I'm so naive. Perhaps it's because I'm white and grew up middle class, but I truly had no idea how much prejudice and hate existed in this world until I started doing auto show. I mean, I knew it was out there - everyone hears people they know say ugly things once in a while (and hopefully crosses those people off their list of friends) but I had no idea it was still on such a grand scale.
Thanks for another sucktastic life lesson, auto show.
So over the past x many years I've been doing this I have seen countless examples of racism at work, but here are some that other product specialists have shared with me.
Exhibit A:
Booth bro is standing in front of pretty hot, brightly colored low rider one-off project car. Hillbilly approaches. "Is this car for the Mexicans?" he asks.
"Pardon me?" replies the astounded booth bro.
"Only a Mexican would drive a Jap car like this," three-toothed hillbilly replies. He laughs and looks up at the booth bro, expecting him to laugh, too. He doesn't.
Exhibit B:
Verbatim from an email sent by another booth bro…
"Scenario is one of my black teammates is taking a sales lead for our lead gen program from one of the shop techs from the local dealer. Him and several other guys are at the show 'helping' with customers. He is white. Below find the dialogue string between him and I keeping in mind that the black product specialist that just signed him up and is still standing there.
Him: 'So that’s it? I just go take a test drive and get $50'
Me: 'Yeah man that’s it.'
Him: 'There’s a bunch of other guys from the shop here with me can they all sign up too.'
Me: 'Yeah no problem man. Bring the whole crew over and we’ll sign them up.'
Him (taking a step backward and with a look of disgust) 'Crew? Do I look black to you?' then he walks away and does not come back."
Exhibit C:
Another story shared via email…
Customer approaches product specialist on floor.
Him: 'I heard you can't get the Tuxedo Black right now because the pigment comes from Japan.'
Me: "Yes it is in very short supply until we can get a supplier here to make that pigment for us."
Him: "Why don't you just go down to the White House and get some? They got more black than we need down there."
Booth bro is confused because what he thought was going to be a political bailout joke just went racist in one second. The guest then pulls out his cell phone and flashes a picture of a Downs syndrome child wearing a shirt that reads 'At least I’m not a n!gger.' He laughs and walks away.
Exhibit D (by far the most confusing because of who it involves):
Black product specialist very nicely asks two black children who have been playing in a car for over half an hour to find their dad, because a couple who are serious buyers want to check it out. Black father proceeds to scream at black product specialist saying she only kicked his kids out because they are black and the couple is white. Security was called.
Look guys, if you're a disgusting, miserable excuse for a human being there's little I can do about it, but the least you can do for society is to keep it to yourself. I don't want to hear this sh!t and neither does anyone else. Also, I have news for you: Whites are now the minority among new births in the US, so you'd better get used to being surrounded by the Rainbow Coalition. If you can't deal with that, guess you'd better hole yourself up in your survivalist shelter with your Confederate flag and your burning cross and your white sheets and STFU.
