I have been following the news story where two men were arrested at Starbucks. As I read the stories, they hadn’t ordered, but they were waiting for someone to join them. How many times have I done something like that? Plenty. I certainly never concerned myself with the possibility of being arrested.
I am outraged by the act, but I am more outraged by some of the comments. I read comments like, “They should have ordered something.” or “They should have left.” Why? I see people all the time sitting with their laptops, talking with clients, meeting friends just like them. Then there is the other group of commentators that say, “I’m not racist, but…” and “Why does everyone make it about race?” Why? Because, it is all about race.
Full disclosure, I am not White. I am Asian (East Asian), because heaven forbid you add a little more brown. I do not walk in the White privileged arena, but I often straddle the border. We are long considered the more “acceptable” minority and often less threatening. However, it doesn’t stop me from seeing the inequities in the way other races/ethnicities are treated and it shouldn’t stop anyone else from seeing it.
Why should people care how others are being treated? It’s called being human.
An Introvert In A Strange Land 