cool River, Sullivan's, etc.
i don't want to give a bad name to all high priced restaurants in Austin... I have to give a lot of credit to the Four Seasons Cafe, possibly the BEST SERVICE i've ever received from a "high class establishment"... well, considering that our party of 8 (6 of which were minorities) spent $800, i'm not surprised they treated us well! (nice fat tip for our lucky waiter!)
People can easily say after the fact not to get mad, and don't get into an argument, but in the heat of the moment it's a different story. You could have done a pre-emptive verbal strike on him. As soon as he was racist, start telling him that he wasn't being American and that you were ashamed that in this time of danger and trouble, when even President Bush has spoken repeadtedly against those kind of racist incidents, that he wasn't doing more to heal the country. No matter what he said, just keep talking from the point that you are the one who is being American and doing what's best for the country. Make sure he knows that he's damaging the country, and you don't take kindly to un-american behavior in these troubled times, and that maybe you should take his license number and call the police on him. It might have shaken him since he assumed he had more right to be here than you did. If you turned the tables on him, he might not have known what to do, or gotten really angry and insulted, which is also a decent result.
some people need to hear/read this. .. . some folx don't beleive racism exists. I know all about the subtle racism . . .A&M is the center of that universe. Friend at UT told me the racism was actually more upfront than what I was experiencing at A&M . . . . Rocket River "The Racism in the south is . . .*smack* . . MAGNIFIQUE!!" - Dave Chappell
You know, I've always said that the next time that happens to me (not seated at a restaurant) I was going to have a hidden camera with me. I think me and a couple friends may be paying a visit to those two places next time I'm in Austin. The local news loves stories like that, makes 'em feel like 20/20 (at least, up here in Ok. they do). That would teach those bastards a lesson.
I was born in Pakistan and have lived here since I was 6 (I've lived here for 11 years). When I first came here, I faced a lot of racism by kids my own age, although I lived in an affluent white neighborhood and went to a somewhat diverse school. I guess it was because the Gulf War was still fresh on every kid's mind. Anyways, are any other minorities here also scared whenever you go anywhere outside of a city in Texas? Even Tomball and Bastrop scare the hell out of me. I have only been to Austin once about five months ago (2 white friends, 2 chinese, one indian); on the way back, we stopped at a Bastrop gas station when it was getting dark and even though I was with 5 friends, I was scared . I'll be going to UT starting this fall so I'll have to make this trip many more times. I guess I'll have to get used to stoping once in a while in a random small town. Heh, my dad was also like that after 9/11, but he didn't have a beard to shave off. I don't know what the hell he's scared of, especially considering a story he told me a long time ago: When the Gulf War started (I lived in Pakistan with my mother at the time, and my father lived in Houston), my father was in my dad's friend's (Irani friend) car and they were driving down Westheimer well past midnight. Some rednecks were by them at a red light and were yelling racial slurs and all the other good stuff. My dad's friend had a handgun (before they were legalized of course) in his glove compartment, so he pulled it out and pointed it at them, just to scare them. So the rednecks ran the red light and took a u-turn the other way. I don't know why my dad is so scared now, maybe he is just getting old. You know, I was just thinking, I have not encountered that much racism against me since 9/11 (other than the time it took me 15 minutes to get through security at a synagogue when Binyamin Netanyahu was there to speak). Maybe it's because I am always afraid to put myself in a position where I am vunerable to racism. Or maybe I never have that much exposure to uneducated people of any race or ethnicity. I'd also like to spend this time to say that although before 9/11, I had some respect for the Republican Party, now they scare the hell out of me. Anyways, I'm used to racism and I try to not let it bother me, although I can't help it when I'm face to face with it. I applaud Rockets03 for his actions. Thank you for reading my rant, I don't know how much of it makes sense to everyone.
Bastrop is not a bad town. It's fairly large and close to Austin so I'm never worried to eat or get gas there. From my experience, once I get on 71 after Bastrop I never stop for any reason till I get to the outskirts of Houston. Recently however I filled up at the Texaco in Smithville. Had no problems. Most people are friendly and used to visitors traveling on 71.
hey now, lets not all get down on the small towns b/t austin and houston... yet another story for ya: (i'm just full of them today!) about 2 years ago i was driving from back to Austin after spending a weekend with old college friends in Houston (old, as in the sense that we just graduated 2 months earlier! but i digress.) anyways, my raggedy car, which was having major engine troubles for about 3 weeks, suddenly started to overheat in the middle of the drive (about 30 miles before Giddings). I waited about 30 minutes for the car to cool down (on the side of the road), then continued to drive to the closest gas station/shop/etc. I pulled into a small, side-of-the-road restaurant/convenience store. I asked to borrow the clerks phone (seeing as how SPRINT SUCKS and i never get service on my cell!) and the mid-40s caucasian lady couldn't have been more nicer. There were people outside the store moving bundles of hay (caucasian guys in their late 30s and early 40s). They stopped their chores to take a look at my car and try to diagnose the problem. They offered me a ride to a mechanic and even hosed down my engine while I was on the phone with AAA. Overall, they were the nicest group of people I could have met and without their kindness, who knows how long I might have been stranded! Let's not go and stereotype all the townsfolk from Austin to Houston now! Personally, I feel fortunate that my worst bouts with racism have merely been at restaurants... I've been lucky as to not have blatant racism thrown in my face (like the original point of this thread). i'm done now.
oops, my bad. i don't bother with 71 b/c of all the cops! i can't drive my "comfortable speed" and my radar detector beeps nonstop on 71!
Some people are just ignorant. There's a guy, works at a nearby cafeteria, talks too much; he was complaining about a former employee who comes in and doesn't pay enough for her food; except he tells the story, "This black lady comes in and takes food and doesn't pay as much as she should. That's just thievery and I'm gonna get her banned from the place." Of course he has to tell the same story twice within five minutes, and each time, "This black lady..." If I were taking a little extra food than I actually paid for, would he tell the story, "This white guy..." Or would he even notice or care? I know this is Iowa, but we do have non-white people here, and the way he tells the story, it's like saying, "This lady steals because she's black." And it's like I'm supposed to lay my index finger along the length of my nose and wink at him, that old Italian gesture meaning, "We understand each other." Sorry dude, I'm not with you on this! I can't boycott the place 'cause that's where I get my lunch every day and the food's good. I guess I can fantasize about smacking him upside the head. But what would I fix? He grew up ignorant, he's gonna die ignorant.
Uhh....and you're scared of the Republican Party why? Because they are willing to defend the same nation you live in? Because they are fighting to make your life more free? Because they don't back down from gutless, faceless cowards who practice terrorism? Because they honor and respect the thousands of lives that were lost on 9/11?
Rockets03, if I were you, I'd have said "Hey, calm down, guy. I just came in here looking for white women. You got any granddaughters?" You gotta figure that would pretty much pump him up past the point of cardiac arrest.
Yeah, it was doing just fine with me and RM95 here. (Note to self: insert smiley so people will know I'm kidding) Your post is interesting. We're discussing racism and you now think we have extremists from "both sides". So Trader_Jorge is on the side of the racists?
How is Trader_Jorge's post that of an extremist, knee-jerk or otherwise. It seems that he is trying to do what many have proposed in this thread, fight ignorance. No, the Republican party is not out to kill your children and rob you blind in the middle of the night. Both parties have the same goals, just different ways of trying to reach them, (although the means are quickly becoming as close as the ends). I too have experienced racism. I always get picked last for basketball games and the AA players call me a "cracker". You know what I do, nothing. Who gives a flying f*** what some ignorant racist says to you. Sticks and stones my friends, sticks and stones.
I would've pointed and laughed at the old man like a jackass. Make him mad enough to take a swing at me so I can push him down and stare at him like a bad puppy. Sure, he might sue me for a broken hip, but I have justification and petty satisfaction burning on my side... But you had children with you so in most or all cases, you're going to question yourself on what was the right course of action. It's a hard answer because there aren't any winners. You just have to find the best way to cut your losses and let them learn something good out of it.
I could not have written it any better. But I'll add the question... if 03 didn't have kids around him, would the pacifists feel otherwise? I can't help but think that if something similar occurred between a white and a black or two whites, or two blacks, yadda... and something equally inflammatory was said, that punches would fly and everyone would be fine with it. 03's story got my blood boiling, and I'm probably not being reasonable... but I feel as if some people here just expect middle Easterners or other Arabs or Indians (random? sure but racists are dumb in a number of ways) to just take it on the chin b/c of WTC. That's of course bull****, and of course, had I or any of you whitey pacifists been there... we would of all told the old man to shove it up his ass. And noone would be frustrated with our words... noone would have any regrets. We'd still be disappointed in people... but noone would have felt as if the community fabric had been injured as you guys act now. 03... I understand that you're frustrated with yourself. IMO however, you've done nothing wrong. Hell, if you want that kid to grow up with self respect, perhaps its best for him to know how to stand up for himself at the get go.
My POV, for what it's worth: Although there is always the danger that someone like the old bigot was drunk and trigger-happy, I think it's imperative that everyone speak up when someone is as verbally abusive and racist as he was. However, yelling at someone like him and using insults only feeds the fire. Several posters on here suggested more mature and humorous responses and I would go with what they say. But silence would be the worst thing - it let's him think he can bully his racism on others. And that's dangerous for many reasons.
