unhelpful barman in east dulwich (Lounged)

[PeckhamRose]

Maybe she's writing in character?

[JohnL]

It depends what the customer herself thought. Without finding that out .. we can't really tell.

I've seen beggars chucked out of many a pub/restaurant - there may also be a history.

[dulwichmum]

Now I don't know if I explained myself properly, am I being paranoid PeckhamRose?

What I meant was: There are many things that they are prejudiced about - like which school your children go to, which university you went to and where you do your grocery shopping, but not race. I will ask my friends what they think. They may have more insight than I. I certainly don't consider that we are racist, and I think that it is unfair to just assume and make sweeping generalisations.

[Huggers]

A lordship lane pub, midday, saturday...? Come on! I imagine all the tables would have been reserved for lunchtime and the reservees hadnt arrived yet, specially if it was a popular gastro type pub which pub opposite post office is as we all know. Staff wouldnt give over a reserved table just before lunch.

And aren't Kuntama and Becks the same person? they certainly have the same voice.

[Jeremy]

It's very hard to get a table in there on the weekends - Sunday lunch is a very busy time, you always have to book ahead.

Do you expect a fully booked restaurant (which is basically what it is) to start re-arranging tables and chairs to try and squeeze in someone that hasn't booked?

As for the racism angle... even the suggestion is paranoid, and pretty offensive.

[Green Goose]

kuntama Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Hi. I'm hoping someone can shed some light on this

> event I witnessed today.

> I'd just wandered into a pub opposite the

> postoffice on Lordship Lane. A lady with her two

> little children came in and asked if there were

> any unreserved tables.

Kuntama,

It all seems a bit contrived IMO. Are you sure the so called 'lady' wasn't yourself? Looking at your posts on other forums (eg HPC) you have 2 young daughters, No?

The place is mobbed from Fiday thro' Sunday. Why hadn;t you booked in advance? Which planet do you come from?

[andymat]

The first thought that occured to me was their faces didn't quite fit - I mean colour-wise.

Nice...

[kuntama]

Woah, woah. Hold on a minute. No need for personal attacks. Only trying to find out what people thought. Let me REPEAT myself: it was a thought, a possibility, a query that this MAY have been racism. AGAIN, I'm glad those thoughts, possibilities, whatever, are being so strongly negated.

No, I am not Becks. No, I am not the lady in question.

HOWEVER, isn't it interesting that people are so appalled that racism could have been a reason.

Why so sensitive?

I'm not sure I'm making myself very clear BUT I most certainly am not playing any particular card- just talking. O.K ????????

[kuntama]

AND!!

IF I was black and IF I was going to play the race card, I AM SURE I could find far more concrete and in-your-face examples of racism.

Please let's credit people with a smidgen of intelligence here.

IN CASE YOU STILL HAVE NOT GOTTEN THE POINT, IT WAS OPINIONS NOT PERSONAL ATTACKS I WAS AFTER.

Feel free to pm me for apologies.

[Horsebox]

kuntama Wrote:

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> Woah, woah. Hold on a minute. No need for personal

> attacks.

kuntama Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> The pathetic excuse of a

> human being behind the bar.....

> this idiot of a barman...

If I was the barman and I read this forum, I'd probably feel that was something of a personal attack.

[kuntama]

Yeah, but he's not, is he?

I'm not in dialogue with him, am I?

[Horsebox]

I don't know. You might be. Are you?

It is an open forum, can be viewed by anyone and a lot of local business owners and employees use it.

You might get even get some feedback from the venue / staff member in question.

[kuntama]

Fair enough. I shall moderate my language accordingly.

[Mick Mac]

I think the trouble is Kuntama - you have been on a loser from the start, you can't suggest racism is in someones mind, you will just get peoples backs up as there may well have been a completely rational explanation for what happened. I think therefore since the opening post you have been under pressure to support a weak point. If you have a case of real racism however, then Im sure people would be sympathetic.

[mockney piers]

I was in Somerfield the other day and couldn't help noticing that their stock policies didn't quite fit - i mean canned beef wise.

Could this be evidence that the law of opposites fundamentally undermines dialectical materialism?

Hmm, hmm?

[Becks]

Oh deary me! I really have offended the East Dulwich posse haven't I? :)) Are you telling me that an area full of smug middle class whites who are soooooo happy that their houses are not too near to Peckham or Brixton would not have a racist bone in their bodies? Oh please. Just accept it! Racism exists.

It hasn't stopped me from living and making friends from all races because that would be silly wouldn't it? I have found a way to negotiate around these obstacles and succeed. Please do not think I am being offesive or paranoid. I am commenting from my personal experiences of living, very happily I might add, in this area.

[Horsebox]

Becks Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Oh deary me! I really have offended the East

> Dulwich posse haven't I? :)) Are you telling me

> that an area full of smug middle class whites who

> are soooooo happy that their houses are not too

> near to Peckham or Brixton would not have a racist

> bone in their bodies? Oh please. Just accept it!

> Racism exists.

>

> It hasn't stopped me from living and making

> friends from all races because that would be silly

> wouldn't it? I have found a way to negotiate

> around these obstacles and succeed. Please do not

> think I am being offesive or paranoid. I am

> commenting from my personal experiences of living,

> very happily I might add, in this area.

1/10 - must troll harder.

[Huggers]

Becks,I don't think anyone was saying that racism doesnt exist - East Dulwich or anywhere else.

They were just saying that a barman telling someone that all tables were reserved in a gastro pub on a saturday lunchtime in lordship lane was probably not evidence of racism.

Sometimes when white people project a racist interpretation onto an innocent situation they are actually being very patronising and infantilising.

[kuntama]

dulwichmum Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Now I don't know if I explained myself properly,

> am I being paranoid PeckhamRose?

>

> What I meant was: There are many things that they

> are prejudiced about - like which school your

> children go to, which university you went to and

> where you do your grocery shopping, but not race.

>

;-)

[Green Goose]

.

[Growlybear]

Perhaps it was more a question of wondering why on earth a woman with two little children would want to take them into a crowded pub at lunchtime?

[Ants]

I think walking into a pub with 2 small children is the first problem.

[Becks]

1/10 - must troll harder.

?????? Not sure what you mean here Horsebox.

[Villager]

kuntama Wrote:

>I'm glad those thoughts,

> possibilities, whatever, are being so strongly

> negated.

Of course you are.

[kuntama]

Green Goose Wrote:

------------------

> OK, so we've established then that the 'so-called'

> lady really was youself. You re-constructed the

> scene then and modified the facts just a bit to

> suit your own purpses. Nice one.

>

> And who said you were black? No one. Some people

> might have thought it could have been a

> black/brown/yellow barman and that the 'so-called'

> lady was some other contrasting color.

>

> Pathetic, absolutely bloody pathetic!

>

> We had a similar post from 'Nortlondoner' last

> week. You are not Northlondoner in disguise are

> you??

>

> She tried back-tracking too.

The irritating thing about you in this thread is your sheer bloody-mindedness and refusal to HEAR what I have said in my posts.

I am not this lady.

I made suggestions (using the word IF).

Now, if you think I am extrapolating nonsensical facts from a particular scenario, what the hell do you think you're doing?

But the most annoying thing about people like you is your ability to muddy the waters.

Did I at any stage state this was definetly racism?

Did I not ask for opinions?

What's pathetic about that?

What's pathetic is YOUR vicious and vehement denials of possible racism.

YES! AGREED! It is a very weak possibility but hey it's still possible. O.K!

I most definetly am not back-tracking. REREAD my original post!!!!!