Posted on 10/26/2005 8:01:27 AM PDT by BerniesFriend
It appears to me that a lot of people are looking for a reason to call the guy a racist and including reasons that have nothing to do with the story. Maybe we should impose a quota that dictates that he must cut the hair of X number of blacks or lose his license.
My sons are mixed, too. I take them to a "black barbershop" for their haircuts that has a few "white" customers, too. But, hair salons and barbershops do tend to specialize - gearing to either men or women, scissors or electric clippers.
There was a great barbershop in Philly that my husband used. There was one "white" barber and one "black" barber, and they knew how to cut for both. All the men went there, and they got a lot of business.
Yea, a whites only sign in the deep south carries NO racial overtones whatsoever. You are right about one thing, though, someone does have a chip on their shoulder, only not who you thought.
Much better.
I earned a cosmetology license in WA. I did not have to show proficiency with all hair types (but it could be that barbers do -- it's a different license altogether.)
I did have a Black lady come to me for a haircut, based on my reputation. I did the best I could, but the hair stretches a great deal and there really is a trick to it which I was not taught.
But, this man is a raving bigot. End of story.
Ok. Not a guy, didn't think about baldness. : )
"...I am not experienced in cutting African-American hair. I'll be happy to try, but you might get a better result with a different barber..."
Agreed. This is the same reason that I don't go to Lashonda's Weaving & Braiding to get my hair done!
~ Blue Jays ~
I heard they were pretty darned good at building railroads too.
Nam Vet
Really, how hard could it be for Mr. Leger to 'learn' new barber skills, if that's the real reason? Aren't they required, or motivated at least, to keep up with new trends in haircutting, i.e. the new 'metrosexual' haircuts? My hairdressers regularly go to 'shows' and take classes on new trends or techniques.
If is was about the difference in texture of hair, then "No Blacks" would be better than "Whites Only" because Asians and Hispanics can also have straight hair.
Let's get real. This is an ornery old man who likes to stir things up. He knows the sign is provocative and enjoys the attention it brings to him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he thinks he is pulling a joke over someone everytime he has to explain the sign. I think he is behaving badly, but I recognize that he is very likely not going to alter his behavior. I think the less attention he gets, the better. Like a little kid throwing a tantrum. Ignore him. That will hurt him more than making an issue out of his sign.
A side benefit is that adults can point the sign out to children and say "That is a very rude, hurtful, tactless, small-minded statement to put on a sign."
"How difficult can it be to take a No. 2 clipper and give a guy a cut? Anyone who has trimmed a hedge can probably cut an man's hair -- regardless of his race -- with No. 2 clippers."
Ain't quite that easy. Back when I was in the Corps my unit got deployed - somehow I got volunteered to be the unit barber. I quickly discovered that:
A: giving a good looking hair cut, even a simple Marine Corps buzz, is not a simple task.
B: there is an enormous difference in light green and dark green Marines hair.
I struggled along and after 20 or so tries I kinda learned to cut hair. I still feel bad about how I made those proud Marines look, fortunately they had enough on their minds not to care too much and hey, it's just hair. It grew back once, it'll do it again.
Don't most places put pictures of the kind of "Dos" done there on the window so this kind of thing won't happen? I know a black hair care place when I see one. I know an expensive hair salon and day spa when I see one. I have to admit that I have never seen a black man in any of the barber shops hubby has visited. And he's gone to a bunch of different ones in search of one he likes. There are several around here that employ multiple ethnicities (Cuban, Russian, Asian, but no black), and they will cut anyone's hair. As far as I can tell. But I've never seen a black man in any of them. I think this man's sign was kind of stupid, but whatever. It's his business.
I knew a young lady who was of mixed African, Arawak Indian, and Irish extraction. She lived in a middle class black neighborhood, but the hairstylists there refused her, saying she had "Spanish hair". She simply went to a Puerto Rican shop one neighborhood over. Problem solved. Some barbers and stylists have a wider range, some have less.
If I knew how, I would post the obligatory picture of Mr. T.
And under the picture, the caption would read "You talking about me sucka?"
I mean, we can't just leave this to society in general to solve, right? It's not like this poor business practice, coupled with his obvious bias, would actually serve up a solution when the knucklehead goes out of business because no one wants to patronize his business, right?
We need Uncle Sugar here right now to pass laws, restrict business, and pay reparations to the poor victims of this senseless racism.
All for the greater good, you know...
/ sarc
If he were black and had a sign that said blacks only... wouldnt bother me one bit..
Now if he were a Native American 'hairstylist' standing in his front winder next to a sign that said 'whites only' asharpening his 'tommyhawk...' ththththat...that might make me a little nnnnnervous.
I was thinking that maybe we should force this guy to groom dogs and sell birth control pills as well.
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