Sunday, October 26, 2008

The Scene
Had a lovely brunch with my momma this morning in Westwood.

As we were leaving Mr. David Schwimmer waltzed in. That's him over my mom's right shoulder inside the restaurant sporting all denim. Very 90s of him






My mom thought he was much taller than she expected. Me not so much. I did think it was adorable that her sweater was conveniently wrapped exactly like Jennifer Aniston's for the Ross encounter ;)



Went from a celebrity encounter to a psycho encounter. Check this out:

I am reading a magazine at Barnes and Nobles waiting to watch Rachel Got Married. A woman approaches the newstand speaking VERY LOUDLY into her cellphone. She is meow meow meowing about how the world is going to hell in a handbasket. It registers but I don't look up.




When she starts VERY LOUDLY spewing ugly things about Obama I look up. She acknowledges me acknowledging her. Kinda bugs her eyes out me daring me to say something. Ugh, I think and keep quiet. BTW, she is probably my mom's age but looks like the Cryptkeeper. Not even kidding.


Then she proceeds to start turning over magazines on the newstand with Obama on the cover, still continuing to spew hate loudly on the phone. I stare incredulously. So does an African American woman next to me. Still I say nothing. I don't give her the satisfaction of a reaction which is clearly what she is looking for...like a child.

But when she turns over the Jet magazine that has nothing to do with Obama, I lose it. I turn it back around and hiss, What are you doing???? Bitch says, Excuse me, who is talking to you. Are you looking at that magazine.

Me: No, but other people are.
Bitch: You should mind your own business and stop being so nosy.
Me: And you should stop trying to dictate what people read. You don't have the right to censor the newstand.

She has no response for that so starts calling me names to the person she's talking to on the phone. My mom hears the kerfuffle and approaches looking ready to kill someone. She might be small but she is scary strong. I calm her down and tell her not to start anything.

But after a minute, the woman continues to turn over magazines!! The African American lady shakes her head calmly. Sadness mixes with rage in her eyes. Her stance is so dignified and yet so defeated that it makes me want to scream.

I march over to the three kids behind the counter and tell them what Bitch is up to. I tell them that I am horribly offended and that they should not stand for someone censoring their newstand, not in the United States. They are horrified and call over their manager immediately.

The manager watches her for a minute, shakes his head and firmly tells the woman to stop her idiocy. She tries to fight him but can't. She is selling crazy but no one is buying.

Desperate, she turns to me and calls me a nosy bitch. I tell her I'd rather be a nosy bitch than ignorant. She says she is not ignorant. And I say, I think you are. I think you are nothing but ignorant trash.

At this point I am shaking. 31 years of being pleasant and pleasing and lovely and appropriate go out the door. There is no filter. I am Diabolina's rage.

I am enraged for so many reasons. I am enraged at the state this country is in. I am enraged at the good old boys who got us in this financial and political mess. I am enraged that Obama is still judged by the color of his skin not the content of his character. I am enraged that friends who have done Obama phone banks tell me they can hear the racism in people's voices - in the space between the words there is hate.

I am enraged that in 2008 a dignified black woman stands by while someone offends her. I am enraged that Chowmein's beautiful brilliant children and anyone's children will have to bear wounds inflicted by ignorance. I am enraged that I have been so naive, enraged that I live in a bubble and think everyone is as accepting as I am. I am enraged that my mother just became a citizen of a country that remains racially divided, one that - on some level - still considers her and thus me second class. I am enraged.

Then as if things weren't bad enough, Bitch brings fashion into it. She says she is not trash and says just because I have a designer bag doesn't make me better than anyone. To which I reply, I don't think my bag makes me better than anyone. That's your insecurity talking. I don't think what I wear defines who I am. My actions and what I do define who I am.

And then I walked away. I was too close to lowering myself and becoming trash by continuing to engage trash.

The Outfit
Forever 21 romper
Banana Republic tank top

The Accessories
Gucci bag
Me&Ro jewelry
Forever 21 bangle
Cole Haan sandals

The Grade
A








The Commentary
Bummed this romper doesn't photograph as cool as it is. The drape is alot more flattering than it appears in the picture above. Made me feel super slinky all day.


Love the olive color and the little detailing. Very fabulous for just $15.












Reminded me of the green jumpers on the Spring Chloe runway



So seventies glam.











Also reminded me of the looks at BCBG for Spring.





Heart how so many of the rompers look like dresses.










Adoring neutrals lately.




Probably because my politics are anything but lately :)














Wore these gorg bright blue shoes to perk up the staid color of the romper. Glad I didn't really get into it with that beotch. These shoes would not have been great fighting shoes.

30 comments:

weezermonkey said...

I am so disgusted by this story! I don't even know how I'd react. I'd be so incredibly angry!

Fabianna (H.Finn Jewelry) said...

so PROUD that you confronted that women. It is mortifying to see how some people in this country behave nowadays.I'm so happy you gave her a piece of your mind!
ps. love the romper!

Jean Bean said...

I'm glad it didn't come to blows but given the opportunity, I would pay cash money to see you and Mama throw down on some ignorant bitch!

P.S. YES WE CAN!

MissJordyPants said...

I am astounded. And saddened. And so proud of you for speaking up. Go you.

Jadelily said...

I am really proud of you for putting that bitch in her place. Unfortunately she's probably too crazy to realize what she's doing, but I bet you inspired a lot of people! It's sad how much ignorance and racism still exists in our country.

JillFantastic said...

Wow - I cannot believe that bitch. Coming from the South, I thought living in a large diverse city like LA you wouldn't see out and out crazy racist things like that. Guess I was wrong. Scary. Good for you for speaking up.

P.S. Those shoes ARE gorg.

Leslie said...

Ugh, that bitch is crazy and ignorant. I'm glad you stood up for yourself and others.

Fashion_Loving_Stylist said...

It really gauls me that there are still people like this. I live in Australia and people here are worried, really worried about this election. The rest of the world doesn't believe that the US has the balls to see what is going on and change it. I hope we show the world that "YES WE CAN!"

BTW - I voted weeks ago as did all us expats living here in Sydney.

Fashion_Loving_Stylist said...

Oh and more importantly - Loved the outfit!

tam pham said...

this story totally befuddles me. how can people still act like that in 2008?!?!?

Mrs. Shorty Cake said...

This woman is all kinds of crazy-sooo glad you stood up to her, this just makes me angry. I probably would've started playing my Obama ringtone just to piss her off more!

Rachee said...

bravo for speaking up and putting that beotch in her place!

Michelle said...

Like the others, I commend you for speaking up to that rude and ignorant woman.

*sigh* It is sad that there are people like that.

Emily said...

I literally had goosebumps reading this. Good for you for standing up to her - what a crazy BITCH. Seriously, who DOES that? So sad. I hate that this happens in our state, in our country, in our world.

On a happier note, I love Gardens but have never been there for brunch. And that cream BCBG romper is delish.

WendyB said...

You should have left the imprint of your designer bag on her face!

Milly said...

way to go!!

Kate said...

Good for you for speaking up. But sorry you had to go through that. It's just upsetting to be in that situation. Have a similar story from my New Orleans trip, not nearly so ugly because the guy I was talking to didn't take it there like this lady. Will share on my blog. But this election has put so man people on the front lines. Hoping that this is ultimately good....? Hoping that we're facing these issues and taking them on. But not sure....

amber said...

cute shoes, cute romper, cute schwimmer sighting.

now on to the the not so cute stuff.... i'm angry and saddened that racism still exists in this country, even in "liberal" california. jim and i were talking about the elections last night and he said that it makes him laugh at how completely outraged the republican party is over obama, that they can't seem to get their heads around the democrats having an eloquent, well-spoken, popular candidate. and i had to bring up the fact that for some republicans, not all, but *some* the outrage is compounded by the fact that obama isn't an old white man. sad, but i think very true.

i truly hope that this country choses the right thing this election. and yet, i'm also really afraid that we're going to get it wrong....

Lynn Tran said...

I'm so sorry you had an ugly encounter on your otherwise lovely Sunday. I'm very proud of you for standing up to that crazy woman. You bring light and goodness to a bleak situation.

Mar5195 said...

You totally did the right thing. OMG I would have lost my shit!!

I can't believe it either. And I've given money but now that we're so close to make or break it's time to donate some time.

It makes me really sad too. And this happend in LA, can you imagine other places???

Jessica said...

I too commend you for standing up to the crazy woman. What's really sad is there are many people who feel the same as she does yet hide their feelings. It's those people that really freak me out.

R said...

Wow. I got all fired up just reading about the incident. I think you carried yourself well. Better than I probably would have.

This will now be your "scrapper" outfit in my head whenever I see it.

Sable Crow said...

First: You look fabulous.

Second: The only thing better than leaving a Gucci welt on some hag's face is using your wedge heeled sandals as nunchucks. TMNT style. Donatella.

Third: My aunt confronted a group of Yes on 8 people up in Elk Grove. She said they were being hateful and they had no right to impose their beliefs on others. They furthered the political discourse by calling her a "fat bitch."

This nation is disgusting, and deserves every bit of this financial crisis. It is divine retribution. I'm delighted that greedy stupid people are getting what they deserve. It's ugly that I feel this way, but I'm so ENRAGED by the "debate" going on over my equality--let alone the "debate" about Obama. I understand what it is to be a second class citizen, like you and your mom. And make no mistake, that is exactly how we are intended to feel.

The opposition call Obama a "socialist", as if the policies of our current administration have resulted in freer, laissez faire capitalism. Bah! We've got more socialized banks now than at any time since the Great Depression, and a huge, heavy, unweildly, useless process of governance and oversight. I was in that industry. You'd have been appalled at the kind of "oversight" we suffered. It obviously didn't help. Sadly, it was mostly focussed on terrorism, not on economic principles. Big surprise.

This is why I haven't been blogging lately. I have withdrawn from the discussion. I've been privately emailing borderline friends and urging them to vote no on 8. And I've been reading about spirituality and an Armani biography.

Poo.

Victoria said...

scary something like that happens here in one of the most liberal and racially mixed cities in the U.S. good for you for speaking up

Grace said...

Wow. Unfortunately, there are people like this even in socially diverse city like LA (I'm encountered a few). I'm glad you stood up to that awful woman. She definitely needed to be taught a thing or two.

amy said...

love that sable crow kicks up the blog response a notch with some serious political commentary.

on a not-so-serious note, your encounter reminds me of one of the funniest bumper stickers i've ever read:

"silence is golden, but duct tape is silver."

someone should duct tape that lady's mouth and arms.

TINA said...

You definitely did the right thing. I am so proud of you for putting that woman in her place! Reading about what she was doing/what she said really angered me.

And I love that romper! You're right, it plays up the staid color of the romper.

♥Tina

Unknown said...

Good for you. Oh god let Obama win and Prop 8 be defeated. Who shouldn't be allowed to marry? Crypt keeping bigots.

Ann Marie said...

Bravo to you for taking a stand and for remaining eloquent in the face of psycho-bitch babble.

PiGGiesGoMoo said...

I know i'm posting this almost a year too late but it has to be said that your grace and intelligence is inspiring. If I were in your shoes I would have probably had to go with Sable Crow and nun chucked her ass!! It amazes me the number of people out there still living in the past and not willing to open up their minds expecially in a country like this. It's no wonder we're in such turmoil.

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