When They Go Low, You Go Thigh
I am shopping in the frozen meat aisle. I am perusing the shelves when another woman is slowly making her way down the aisle while on her phone. She is speaking loudly, which doesn’t usually bother me, but what she is saying is.
Customer: “Yeah, I need to get the chicken thighs to make that [n-word] fried chicken that they seem to like down at church. You know, the [n-word] kind that has all those spices.”
Shocked at her brazen use of a racial slur (she’s white), I stare at her for a moment, which is when I catch the eye of an employee who is walking past, also in shock from what they just heard. The customer continues.
Customer: “Yeah normally I wouldn’t eat any of that ethnic crap but the kids seem to like it and one of the kids is – y’know – slow and special and they’re bringing that [r-word],[n-word] friend that they seem to like. Put the [n-word]s and [r-word]s together in the corner and they stay out of trouble for the rest of us.”
Still in a trance about how much more offensive this woman can be, I realize I am standing in front of the frozen chicken thighs. Without even thinking, I grab all nine packs and put them in my cart. The woman finally makes it to the thighs section and sniffs in disappointment when she sees that they’re all gone. Then she sees my trolley.
Customer: “Hey, you don’t need all those thighs, do you? I needed some.”
Me: “Sorry, I kinda do. I’m feeding a bunch of special and slow people who also happen to be black. You know how it is.”
Customer: *Eyes wide.* “That was a private conversation!”
Me: “Not at the volume you were speaking, lady.”
Customer: “Give me some of those thighs!”
Me: “Sorry, they’re in my trolley. They’re mine.”
The customer turns to the employee and points to him.
Customer: “You! She’s taking all the thighs! Tell her to give me some.”
Employee: *Who is black.* “Sorry, I’m just a slow [n-word] that doesn’t know anything.”
He walks away and so do I, leaving her sounding like she’s about to screech.
When my husband asked over the next few months why we were always eating chicken thighs I told him we were fighting discrimination.
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