Just as a sort of tangent to the main theme of the thread's discussion, I'd like to throw out a couple scenarios out here.
1) It's commonly claimed by various individuals (almost always caucasian) that Black people get worse service in restaurants. I
have been involved in several debates like this in several service-industry oriented fora. There have been cases where Blacks have
sued for "racism" because of what they perceived as a lesser quality of service. This situation is not really debated by service
industry workers and watchers. They admit that Black people do tend to get a somewhat lesser quality of service; although not as
often or as bad as is generally claimed. This is generally considered evidence of a pervading, perhaps unconscious, racism
inherent in American culture.
However, studies have demonstrated that
Back people
tip less in restaurants and for other services than Whites. There are also differences in Asian and Hispanic tipping
patterns, but not as dramatic or consistent. My experiences with the service industry, and that of many of the people I have
conversed with, is that Black customers also have a tendency to be more demanding and problematic, though this seems to vary by
region. (Incidentally, I have heard the latter complaint at least as much from Black servicepeople as I have from other
ethnicities.)
2) Nightclubs and music venues with a predominantly Black clientele (eg. hip-hop clubs) get a disproportionate amount of police,
and in areas with state-controlled liquor sales, LCB attention. This happens regardless of the particular location of the
nightclubs, even those in a predominantly white or mixed area receive a considerably larger amount of police and LCB attention.
This also has been asserted to be an example of unacknowledged institutional racism.
The fact is, however, that violent crime is considerably higher in and surrounding these establishments. Noise complaints are more
frequent, even when they're located in predominantly black neighborhoods. Violations of liquor control laws are more common (over
-pouring, over-serving, insufficient screening of underage patrons, etc). Open illicit drug use is more common. For about a year there was one located in a district with a large GLBT population, and there was constant harassment of openly gay/trans individuals in the immediate vicinity of the nightclub. Most local residents took to crossing the street rather than "running the gauntlet" outside the club.
How much of the "unconscious racism" or "cultural racism" that supposedly pervades middle-class America truly exists, and how much is a smokescreen to cover the undeniable fact that the black communities and organizations patronized predominantly by blacks have some serious problems which they are not willing to address.
