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14-04-08, 08:12 AM
I wonder if some aren't getting too tied up with the specifics of Astmartins cousin's experience. I thought he posted it by way of an ILLUSTRATION of a GENERAL ATTITUDE OF DISDAIN BA has has (or appears to have) toward its African customers - NOTE: I use 'African' in the collective sense as in 'Black people'.
I think we can get too bogged down in finding reasons or excuses to JUSTIFY the treatment of Africans by Europeans and the 'European Establishment'. It's almost as if ANY bad behaviour displayed by even ONE of us, is seen as justification for disrespectful and abusive treatment to ALL of us.
Here in this thread I see arguments citing the 'THE BEHAVIOUR OF YOUR AVERAGE NIGERIAN' as the rationale for the kind of TREATMENT metered out by BA toward (in this instance) NIGERIAN customers - People who PAID FOR A SERVICE remember? They weren't begging anything!
So yeah, there may be some Nigerians (or any national you care to name) who behave like passengers from hell? I am sure passengers from hell can be found in every 'frequent-flyer race type'. No one is arguing that badly behaving flyers (even Nigerian ones) should not expect the disrespect they show to staff simply doing their job, to come back on them - 'Do unto others' and all of that.
But the behaviour of some (no matter how TYPICAL it appears to be of a certain 'type' of flyer) should not be an excuse for the GENERAL display of DISDAIN AND DISRESPECT to the whole group of people from which the 'bad apples' are seen to members of.
WHY MUST ALL AFRICANS BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE BEHAVIOUR/ATTITUDE etc. OF THE FEW?
WHY ARE WE (AFRICANS) ACCEPTING OF THIS PARTICULAR LAW OF "NATURAL CONSEQUENCE"?
We see it time and time again where ALL Africans suffer the 'penalty' simply for being the same COLOUR as the rogue and, even we ourselves, can be heard to say "WELL WHAT DO BLACK PEOPLE EXPECT, WHEN THEY ACT LIKE THAT?"
Well I'll tell you what!
I expect PEOPLE who "act like that" to get their JUST (as in JUSTICE) deserts. You wouldn't find me arguing against that.
What I DON'T expect is that I get those deserts too, simply for the 'crime of association'.....ESPECIALLY when that 'law' appears to be applied exclusive to 'MY TYPE'.
You sh**ing me or what?
You telling me that I, as an African, can only EXPECT to be treated RESPECTFULLY and as MY 'behaviour' commands, ONLY when EACH and EVERY man-jack of MY RACE ceases to offend, annoy, upset or infringe the sensibilities of those who deem themselves to be superior simply by virtue of........?????
GET THE ***K OUT OF HERE!
Respect
There are those who feel that the only way to ‘prove their own worth’ is by ‘devaluing the worth of others’. You will often find that a man who is compelled to measure his substance against the substance of another, has little of substance in the first place!
Last edited by Backatya; 14-04-08 at 08:37 AM.
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