Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

DemocratSinceBirth

(99,704 posts)
Fri Apr 2, 2021, 04:23 PM Apr 2021

Apropos of nothing

I was at a neighborhood bar in DeBary, Florida in the late seventies. I was still a teenager and the legal age at that time was eighteen. All they served was beer and wine and the owner would pay us a token wage to tend bar from time to time. Maybe ten bucks for an evening plus tips.

Everybody knew everybody there and most of us grew up together. My group had a mutual friend who was Black. I still remember his name and that he combed out his hair like Hendrix. We're in the bar and somebody said "who brought that N word into this bar?" I remember it like it was freaking yesterday. What unrolled after that was like something out of "Giant" where Rock Hudson got in a fight with the restaurant owner over his Mexican grandson. One of my friends got into a fight with the name-caller and the fight spilled from the bar to the parking lot.

Whenever I retell the story I mention that my friend reminded me of Little Joe from Bonanza because that's something Little Joe would have done.

When I look back most but not all of my friends from that era were anti-racist and anti-homophobic, the latter of which was pretty remarkable for that era. I think it had something to do with learning one of our friends was gay. We all came from working-class or lower-middle-class homes.

2 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Apropos of nothing (Original Post) DemocratSinceBirth Apr 2021 OP
Thanks for sharing this. Good on your group. brush Apr 2021 #1
For context DemocratSinceBirth Apr 2021 #2

DemocratSinceBirth

(99,704 posts)
2. For context
Fri Apr 2, 2021, 05:07 PM
Apr 2021

DeBary is an exurb of Orlando. It's about forty miles from Orlando and thirty miles from Daytona Beach. Most but not all of my peers were from up north. Even at the time, the comment struck me as bizarre. I'm thinking to myself it's 1978 and it's not like we're in the Deep South.

I think I made a post about another incident from my Florida Days when my business partner who is also my best friend and I called on three Chambers Of Commerces in Central Florida in the mid-nineties. Out of the three only at one didn't we hear any bigoted comments. That was the Deltona Chamber Of Commerce. Interestingly enough the Chamber executive was a former mayor who used to be my mailman. At one chamber the executive said you might have a hard time selling ads because a lot of the member's name ended in precious stones and diamonds. WTF? And at another chamber, the secretary said she stopped going to this bar because it got too dark. After we left I told my buddy I should have asked her if it was the lighting. We still talk about that day twenty-five years later.

I'm not going to pick on Florida. Even in L A I still hear bigoted remarks.

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Apropos of nothing