Hello UI fans. I have recently heard about a certain waitress who has recently had to endure racism at the hands, or shall I say written words of a restaurant patron. After giving the them what I can only imagine was good customer service, she was greeted with the horrible racist comment of “None Nigger” on the tip line. Now this within itself was bad, and speaks to a lot of social issues we still have in America today. It is appalling to think that people can be so bold as to just call someone by such a terrible name in his day and age. Personally I think she should be banned from the restaurant. There is also the possibility of the waitress suing the individual who did this as fearing for her safety by this patron’s act of aggression.

There are many things that could be said and done about this atrocity. However the waitress decided to take it upon herself to take out part of the CC number with a sharpie, and post the actual receipt on the internet. Red Lobster (the restaurant) learned of the post and quickly suspended her with pay, as a reaction to the events. Now I have been reading about this over the last few days, and I am seeing a huge reaction from the black community. Yes I am seeing the appropriate reaction from the racist comments on the receipt… However Red Lobster is now under fire by some blacks for suspending the girl in question.

This anger and rage toward the restaurant chain is something I am not so willing to buy into. They behaved correctly in this situation. I have to even say that they have been more than accommodating to the waitress and her situation. I know what you are all thinking “Negropean” Right? Well not so. You can’t just look at things from an Us vs. Them mindset. You have to view life through an intellectual’s eyes.

The first thing I need to point out is that the entire CC number was not taken out before this was posted. Nor was the address of the Red Lobster, the patron’s signature, nor the CC company that serviced the card. This is all info that an ID thief can easily take and so some serious damage. It does not take much for someone’s identity to be stolen and used. With that being said, there is a certain amount of liability by the company that also has to be taken into consideration. Because of this Red Lobster as a corporation can now be sued.

An employee has basically taken their private and personal info and has placed it on the internet. Telemarketers who take your info and sell it to other companies for advertising proposes are liable for giving out your personal info, and are subject to the law. Well.. Guess what? The same applies to a person doing it too. A white waitress who worked at Applebee’s in Minnesota was not suspended but fired for the exact same thing. No there was not anything racial involved, but the receipt was posted on Reddit and commented on by many people. The black woman in whom this happened is currently in the process of suing the corporation.

I understand it was wrong for the woman to say this about another human being, but you are still responsible for yourself and all that you do. You would think that people would learn from the mistakes of others, but obviously not. Red Lobster did what they had to do to protect themselves, and I do not blame them. They actually are risking further liability by not simply firing the employee. Not just blacks, but people in general need to realize that the internet is not faceless. Companies you work for, apply to, and institutions you want to be a part of all Google you. The things you do on the net are not protected. They are for the world to see, hence “The World Wide Web” You have to be held accountable for what you do, especially us as black Americans. There is already a sour image that we must prove wrong and break away from already, but to play into the idea that the internet bravery game? Come on. Look, the bottom line is that she put herself in this position by exposing personal info. If someone did not like a comment that you made and put your name and address online for the world to see then you would not feel any remorse for the person who did it. It’s one thing to be suspended or discriminated against for being black… However it’s something entirely different to break the law, and claim no personal responsibility hiding behind the guise of racism. Sorry everyone but in this case I can’t sit here and proclaim poor little black girl” When she has well… Broken the law.

Some of you agree with me… And others don’t. What side are you on? Let’s go Urban Intellectuals.