So This Is Racial Prejudice?

I hate to admit it, but I actually shopped at Walmart yesterday. They had a replacement window blind in the exact size that I needed. None of the other discount stores carried the larger sizes. Now that I've confessed my indiscretion, I must tell you what happened when I tried to go through the check out line.

A young African American couple were in line just ahead of me and were purchasing some kind of boxed furniture item. It was big and bulky and set them back $143.00. The woman took out her charge card and handed it to the clerk who asked her simply to provide her drivers license along with the charge card. She complied, and the transaction was completed simply and quickly. At last, it became my turn to place my three items on the belt.

My total came to $14.00 and I handed the clerk my charge card. She processed my card and I began to head toward the exit where I discovered the young couple stood glaring at me. As I began to approach the exit the woman went ballistic. She said to me and to the clerk, "Oh Hell no!." I thought what the heck did I do and watched her launch into a public tirade that would have put a blush on any ones face.

Marching back to the clerk she screamed. " You aksed me for my drivers license when I used a charge, but this white lady, she get off not havin' to show you hers." Now I'm thinking yeah, that's true, but the store probably has a $100 limit on charges before they demand an extra ID. Now in my book that's not discrimination, that's good business, but what do I know.

The woman continued to rant, explaining that she was a teacher and "Can't no black teacher have a credit card?" When she finally took a breath the clerk meekly explained the stores credit card policy, which was exactly as I suspected, limited by a certain cash amount for which an ID was required. But when one's head is filled with racial discrimination, one tends to find it behind every single transaction in life. So the woman continued to scream prejudice all the way to the exit. The last words I heard as she blew past the poor woman at the door who was suppose to be checking every ones receipts was, "You gotta watch these white folks. They put you down every chance they gets."

I showed my receipts to the checker at the exit and we both smiled and shook our heads and said nothing. I thought to myself that in this particular case no one needed to put that woman down, she was doing a great job of making an ass of herself all by herself.