NationStates Jolt Archive

:rolleyes:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Movies/10/18/chrisrockmom.discrimin.ap/index.html

So, the gist of the story is that Chris Rock's mom went to Cracker Barrel, and after being seated, waited a half hour without being waited upon. She decided to blame it on racism. And now Al Sharpton has signed up with it. Amazing.

Cracker Barrel is a rather redneck place inherently, I don't doubt the racism. Not being waited on for half an hour is ridiculous, now not being served for half an hour is something else..

:rolleyes:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Movies/10/18/chrisrockmom.discrimin.ap/index.html

So, the gist of the story is that Chris Rock's mom went to Cracker Barrel, and after being seated, waited a half hour without being waited upon. She decided to blame it on racism. And now Al Sharpton has signed up with it. Amazing.

So a resturant named CRACKER Barrel doesn't like black people?

Also Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are media whores who will appear anywhere there's a camera.

So a resturant named CRACKER Barrel doesn't like black people?

Also Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are media whores who will appear anywhere there's a camera.

ROFL! I wasn't thinking much of anything after reading the article one way or the other, but that was the best laugh all day!

ROFL! I wasn't thinking much of anything after reading the article one way or the other, but that was the best laugh all day!

I guess it is kind of a warning...

ROFL! I wasn't thinking much of anything after reading the article one way or the other, but that was the best laugh all day!
George Jefferson says...
Barrelful of Crackers

Not being waited on for half an hour is ridiculous, now not being served for half an hour is something else..

It's happened to me before...

I never heard of Cracker Barrel being anti-black...anti-gay, sure. It makes sense for a chain that makes tons of Bible Belt money to keep gays out. Blacks...maybe. In the more rednecked, Negro-hating parts of the South, sure. But not in the mainstream. I can't imagine a Cracker Barrel that doesn't serve black folks lasting too long in Atlanta.

That said, if Rose Rock wanted to bring down Cracker Barrel for this, she did the best thing she could do - attack them in the bloodthirsty court of public opinion, where people are found guilty and sentenced without a trial. The bad part of that is that those sentences are usually forgotten after a short while.

I never heard of Cracker Barrel being anti-black...anti-gay, sure. It makes sense for a chain that makes tons of Bible Belt money to keep gays out. Blacks...maybe. In the more rednecked, Negro-hating parts of the South, sure. But not in the mainstream. I can't imagine a Cracker Barrel that doesn't serve black folks lasting too long in Atlanta.

That said, if Rose Rock wanted to bring down Cracker Barrel for this, she did the best thing she could do - attack them in the bloodthirsty court of public opinion, where people are found guilty and sentenced without a trial. The bad part of that is that those sentences are usually forgotten after a short while.

???
I haven't been in a Cracker Barrel for a couple months so pardon me for failing to notice what must be the recent addition of signs that say something to the affect of "No gay people allowed!" How else exactly do Cracker Barrels keep gay people out with "Bible Belt money"? This is asinine!

Cracker Barrel isn't exactly one of those places that screams "anyone is welcome here!"

ive been in plenty of restaurants where i had to wait an unreasonable amount of time to be waited on. sometimes i wait, sometimes i leave.

i dont think you can tell from one experience if its a problem with the entire chain, just a bad day or one racist server.

Hell, Chris Rock himself has made jokes about Cracker Barrel.

This just in, Cracker Barrel opens up new fast-food chain. It will be called "Honky Bucket."

Cracker Barrel isn't exactly one of those places that screams "anyone is welcome here!"

Help me understand this. I've never thought this when I've eaten there before. Am I missing something?

???
I haven't been in a Cracker Barrel for a couple months so pardon me for failing to notice what must be the recent addition of signs that say something to the affect of "No gay people allowed!" How else exactly do Cracker Barrels keep gay people out with "Bible Belt money"? This is asinine!

You can't do it upfront, people. Don't go calling me "asinine" when Cracker Barrel has made it practice, at least on some level, to dismiss gay employees. All I said was why it makes some measure of business sense. Those in the Bible Belt would be less comfortable with believing that their waiter might be gay, so Cracker Barrel got rid of the problem. Or at least that's the idea; what their precise motivation was for such a move is a little hard to decipher. However, to deny that such a move makes some measure of sense is to deny that many Southerners, certainly many vocal ones, would just rather be around other white, Christian heterosexuals.

That said, I doubt this line of reasoning applies everywhere. I also don't know where there are Cracker Barrels around the U.S.; a lot of places seem to have a higher concentration of Bob Evans, which never got the same negative publicity.

Heh, this is sort of like the idiot boy who cried wolf...

It's up to a business which customers it serves (and which employees it hires, but this is another debate altogether) - obviously by not serving some, it will suffer losses, and may even gain a bad reputation. But what this customer (however famous they may be) did is just plain stupid. Don't like the service? Get a refund, and take your clientelle elsewhere.

You can't do it upfront, people. Don't go calling me "asinine" when Cracker Barrel has made it practice, at least on some level, to dismiss gay employees. All I said was why it makes some measure of business sense. Those in the Bible Belt would be less comfortable with believing that their waiter might be gay, so Cracker Barrel got rid of the problem. Or at least that's the idea; what their precise motivation was for such a move is a little hard to decipher. However, to deny that such a move makes some measure of sense is to deny that many Southerners, certainly many vocal ones, would just rather be around other white, Christian heterosexuals.

That said, I doubt this line of reasoning applies everywhere. I also don't know where there are Cracker Barrels around the U.S.; a lot of places seem to have a higher concentration of Bob Evans, which never got the same negative publicity.


Still doesn't make sense. How do you know a waiter is gay? Do they wear name tags saying "Charlie (gay)"? And I wasn't aware that Cracker Barrel had a "no gay" policy on hiring employees. Isn't that illegal? Last Crackerbarrel I ate in was on the east coast though.

Still doesn't make sense. How do you know a waiter is gay? Do they wear name tags saying "Charlie (gay)"? And I wasn't aware that Cracker Barrel had a "no gay" policy on hiring employees. Isn't that illegal? Last Crackerbarrel I ate in was on the east coast though.

I think some states outlaw it, but others don't. And they barred people from employment if they thought they were gay. It's a little hard to tell sometimes, but I guess they just use their "best judgment" if there is such a thing in discrimination.

On the other hand, when my fiancee and I stopped off for dinner and breakfast at Cracker Barrel on our way to Fort Myers last year, everyone was just so goshdarn friendly. Granted, we're both white and give the appearance of a young, married couple, but we're not used to people being that nice in Ohio, where people are just generally jerks, at least in service.

Still doesn't make sense. How do you know a waiter is gay? Do they wear name tags saying "Charlie (gay)"? And I wasn't aware that Cracker Barrel had a "no gay" policy on hiring employees. Isn't that illegal? Last Crackerbarrel I ate in was on the east coast though.

I many (perhaps most) states it's perfectly legal to deny employment or housing on basis of sexual orientation.

???
I haven't been in a Cracker Barrel for a couple months so pardon me for failing to notice what must be the recent addition of signs that say something to the affect of "No gay people allowed!" How else exactly do Cracker Barrels keep gay people out with "Bible Belt money"? This is asinine!

Their recent past shows such
http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/article988.html

Hopefully these changes are being took seriously but with statements like

"It is inconsistent with our concept and values, and is perceived to be inconsistent with those of our customer base, to continue to employ individuals in our operating units whose sexual preferences fail to demonstrate normal heterosexual values which have been the foundation of families in our society," the memo stated.

From their current VP of human resorces (even if "official" pollicy has thankfully changed) it is questionable how far the changes have come

Well this also has appeared to have happened in 2004


Cracker Barrel, a subsidiary of CBRL Group Inc., last year agreed to pay $8.7 million to settle federal lawsuits in Georgia that alleged black customers were subjected to racial slurs, denied service or segregated in smoking sections.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050618/news_1b18cracker.html

This is a load of crap – there are times when you get slow service. It happens. Deal with it.

This is just like that time a few years ago when a tour bus full of black people showed up at Denny’s and screamed about racism because the service was slow, it took a while to be seated, the food took a while to cook, etc. If 40 people suddenly show up to an all night diner with a skeleton crew, of course its going to take some time. That isn’t racism, that is reality.

This is a load of crap – there are times when you get slow service. It happens. Deal with it.

This is just like that time a few years ago when a tour bus full of black people showed up at Denny’s and screamed about racism because the service was slow, it took a while to be seated, the food took a while to cook, etc. If 40 people suddenly show up to an all night diner with a skeleton crew, of course its going to take some time. That isn’t racism, that is reality.

Yeah there are idiots and there are corporations that in the past have admitted to segregating black people in as recently as 2004

"Rose Rock" is an excellent name.

Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm astonished that anyone could actually get away with anti-gay hiring policies, though it's hard to prove that sort of thing unless you're actually hired and they fire you if they find out. But I've never even seen a Cracker Barrel up in my neck of the woods, much less eaten in one, so I don't have much to add, and it's hard to tell from this article whether any actual racism was involved.

Just... yeah, I wish my name were "Rose Rock."

"Rose Rock" is an excellent name.

Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm astonished that anyone could actually get away with anti-gay hiring policies, though it's hard to prove that sort of thing unless you're actually hired and they fire you if they find out. But I've never even seen a Cracker Barrel up in my neck of the woods, much less eaten in one, so I don't have much to add, and it's hard to tell from this article whether any actual racism was involved.

Just... yeah, I wish my name were "Rose Rock."

Like I posted, a quote from the VP of cracker barrel himself disallowing the hiring of homosexuals

You know what, I'm really tired of this type of lawsuits, If the service wasn't good then don't go, go somewheres else to eat.
The lawsuits is what's going to drag America down. Everybody is always tippy toeing around each other for their fear of offending somebody. Get over it. If I go to a restraunt and eat and is either bad service or bad food, a lawsuit is farthest from my mind, I just go somewheres else.
I'm just getting tired of the first card to be played is the race card. You don't see white guys lining up at lawyers offices to sue when, for example, A white guy out scores a black guy both on the physical and written tests to become a state trooper, and the state police turn down the white guy because the state has to reach a certain quota. Now that's discrimination.

I say again, just get over it and move on.

I assure you all that I am not a rascist, I do sometimes discrimate, however it's the discrimation of bad and evil no matter what the color is.

While I agree that she's overreacting and being melodramatic you need to remember that if not for lawsuits there would of been few if any advances in workplace safety, or transportation safety. Safety isn't profitable without the threat of cost when you ignore it.

Cracker Barrel has in the past faced numerous lawsuits and a federal inquiry over complaints of refusing to serve black customers, discriminating against minority workers and firing gay employees.

...

The Rev. Al Sharpton will join Rock on Wednesday in South Carolina to announce that Sharpton's Action Network will finance the planned lawsuit.

"I'm getting reports from all over the country about Cracker Barrel," Sharpton said from New York on Tuesday.

He also said state officials are slow to act on such complaints.

But of course it wasn't racism! It couldn't have been! Racism ended back in the 1960s, didn't you know?

While I agree that she's overreacting and being melodramatic you need to remember that if not for lawsuits there would of been few if any advances in workplace safety, or transportation safety. Safety isn't profitable without the threat of cost when you ignore it.

You are correct. I agree that some lawsuits are legitimate, however, there are a lot that are frivilous and unnecessary. Like one suing McDonalds because she spilled her hot coffee on herself. I for one, were to get a cold cup of coffee, I'd be pretty pissed. Then you have these fat asses suing the Fast Food chains for making them fat. Give me a freaking break. They didn't force you to eat there. Now I go to McDonalds I can't get Super size no more, damnit, now I go to Burger King and King size it. :D

I thought this sort of thing only happened in small-time community joints, not national chains. I don't necessarily doubt it, but it does seem very strange that a business that managed to make it nationally would carry out racist policies.

:rolleyes:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Movies/10/18/chrisrockmom.discrimin.ap/index.html

So, the gist of the story is that Chris Rock's mom went to Cracker Barrel, and after being seated, waited a half hour without being waited upon. She decided to blame it on racism. And now Al Sharpton has signed up with it. Amazing.

There's a civil rights movement? And here I was, thinking the 60s were over.

Meh, maybe something good might come of it.

Immediately after Dennys was accused of racism they began sponsoring black peeps in motorsports. It was interesting and a "good thing" I think the first time I saw a black guy roadracing on a motorcycle. It was Denny's yellow with a big Denny's logo on the side. Nobody that I know of prevented or obstructed blacks from roadracing bikes but there were none or very very few before this. Now, even though Denny's has long since quit sponsoring, there are some. This is obviously not a "big deal" compared with many other aspects of life, but I think that a lot of "little deals" like this eventually add up, people become just people instead of races and racism fades.

Anyway that's my hopeful thought for the day.

I thought this sort of thing only happened in small-time community joints, not national chains. I don't necessarily doubt it, but it does seem very strange that a business that managed to make it nationally would carry out racist policies.

Look at Denny's some yrs ago. They were sued too for discrimination.

You are correct. I agree that some lawsuits are legitimate, however, there are a lot that are frivilous and unnecessary. Like one suing McDonalds because she spilled her hot coffee on herself. I for one, were to get a cold cup of coffee, I'd be pretty pissed. Then you have these fat asses suing the Fast Food chains for making them fat. Give me a freaking break. They didn't force you to eat there. Now I go to McDonalds I can't get Super size no more, damnit, now I go to Burger King and King size it. :D

While on the surface the McDonald's coffee thing seems absurd they were serving it at near the boiling point. Which is irresponsible. Though as stupid as she was with her drink I'd of been disinclined to award her anything. I think we'd see a distinct drop in frivolous suits if the punative reward was donated to a charity rather than given to the "victim".

I thought this sort of thing only happened in small-time community joints, not national chains. I don't necessarily doubt it, but it does seem very strange that a business that managed to make it nationally would carry out racist policies.

it more happens because of local employees following a personal point of view rather than corporate HQ telling individual employees to act against some race or other group of people. The corporation of course pays any huge fines and you can bet your ass that in the very near future all hourly cracker barrel employees will have a day or two of racial sensitivity training and managers will get at least treble that.

it more happens because of local employees following a personal point of view rather than corporate HQ telling individual employees to act against some race or other group of people. The corporation of course pays any huge fines and you can bet your ass that in the very near future all hourly cracker barrel employees will have a day or two of racial sensitivity training and managers will get at least treble that.

Exactly, which some of them will resent, I'm sure.

It does say something about how litigious we've become, when the first thought is to sue. And especially someone like Chris Rock's mother. All she'd have to do is have her son (or his people) get in touch with the Cracker Barrel corporate headquarters and this would have been taken care of in no time.

I've never been to a Cracker Barrel though there is one a few miles away from where I live. What exactly do they serve there anyway?

I've never been to a Cracker Barrel though there is one a few miles away from where I live. What exactly do they serve there anyway?

All types of country style foods......I love they're breakfast......they have awesome pancakes with different assorted toppings, and I love their biscuits with sausage gravy...food tastes great.

I have to stop...I'm making myself hungry

All types of country style foods......I love they're breakfast......they have awesome pancakes with different assorted toppings, and I love their biscuits with sausage gravy...food tastes great.

I have to stop...I'm making myself hungry

Alright. Just trying to see if the food is worth suing over. If not, I could get good pancakes at IHOP.

Exactly, which some of them will resent, I'm sure.

It does say something about how litigious we've become,
What you mean "we" paleface?

when the first thought is to sue. And especially someone like Chris Rock's mother. All she'd have to do is have her son (or his people) get in touch with the Cracker Barrel corporate headquarters and this would have been taken care of in no time.

Im not entirely certain that racism was at the core of this event anyway. Not that the core will matter much if any once Cracker Barrel gets the word "racist" firmly attached to it's image via national media. Cheaper and easier to fire anyone remotely involved with slow service to Chris Rock's mother and then rehabilitate any racists or racially insensitive folk who remain by retraining all employees. Maybe sponsor some prominant black racers too. It could easily be the difference between economic survival or not. Nobody would eat at a racist restaurant chain would they?

:rolleyes:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Movies/10/18/chrisrockmom.discrimin.ap/index.html

So, the gist of the story is that Chris Rock's mom went to Cracker Barrel, and after being seated, waited a half hour without being waited upon. She decided to blame it on racism. And now Al Sharpton has signed up with it. Amazing.

Racism? I've waited at an I.H.O.P. for a half an hour to be seated. They knew I was there, but they let others go before me when there was a spot open not 20 feet away from us.

Does this mean I.H.O.P. is anti Italian?

I.H.O.P. HATES W.O.P.S.!

People who go to cracker barrel, white or black, deserve everything they get. That POS is representative of everything that is wrong with this country. (Fat people and cheap chinese made tat for sale).

Racism? I've waited at an I.H.O.P. for a half an hour to be seated. They knew I was there, but they let others go before me when there was a spot open not 20 feet away from us.

Does this mean I.H.O.P. is anti Italian?

I.H.O.P. HATES W.O.P.S.!

By these standards the California Dept of Motor Vehicles hates everybody. So does my dentist and most doctors Ive ever seen.

You can't do it upfront, people. Don't go calling me "asinine" when Cracker Barrel has made it practice, at least on some level, to dismiss gay employees. All I said was why it makes some measure of business sense. Those in the Bible Belt would be less comfortable with believing that their waiter might be gay, so Cracker Barrel got rid of the problem. Or at least that's the idea; what their precise motivation was for such a move is a little hard to decipher. However, to deny that such a move makes some measure of sense is to deny that many Southerners, certainly many vocal ones, would just rather be around other white, Christian heterosexuals.


I take it you've never been to this "bible belt" you keep claiming is bigoted? It so clearly shows.

If the reason the woman wasnt served was truly a racial reason, then naturally, thats very wrong.

BUT....


I know why it happens.

Im sure I'll get my head bitten off for saying this, but...

Not many black folks tip white people.

I deliver pizzas, and especially on the local college campus, the black folks wont tip you.
Whats worse, is when they do it, you can tell they hate you by the look in thier eyes.
"Fuck you Whitey".

Its as if they refuse to give you any more of thier money than they are absolutely required to by law.

Now, before anyone starts calling me a racist, or accuse me of stereotyping, let me say that Ive worked in several service type tippable jobs, and seen this all first hand.

Secondly, it depends on WHERE the black folks are.
If they are living in a suburban home, expect a tip.
If its a young black male, expect nothing.
If its a young black woman, maybe...but dont hold your breath.
Older black male...maybe a buck.
Old black woman....almost always a tip.

The younger the black person, the less likely you are to recieve any kind of gratuity.

Now, as always, there are exceptions to the rule, and stereotypes only go so far..sometimes you get a fat tip from someone you werent expecting one from.
But, all too often, the stereotype gets perpetuated.

Want the fat tip?
Deliver to a Japanese person visting America.
Apparently, tipping isnt required in Japan, but when over seas, I find they tip extravagantly.

5 to ten bucks for a 20 dollar pizza.

So..in the case of Mrs Rock, some overworked white young waitress may have decided that she wasnt going to get a tip from this woman, and decided to pretend she never saw her in her section.

Does that make it right?

Oh hell no.....but Im afraid I know how she feels.

If the reason the woman wasnt served was truly a racial reason, then naturally, thats very wrong.

BUT....


I know why it happens.

Im sure I'll get my head bitten off for saying this, but...

Not many black folks tip white people.

I deliver pizzas, and especially on the local college campus, the black folks wont tip you.
Whats worse, is when they do it, you can tell they hate you by the look in thier eyes.
"Fuck you Whitey".

Its as if they refuse to give you any more of thier money than they are absolutely required to by law.

Now, before anyone starts calling me a racist, or accuse me of stereotyping, let me say that Ive worked in several service type tippable jobs, and seen this all first hand.

Secondly, it depends on WHERE the black folks are.
If they are living in a suburban home, expect a tip.
If its a young black male, expect nothing.
If its a young black woman, maybe...but dont hold your breath.
Older black male...maybe a buck.
Old black woman....almost always a tip.

The younger the black person, the less likely you are to recieve any kind of gratuity.

Now, as always, there are exceptions to the rule, and stereotypes only go so far..sometimes you get a fat tip from someone you werent expecting one from.
But, all too often, the stereotype gets perpetuated.

Want the fat tip?
Deliver to a Japanese person visting America.
Apparently, tipping isnt required in Japan, but when over seas, I find they tip extravagantly.

5 to ten bucks for a 20 dollar pizza.

So..in the case of Mrs Rock, some overworked white young waitress may have decided that she wasnt going to get a tip from this woman, and decided to pretend she never saw her in her section.

Does that make it right?

Oh hell no.....but Im afraid I know how she feels.

Personally I think we should do away with the whole required tipping thing.

A waiter should make at LEAST minimum wage. A tip should be purely for GOOD service.

I take it you've never been to this "bible belt" you keep claiming is bigoted? It so clearly shows.

Hey genius, the Cracker Barrels I stopped off at were in Tennessee and Georgia. Granted, it was along I-75, so do what you will with that information. I haven't been to the lesser-traveled parts of the Bible Belt, but from what i saw going through Georgia, either you see all white people or almost none. Maybe it's economics more than race; it probably is. However, on some level, the two tie in.

Also, I am reminded of a time my dad was at a library in Arkansas he told me about (why he was in a library in Arkansas I'll never know, but whatever) and a black lady was ahead of him in line. Yet he was called over ahead of her, and when he pointed out that she was first, they looked at him like he had three heads. I don't know if "bigotry" is the right word. Maybe "class system."