My mom and I are watching a rerun of a crime show around the time that Black Lives Matter is a trending topic nationwide. My mom has very conservative views on the matter to the point of being blatantly racist at times, views I disagree with but keep quiet about to keep the peace at home.

This particular episode of this show talks about the Japanese internment camps of World War II and goes a little into the history of how Japanese-Americans were mistreated and incarcerated during and after the war. Mom speaks up during the episode.

Mom: “You know, we really treated the Japanese horribly during the war.”

I smile inwardly, thinking this is a small step forward for my mom. Then, she keeps talking.

Mom: “They deserve our sympathy a lot more than Black people do! They didn’t riot and protest and throw a fit over their treatment; they just smiled and moved on. Black people could learn a lesson from them.”

One step forward, five huge steps back. Thankfully, I don’t live with her anymore and don’t have to be exposed to her racist views.

It is the 1990s and our video rental store is playing the newly-released Disney animation of “The Hunchback Of Notre Dame” on VHS. The musical number where the villain sings about Hellfire near his fireplace and how he is being tempted by the devil is in full orchestral swing.

Customer: “Excuse me, you shouldn’t be playing this with young children in the store! It seems very un-Christian!”

I work for a mainstream chain movie theater. We are not independent and we only show the big releases. An older couple comes in to buy some tickets.

Customer: “Two tickets for Doctor Zhivago, please.”

Me: “Uh, we’re not showing that movie.”

Customer: “Oh, dear, did I miss it?”

Me: “By about fifty years.”

It turns out they wanted to see “Doctor Strange.”

Customer: “My TV isn’t getting any channels!”

Me: “There has been a major storm affecting the area, sir. It might take a few hours to get reception back on certain channels.”

Customer: “This is because of the meteor shower!”

Me: “Pardon me, sir?”

Customer: “The meteor shower! I read about it. I heard a meteor destroyed one of our telescopes!”

I happen to be up to date on current events and I think I know what he is referring to.

Me: “Sir, do you mean the James Webb telescope that was recently hit by a micro-meteorite?”

Customer: “That’s the one! Is that why I can’t get the news?”

Me: “I can 100% confirm that’s not the reason why you can’t get the news.”

Customer: “Can you call James Webb and double-check?”

Me: *Knowing when I am fighting a losing battle* “Sure, sir. I’ll do that for you.”

A few years back, the film “Ex Machina” had just come out. For those who don’t know, the word “Machina” is more or less pronounced, “mock-in-uh.” But it’s not exactly a common word in the US, so I was treated to a lot of very confused people not knowing exactly what to say, and by the end of the shift, I’d pretty much given myself a heart attack from holding back laughter. Here are a few highlights I remember from the opening night.

Customer #1: “Can I get a ticket to ‘Ex Machine-uh’?”

Customer #2: “Two for ‘Ex Match-ee-nuh,’ please.”

Customer #3: *Nervous, confused giggling* “One for ‘Ex Muh… muh… Muh-China’?”

Customer #4: “Can I get one for the movie that sounds like it’s about a robot who just got dumped?”

Customer #5: “I’m not even going to attempt to pronounce that. One for you-know-what, please.”

Customer #6: *With a weird island accent* “Oh-ho-ho-hooooo… ‘Mock-ee-nuh,’ please!” *Going back to their normal voice* “I was doing an impression of the guy from ‘Final Fantasy X’! Get it?! Because he talks about mock-ee-nuh a lot?! But yeah… uh… one for ‘Ex Mock-ee-nuh,’ please.”

Customer #7: “Robo-chick movie!”

Customer #8: *Beaming with confidence* “Can I have a ticket for ‘Ex Mac-in-aye’?!”

Customer #9: *Shy but saying it perfectly* “One for ‘Ex Machina,’ please. I’m sorry, I know that’s probably not how you pronounce it… I just don’t know how.”