Pennsylvania Breakfast Diner Apologizes for Clearly Racist Sign They Claim They Didn't Know Was Racist...But They Knew. They Always Know
If there is one wypipo practice that I can’t stand, it’s when they say or post blatantly racist shit that plays on well-known racial stereotypes but doesn’t specifically mention race so they get to fall back and say, “I didn’t realize the connotation.” Because it’s almost certainly a copout and a lie. You didn’t realize the connotation? WHITE PEOPLE CREATED THE CONNOTATION!!!
The owners of some breakfast place in New Hope, Penn., are apologizing after recently coming under fire for having a sign on their restaurant’s wall that displays a joke regarding people on welfare. It’s racist as fuck. Whoever wrote the joke knows it’s racist as fuck and I have a hard time believing the person who decided to place it on the wall of the restaurant for patrons to see didn’t know it was racist as fuck.
The sign read as follows:
“This morning I went to sign my dogs up for welfare. At first, the lady said, ‘Dogs are not eligible to draw welfare.’ Then I explained to her that my dogs were mixed in color, unemployed, can’t speak English and have no clue who their daddies are. They expect me to feed them, provide them with housing, medical care and feel guilty because they are dogs.So she looked in her policy book to see what it takes to qualify. My dogs get their first checks Friday.Damn this is a great country!”
So here we have Black stereotypes, immigrant stereotypes and a clear reference to non-whiteness all wrapped up in a bow of classism (or whatever you would call the comparing of welfare recipients to dogs). How could anyone have possibly been offended by that, am I right?
After the Bucks County chapter of the NAACP posted a photo of the sign to their Facebook page, the outrage began to flood and Fred’s Breakfast Club was forced to issue a weak-ass non-apology.
After an image of the sign was posted on Facebook, the restaurant that promotes a “dog themed and lighthearted atmosphere” through its decor and marketing issued a statement apologizing for the sign.The restaurant’s theme is the “sole lens through which we viewed the content of the application, which has been removed from our wall,” according to the statement.“Our restaurant succeeds solely on the basis of valuable contributions from a diverse team, and all of us work hard shoulder to shoulder,” the statement read. “We unequivocally reject racism. To every person of any color, gender, orientation, and those affected by hate who feel demeaned or unwelcome by the content of the application, we are deeply sorry. It was never our intention. Please accept our sincerest apology.”
So there you have it, folks. The proprietors of this fine establishment didn’t mean to be racist, they just didn’t realize their sign had anything to do with race at all. Guess there’s nothing more to report on here. Time to pack it up and call it a day, I suppose.
But, you know, while I’m here, I might as well ask a quick question to the good people at Fred’s: If you didn’t know it was about race, what did you think the joke was?
Why would dogs not being able to speak English be funny to you if you didn’t understand the reference to non-English speaking immigrants? Why would dogs having “no clue who their daddies are” be humorous unless you are aware of the fatherless Black people stereotype? And what could you possibly have thought was meant by “mixed in color” if this had nothing to do with race in your minds? (And I won’t even bother going into the fact that, in reality, most welfare recipients are whiter than the whitest white whoever whited in the history of Whitesville. I’ll just leave that alone.)
If you’re going to be racist, at least stand by it. Don’t plead ignorance. Don’t hide behind “Oh, I didn’t know.” We know you know.
Just going to leave this here...
Posted by Bucks County NAACP on Wednesday, 9 September 2020
