Seymour Flops
Diamond Member
I walk in the dollar store and there are five black male kids about fourteen, I would say. They are picking up snack items and talking about what they can buy, what's good. Typical talk from kids who are just old enough to be in stores without parental supervision. A little loud but not foul mouthed or rude.
I wind up in line directly behind them. Only one cashier was working, a lady about fifty-five. She said, "are you a basketball team or a football team?"
One of them said, "both."
She said, "bring all you got in your hand to this other register and put it on the table. But don't pick up anything else." They start walking over and one mentions that they are paying separately. She tell them not to worry about that.
When all their stuff is in a pile, she says, "I'm paying for all this, just don't grab nothing else. When you came in I asked you to leave your backpacks here, and you were very respectful and didn't argue or frown. I appreciate your being polite." Sure enough, she rang it up handing each item to the one who wanted it to put in his bag and then she reached her hand around with her debit card.
If she were a white woman, that might have looked condescending. But I believe that she wanted to reinforce the politeness, because she knows how hard it can be on a young black man who takes an attitude to authority. Authority takes an attitude back and it can spiral into dying with a police officer kneeling on their back.
I work with kids who have behavior issues and one of the hardest but most effective methods is to watch for them to do something right and immediately reward them for it, even if they were cussing you out that morning. I bet that lady didn't even have a degree, she just knew how to help boys become good men.
I wind up in line directly behind them. Only one cashier was working, a lady about fifty-five. She said, "are you a basketball team or a football team?"
One of them said, "both."
She said, "bring all you got in your hand to this other register and put it on the table. But don't pick up anything else." They start walking over and one mentions that they are paying separately. She tell them not to worry about that.
When all their stuff is in a pile, she says, "I'm paying for all this, just don't grab nothing else. When you came in I asked you to leave your backpacks here, and you were very respectful and didn't argue or frown. I appreciate your being polite." Sure enough, she rang it up handing each item to the one who wanted it to put in his bag and then she reached her hand around with her debit card.
If she were a white woman, that might have looked condescending. But I believe that she wanted to reinforce the politeness, because she knows how hard it can be on a young black man who takes an attitude to authority. Authority takes an attitude back and it can spiral into dying with a police officer kneeling on their back.
I work with kids who have behavior issues and one of the hardest but most effective methods is to watch for them to do something right and immediately reward them for it, even if they were cussing you out that morning. I bet that lady didn't even have a degree, she just knew how to help boys become good men.
