Working with Racism

All this time, I've been checking like three job sites and applying for jobs there. Then, last night, the gf showed me a site on Dartmouth's career services page with about four more places to find non-profit jobs. It was like a lightning bolt - all these jobs, just for me! Thus, I applied to seven jobs today, one last night, and one on Friday. We will see if they come through, but right now, I feel much better about life. I feel like there are more possibilities. San Francisco seems closer already.

This have been hectic here in LA. The weather still hasn't changed, but the circumstances are much better. The crazy grandmother is no longer living in the house, though she still has no MediCal funding to go into the more permanent nursing home. Thus, we cannot move on furniture in the garage (read: giving it away to the thrift store to give to those who need it more), so it is still a disaster in there, but an organized one at least. The furniture in the house is back to the way it was before April, so that is nice. There is a couch, for instance, so we can watch television in comfort, not in bed. We went on a camping trip a few weeks ago with the gf's brother and family, and that was a great deal of fun. Then there was a graduation party, where I got to meet everyone in the family's circle of friends. Otherwise, we've been moving furniture, organizing clothes, moving clothes into real closets, sleeping in a double bed instead of a trundle one, going out, and worrying about money and jobs. I really need a source of income. One job for which I interviewed has still not really gotten back to me, though they did say they were doing second-round interviews and I would hear from them soon. I'm losing hope on that, even though I thought I had a great interview. Alas; I'm moving on.

So, that's life right now. I apologize it has been awhile for that update. In other news...

Yesterday I wanted to get my hair cut. We went to a little salon called Fantastic Sam's here in Culver City, but they were too busy. Since we had a babysitting job in Inglewood to rush to at 3PM, we decided to head over there to seek a salon that wasn't as busy. Thus, we walked into a beauty supply shop so I could get a hair cut.

As I walked in, I could tell I would be the only white person, besides the gf, in the entire store. No matter, I said, I will stay and get my haircut. It occurred to me that they may not have had the experience working with my hair, considering my hair is distinctly different from the African-American variety. However, it is much easier to cut, I'm sure, so no worries. I come in, tell the hair stylist that I'd like a haircut, and she squeezed me in. After some deliberation and miscommunication, she washed my hair and cut it like I wanted.

Of course, I made the mistake of not asking for the price at the beginning, but at the end, she told me the damage was $65. Shocked, I paid for the haircut graciously and even gave her a tip. Walking out of there, I was very upset about the price: LA is expensive, I told myself, and that place wasn't even that nice.

We babysat for three hours, and finally, our friends returned from their movie/work commitments. As we were eating dinner with them, I told them of my experience with the haircut. "They charged you more because you were white," I was told. Hmm. That's probably true. It actually makes me feel better.

Why, one might ask, would it make me feel better to have been taken advantage of based on my race? First, because I can attribute it to the chip on her shoulder. It was racism. It made me feel less like a sucker and more like a victim of a system much greater than myself. Even though it was unkind and only contributes to a racist society and racial distrust, I know that in my position of privilege, it probably made her feel better to a greater degree than it upset me. I will probably make more money than her based solely on my race and socioeconomic status. I have many more advantages in my corner than she has in hers. In the long run, $30 is not that big of a deal. Thus, if me getting ripped off was my part in the giant scheme of things, and if next time she meets a nice white person she doesn't want to rip her off, I will have been ripped off for a good cause.

At least, that's what I'm hoping. Doesn't mean I'll be sending clients her way, though.