Condi dresses down minimum wage worker.
Condi dresses down minimum wage worker.
In his upcoming biography of Condoleezza Rice, Washington Post correspondent Glenn Kessler shows how the Secretary of State “has lost none of her bluntness” while working “hard to soften her edges.” In one anecdote revealed by Kessler, Rice dressed down a jewelry store clerk who gave her less than satisfactory service:
Coit Blacker, a Stanford professor who is one of the secretary of state’s closest friends, recalls going into a shop where Rice asked to see earrings. The clerk showed her costume jewelry. Rice asked to see something nicer, prompting the clerk to whisper some sass under her breath.
Blacker remembers Rice tearing the woman to shreds.
“Let’s get one thing straight,” he recalls her saying. “You are behind the counter because you have to work for minimum wage. I’m on this side asking to see the good jewelry because I make considerably more.”
A manager quickly brought Rice better baubles.
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bitch
August 29th, 2007 at 9:46 amYou know, I have been wondering what this slob has been up to–since her JOB is diplomacy and we’re obviously getting none of that.
August 29th, 2007 at 9:47 amOne can only imagine what it would be like fitting her with a pair of boots…
August 29th, 2007 at 9:48 amsounds like condi is an angry woman with self esteem issues.
August 29th, 2007 at 9:48 amfunny how many in the middle class still believe that this administration really cares about them..
Not to get too huffy, but Condi was right in this case. They are called “Help” for a reason. “The customer is always right” is as true today as it was 50 years ago. If some salesperson looks down their nose at me when I am offering to purchase something, I will go elsewhere. (God, I hate siding with Repugs.)
August 29th, 2007 at 9:49 amI’m not usually one to defend Condi, but this sounds like the worker was assuming that a black woman couldn’t afford the better jewelry, and her under-the-breath comment suggests she thought a black woman might not deserve better jewelry. Condi has probably experienced this prejudice before and in that context I think her comment was right on.
August 29th, 2007 at 9:49 amand how many miles has she flown to promote diplomacy in the Middle East? She’s a failure, just like her snippy little boss.
August 29th, 2007 at 9:49 amAnd one wonders why she has never married and had children. Can you imagine being married to her?
“Not to get too huffy, but Condi was right in this case. They are called “Help†for a reason. “The customer is always right†is as true today as it was 50 years ago. If some salesperson looks down their nose at me when I am offering to purchase something, I will go elsewhere.”
Well good for you. The point is that Condi didn’t “go elsewhere”, she chose to dress down and humiliate the clerk by pointing out that she was so superior. All that shows is that she is a bitch and apparently has pretty low self esteem.
August 29th, 2007 at 9:51 amHah!
August 29th, 2007 at 9:51 amMaybe Condi ought to ask Larry Craig for jewlery advice.
August 29th, 2007 at 9:51 amHow classy of La Rice! That is typical “nouveau riche” behavior. La Rice needs to acquire some finishing school manners.
I hope the filthy bitch gets greeted with sass and worse everywhere she shops.
August 29th, 2007 at 9:52 amRaven, I would like to fit her with one of my boot’s up her, nose.?….What an evil dead eyed person…..Blessings all..Still lot’s of site problem’s…..
August 29th, 2007 at 9:52 amWith war profits in her pocket, she’ll be buying some more really nice little baubles and for all of her friends, too.
August 29th, 2007 at 9:53 amShe was shown the cheap stuff because she is black.
August 29th, 2007 at 9:53 amShe was completely within her rights. See post number 5.
“I’m not usually one to defend Condi, but this sounds like the worker was assuming that a black woman couldn’t afford the better jewelry”
You mean to tell me that the clerk didn’t know who she was? I assume that Condi has her contingent of secret service around her when she shops, and she is pretty famous. I would be very surprised if the clerk didn’t know who she was. It’s more likely that Condi was snippy when she asked to see the “better jewelry” and the clerk was responding to that. Why do you choose to make this about race rather than about Ms. Rice?
August 29th, 2007 at 9:53 am“She was shown the cheap stuff because she is black.
She was completely within her rights. See post number 5.
Comment by catclub”
And you know this how?
August 29th, 2007 at 9:54 amMy Gawd! If one of Condoleeeeeeeeeeeeeezza’s “closest personal friends” is telling stories like this, just imagine what else may be going on.
Does she go to Syria and dress down its president because she is an American and he is a mere Syrian?
Does she dress down the guy in the starter shack who won’t let her tee off on the first hole until the group ahead of her is on the green?
Does she dress down GDumbya because he is st-o-o-o-o-o-p-i-d?
I disagree with those who have defended her in this thread. There is a “diplomatic way” to point out poor service . . . and then there is Condoleeeeeeeeeeeeezza’s way.
She is nothing more than a stinky, buck-toothed twat.
August 29th, 2007 at 9:55 amToo bad the clerk didn’t recognize her and call her out for the piece of sh*t she is, like the customer at Bloomingdales who caught her shopping for shoes while New Orleans drowned.
August 29th, 2007 at 9:55 amWait a minute everyone. Maybe the clerk did not reconize her and just treated as another black person. I have stood behind a black person in line and I can tell you if the person is white behind the counter their demeanor changes. And thats no bullshit.
August 29th, 2007 at 9:55 amif she had an ounce of class she would have left…..I’m sure she treats the waitstaff at the DC restaurants the same way. The new rich are embarrasing to be around.
August 29th, 2007 at 9:56 amThis is a non fluff story.
August 29th, 2007 at 9:57 amThe proper response would have been to say “Thank you” and walk out of the store. The point would have not been lost on anyone.
Had she dressed me down in such a fashion, I would have told her that, maybe I do work for the minimum wage, but at least, I am not a failure and an incompetent at being Secretary of State. I would have been fired for my impertinence, but, hey, there are other jobs at the minimum wage.
There are no good reasons to humiliate someone in such a fashion.
August 29th, 2007 at 9:58 amI think you had better resign now, Condi.
August 29th, 2007 at 9:59 amKarl and Alberto are waiting outside in the taxi.
All this BS about her being treated a certain way because she is black (even though she’s really an Oreo) is pretty silly. Just where in the report on this incident does it describe the clerk as being white?
Get your facts straight before postulating about some irrelevant BS.
August 29th, 2007 at 9:59 amYou people condemning her… Are you condemning her because you truly think she was rude, and should have taken the disrespect? Or are you condemning her simply because she is a republican and works for Bush?
I would have done similarly if I were in her situation. I expect good service, especially from an establishment such as a jewelry store (I’d not expect the same level of service from, say, McDonald’s) and I demand satisfaction. Had that store employee been rude to me, I would have gone to a competing store, and I would have told them and their manager why they just lost a sale.
August 29th, 2007 at 9:59 amSuppose she’ll celebrate the second anniversary of Katrina by shopping for shoes again…followed by fun and frivolity at the White House with Chimpy?
August 29th, 2007 at 10:00 amThe proper response would have been to say “Thank you†and walk out of the store. The point would have not been lost on anyone.
Actually the proper response would have been “Screw you; let me see your supervisor so I can tell THEM why I am going else where.”
Maybe Condi Rice should not have talked to the clerk in such a way, but the clerk had not right to sass the customer regardless of who (or is it whom?) they are.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:03 amCondi was rude and that is that. She chose to react instead of act with class. Period. For whatever reason (and there is much speculation with no facts), she did not take the high ground. That is showing true colors. She is a paid diplomat for goodness sake.
For the people playing the race card, how do you know the clerk wasn’t black as well? Are you assuming a black person can’t sell nice jewelry? Don’t give us your psuedo-outrage, hypocrites.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:05 am1: This is a bit of a non-story.
2: I actually, agree with what Condi did. Poor service should be met with a poor reaction and it isn’t like her reaction was prompted by zip.
And hey, I don’t like the Bushies any more then anybody else does.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:08 amPeople, if this had happened to a black Democrat, you would be all over the “race card”.
The only “known” is that the clerk was snotty to Rice and that Rice “field stripped” her. That is not even a matter of fact, it is hearsay from a third (and un-involved) party.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:08 amI am not surprised. After all, who was it that was shoe shopping 2 years ago today?
Ah yes, it was Condi…
Bitch
August 29th, 2007 at 10:09 amThis story is more about Condi’s diplomatic style than just an interaction between her and a salesperson. Someone in her position should know how to deal with less than accomodating people in ways that make the situation a win-win for both, without making it personal. I’m certainly not in Condi’s economic class, but neither do I make minimum wage, but I have in the past. And I have never demeaned anyone in that way.
In any case, glad to know what Condi does since she has so much free time.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:10 amcontext… where is the context??
What is the time frame? Did this happen when Condi was Secretary of State, or back when she was not quite as well known? Where did this take place? Was it in some boutique in some upscale community, or was it near Stanford itself? Was the clerk white or black?
Poor service is poor service, that’s a given. But to blow it out of proportion one way or the other without proper context would be almost Fox-ian.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:10 amI agree with #5, candideinnc about why she said what she did. I’m just taking a guess though and so is candideinnc.
So chill out #28, we’re not saying we don’t think black people can’t sell jewelry. That’s YOU’RE racism speaking. We’re all just trying to put the pieces together. For you to outright assume our way of thinking is because we’re the ones who are racist just show your own true colors.
You’re right however #28, she did not take the high road, she is a paid diplomat, and no matter what her treatment, she should not have said what she did.
Just please, don’t go around assuming other people are racist simply for trying to figure out what may have really happened. You’re WAY too uptight.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:11 amMy GOD, what a snob she is!
As someone who’s been on BOTH sides of a jewelry counter, let me say that there is NEVER a reason to be nasty like that to someone, I don’t care HOW much more freakin money you make than they do.
From experience, trying to be nice when dealing with people who for some reason think they are better than you is not an easy job, especially if you are dog-tired. It has nothing to do with the race, age, or sex of the person you’re waiting on – a snob is a snob is a snob, and sometimes it’s hard to keep from letting them get on your nerves, even when you’ve been well-trained.
A more polite way of handling the situation would have been to say to the salesperson, softly but firmly, “Dear, I realize you may be having a bad day, but I heard what you said and it was rude. Now would you like to get someone else to help me, or should I go to your manager?”
The point is made without tearing down the person or making a scene. More than likely the salesperson will apologize. If not, speaking quietly with the manager, or sending a note or phonecall later, would be the appropriate response.
Just because you can afford to buy things someone else can’t doesn’t give you a license to treat them like dirt. A little kindness goes a long way.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:14 amJust please, don’t go around assuming other people are racist simply for trying to figure out what may have really happened. You’re WAY too uptight.
Comment by AnonymousByChoice — August 29, 2007 @ 10:11 am
Whatever.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:14 amok, one more….
I am treated rudely, as often as not,
by persons in the “service sector”.
Without going into all the gory demographics and details,
counter, sales, and clerks often give the impression that I am an inconvenience that must be dismissively dealt with as they continue their conversation with the clerk in the next aisle.
Or they stand there, blankly staring in another direction, earpiece glued in place, as they take a call or bob their heads to the music.
And then it turns out they don’t know how to ring up a particular item, or know how to order an item they don’t have , but signage clearly states they can get.
And heaven protect me when THEY get the item wrong, or make a mistake adding up the total…..
August 29th, 2007 at 10:18 amSo Ms. Rice is not a particularly popular public figure (how could she be working for the Bush administration?), but she is entitled to courteous service when shopping!
And she was justified in berating the sales clerk for her rudeness rather than just accepting it and walking out. No one is ever required to just grin and bear it anymore.
Peace.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:19 amSorry, Annie B. I can’t quite square your advocacy for berating with your signoff, Peace. Cute, though.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:22 amHey, if she wants to take her frustrations out on a minimum wage worker, fine with me, she’s got the pedigree.
Still, some in DC might describe that behaviour as uppity.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:22 amWhen my work and family responsibilities pile up on me, I don’t have time to shop for clothing or baubles — Rice is Sec. of State, and the world is in crisis (her boss as the #1 instigator) why does she have time for shopping anyway? In times of crisis, she attends plays, shops for shoes, or buys jewelry – isn’t that what caricatures of women did while their serious men-folk did all the deep-thinking and heavy-lifting? Someone should be checking her day-planner to see if she is earning her salary, much less deserving of her status. From what I see, her effectiveness as SoS is pretty low.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:25 amI have to come to Condi’s defense in this one as well. My wife is African American and on numerous occasions received less than stellar customer service in Jewelry stores. (Tiffiany’s to name names). Maybe Condi didn’t need to attack the woman based in income, but if a clerk made a snide remark under her breath to my wife, she’d lay into her as well.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:25 amNever forget that the rich live very differently than the middle class. How dare that minimum wage worker dare to try to exist.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:26 amPeace. Cute, though.
Comment by troqua
Peace is not cute.
Peace requires a lot of effort.
Peace requires respect for all views.
Peace, troqua,
August 29th, 2007 at 10:29 am(is that in Connecticut somewhere? sounds Algonquian…)
you will not find by always focusing on the negative.
I don’t think Rice was shopping at the local Target, nor was she without her entourage of aides and secret service advertising her status.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:29 amIf I was the jewelry salesclerk (and I have been), and I saw that bitch walk in the door, I’d the leave area. Let her stand there and stand there until she goes elsewhere. She is just as responsible as the other neocons for all the killing and maiming in Iraq. No way would I wait on that awful excuse for a human being. In fact, she wouldn’t want me to wait on her—she wouldn’t want to hear what I had to say.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:30 amPerfect example of Condi’s diplomatic abilities. A true statesperson. It’s no wonder we’re making so many friends in the Middle East. By the way, this is the first I’ve heard of Rice since she ducked a subpoena. She must really be busy mending fences. This Administration’s foreign policy is equally as inept as their domestic policies. What a bunch of “uniters” we have working on our behalf.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:30 amI think #1 put it best…
Bitch
August 29th, 2007 at 10:30 amGenerally, I hate the bitch and the entire crowd she runs with, but if she got sass from the counter girl then I have no problem at all with what she said.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:34 amIt is obvious to all independent thinkers that she didn’t get her position because of competence.
I am dumbfounded as to how this woman ever got a Ph.D.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:34 amI wouldn’t judge Condi solely on this incident — she could have been having a bad day. And, for that matter, so could the clerk.
That said — a customer is entitled to decent service, not snarky sass from the clerks. The article leaves out a few details. Did Condi ask politely to see some finer jewelry? Or did she demand rudely? There’s no excuse for sass in either case, but it would at least be more understandable in the latter. Still, clerks should know how to handle even rude customers with politeness and grace — and this clerk probably needs a little remedial training.
Now, about Condi’s rant — I have little patience for the “I’m better than you” routine. A more effective tactic might have been “I’m interested in karat gold chains (or diamond studs, or whatever). If you don’t want to show them to me, do you have somebody here who will?” The “minimum wage” put-down was totally uncalled for.
And if Condi makes so much money, why is she shopping in places where the clerks only make minimum wage?
And a little side note — every so often, I read about some celebrity at an airport or on an airplane who, when confronted with security rules or some other frustration, snaps “don’t you know who I am?” My reaction is to think these people arrogant creeps. And then next time I’m at an airport, I get frustrated enough that I wish I could use that line myself. So I know we all have our limits.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:34 amYeah, I’ll be the one to say it…
If the chick behind the counter was talking shit then she got back what she put out. That “sass” part is part of the story I never heard before.
Before I was thinking Condi was a bitch cuz the girl brought her the cheap stuff, but if the counter girl was running her mouth with an attitude, she got smacked down for proper cause.
Sorry.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:36 amthere are whites, and then there are white trash crackers.
if some white person is a moron im going to call him a dumb white trash cracker.
similarly, as chris rock once said: there are blacks, and there are n#ggas. condi is a corn pone buck toothed n#gga, I dont care how much fancy bling you give her. the women is as dumb as a post, inarticulate, and frankly she’s the perfect example of a “token minority” used to give the republican party a false image of inclusiveness.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:36 amI’ve been on both sides of the retail counter. The customer is rarely right.
There is never cause to tell any service person “Yeah by the way, I’m totally better than you.”
Condi is like school on Sunday, no class.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:38 amComment by Null and aVoid Chocolate Jesus — August 29, 2007 @ 10:36 am
Nice display of racism.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:41 amThere’s a scene in the Harry Potter books, when Dumbledore is dying, and somebody shows up, and he greets thm with a light bantering tone. Harry says how can you joke at a time like this? You’re dying!
And Dumbledore responds, “It’s called manners.”
It’s called manners.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:43 amAll this BS about her being treated a certain way because she is black (even though she’s really an Oreo) is pretty silly. Just where in the report on this incident does it describe the clerk as being white?
Get your facts straight before postulating about some irrelevant BS.
Comment by tom — August 29, 2007 @ 9:59 am
Beat me to it. There certainly was a lot of leaping to conclusions here.
I don’t care how sassy the clerk was, Rice demonstrated a complete lack of class.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:43 amThis anecdote was also in the Marcus Mabry bio of Condi.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:43 amyou will not find by always focusing on the negative.
Comment by Raven — August 29, 2007
That was my point exactly. Sorry you missed it.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:43 amYou don’t get to work for the Evil Empire by being nice.
Having said that, as a customer she should be treated with respect.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:46 amThat was my point exactly. Sorry you missed it.
Comment by troqua
I did get it, after reading further posts of yours.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:47 amApologies for misinterpreting your intent.
(Massachusetts?)
:)
The clerk should have recognized that HER job is to show (and sell) the customer what she wants. It is not her job to comment under her breath about the customer or her choices – our friend, the clerk, should wait ’til she’s taking a break in the stockroom for that.…..
August 29th, 2007 at 10:48 amAnd she was justified in berating the sales clerk for her rudeness rather than just accepting it and walking out. No one is ever required to just grin and bear it anymore.
Peace.
Comment by Annie B. — August 29, 2007 @ 10:19 am
She’s entitled to nothing. She’s on the welfare rolls, she is not superior to anyone actually doing a job. and we don’t even know what the “sass” was, if any. This is typical of the failure of Rice to handle her job in any meaningful way. She’s over her head, and it has nothing to do with race, beyong Bush’s studied ability to find the least qualified minorities to put in office so that the rest of the racist goons in the GOP can say “See? I told you so!”.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:49 amMaster Shake
I’ve been both sides too, plus a waiter (Which is closer to self employed.) Ultimately, in that position the customer is the person who makes it possible for you to have a job – be nice.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:50 amWow. Talk about a precise and damning comment on the situation.
What a twat Rice is. She’s special because she can afford waste more money than you on pointless trinkets.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:52 amI don’t give a fu(k what the clerk’s job is. If I see Condi anywhere for any reason I’m giving that bitch a lecture about Iraq and her gross incompetence when it comes to diplomacy.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:52 amas long as we are all making assumptions, maybe the clerk’s “sass” was a comment like “why are you buying jewlery? Shouldn’t you be fu(king up some Middle Eastern country?”
I think most of you are missing the point here. It is not about you. Or how you would be treated. You are not an international diplomat with a PhD, who works in the public sphere and in the public light.
She is a leader in our country. She is a public servant. She is famous through her diplomacy. SHE is not leading by example. SHE is not acting in an appropriate manner to what happened to her. Regardless if it was her or Elizabeth Edwards. Color doesn’t matter. Manners do. Try and think about it, k?
August 29th, 2007 at 10:53 am(Massachusetts?)
:)
Comment by Raven — August 29, 2007
No, Texas. A wordplay on a Spanish word.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:53 amDidn’t Condi say she was just too damned busy to talk to Congress? Sounds like she’s got plenty of time on her hands now.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:55 amShe is a leader in our country. She is a public servant. She is famous through her diplomacy. SHE is not leading by example. SHE is not acting in an appropriate manner to what happened to her. Regardless if it was her or Elizabeth Edwards. Color doesn’t matter. Manners do. Try and think about it, k?
Comment by Bluedahlia — August 29, 2007 @ 10:53 am
She certainly proved the lie of her “superiority”.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:57 amWell, it’s simply behavior befitting a Bush Secretary of State, isn’t it?
It warms my heart to know we have the right person in there: You know, a consummate diplomate, professional, genuinely caring, intelligent.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:58 amCondi pulled the same crap while New Orleans for drowning. She was shoe shopping, and a customer confronted her, asking what she was doing there while there was an huge emergency in NO. Condi had her security guys hustle the woman out, and continued her shopping.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:59 amA wordplay on a Spanish word.
Comment by troqua
a common bird of New Mexico
August 29th, 2007 at 11:00 amCondi had her security guys hustle the woman out, and continued her shopping.
Comment by Zooey
chest waders?
August 29th, 2007 at 11:01 amI don’t get why this is a story.
If you get bad service, you let them know. It helps the store, and it gets you better service.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:01 amI do not like this woman, but she was totally right in this case. I’m a minority as well. When I go into a shop and someone cute white, black or brown person is rude to me, I let them have it.
Good for her. But don’t try to criticize her for putting someone who doesn’t know their place in their place.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:05 amAnon1
I’m a minority as well. When I go into a shop and someone cute white, black or brown person is rude to me, I let them have it.
Way to play the race card.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:06 amchest waders?
Comment by Raven — August 29, 2007 @ 11:01 am
Not hardly….. :D
August 29th, 2007 at 11:08 amall we really know is blacker’s recollection of the story…
that would, for obvious reasons, be biased…
i’d LOVE to hear the sales clerk’s side of the story…
August 29th, 2007 at 11:09 am…
Condi= Shrill Evil War Criminal
August 29th, 2007 at 11:10 amNot hardly….. :D
Comment by Zooey
Yeah, I’m sure she never got any closer to the flood than the depth of an average pair of galoshes.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:12 amher leather underwear was too tight
August 29th, 2007 at 11:13 amThe clerk should have replied:
“While I may be working for minimum wage today, tomorrow you will be working for even less wages while in jail for your crimes against humanity by your involvement in the unprovoked attack upon the SOVEREIGN nation of Iraq!”
August 29th, 2007 at 11:13 amHow is not being able to divine what Condi wants to see in a store poor service? Costume jewelry and fine jewelry are rarely behind the same counter. The salesperson might have muttered something under his/her breath but that does not excuse Condi’s judgemental rudeness about how much the salesperson makes – and I believe salespeople in stores that Condi shops make a bit more than minimum wage. She was obviously on a power trip. A well-mannered person would have simply asked for the manager if she felt insulted by the salesperson.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:14 amIt’s not playing the race car at all, Squegeeboo. If you let people walk all over you, that’s your problem.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:19 amann
How is not being able to divine what Condi wants to see in a store poor service?
It wasn’t that she brought out the cheap stuff, it was that she muttered under her breath when Condi asked to see the better stuff
FTA:
August 29th, 2007 at 11:19 am
Anon1
It’s not playing the race car at all, Squegeeboo.
No, you played the race card
I’m a minority as well.
What does her being a minority have to do with this story?
August 29th, 2007 at 11:21 amann, if you are going to be rude to another person, whether it’s a person you are suppose to help cuz it’s your job, or just someone out on the street, then you take the chance they’re going to respond. if they don’t respond in a way that you deem appropriate, then maybe you should have thought twice about being rude to them in the first place.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:22 am———-
Rice shows her true colors as a vapid, insecure, materialistic bitch.
Typical of Modern American Women.
What do you do again, Condi?
We haven’t seen, nor heard from you in a while.
In other words, you’re irrelevant just like GW.
Go shop for some shoes while Katrina hits.
Shallow, fake woman.
———-
August 29th, 2007 at 11:23 amBut don’t try to criticize her for putting someone who doesn’t know their place in their place.
Comment by Anon1
Know their place???
Only simple minded people who “think” they are better than others have that mentality.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:25 amThe clerk should have responded by saying:
“I heard that New Orleans is flooding again. Don’t you have some shoes to go purchase?”
It’s just a ‘minimum wage job’ right? Who cares if you get fired from a crappy job for being rude to a woman who’s a disgrace to the United States of America?
August 29th, 2007 at 11:27 amI am not supporting this woman but when I am out at a store and the people behind the counter act like they are annoyed or bothered when I ask to see something it sets me off. If you want to be a retail clerk then be a retail clerk and keep your mouth shut when somebody needs help. Oh yeah cunnilingus rice is always wrong in my eyes she works for bush
August 29th, 2007 at 11:27 amIf her comment is true, it just shows the elite attitude of the typical GOP. The wealthy, when insulated from reality long enough, begin feeling like they have some God given right to be superior to the “common rabble”. It is that same atitude that our Founding Fathers were rebelling against.
And the first poster is right , she’s a bitch.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:29 amBrian Uff
then be a retail clerk and keep your mouth shut when somebody needs help.
Then how do you help them? Charades? I love charades. First word, two syllables.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:30 amHer share of the bushie windfall is the continent of Africa. Watch who is the next one off the bushie cone.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:31 amA puke all the way.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:33 amAlright, let’s get a few things straight on this:
1. the article does not say when this happened. Was it before 2000? Who knows? Point: if she was not not in the Bush Admin at the time, I see no reason why any clerk should recognize her.
2. the article does not say if the clerk was black, white, Asian, Latino, etc. So, we really have no idea what the racial dynamic is.
Two very different possibilities about this exist:
a. this happened in 1997, the clerk was white, and Rice reacted to what she perceived as assumptions about whether or not she belonged in that store because of her race;
b. this happened last year, the clerk was black, recognized Rice, and was making a point.
If its the first, I have no problem with Rice’s reaction — I’ve been in positions resembling this, and I pretty much get it.
If it is the second, she clearly has some problems to deal with (something that we already know).
I guess that I would just remind other progressives that we are the ones based in reality, so to make these kinds of judgements we should probably know what the situation was.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:34 amNow you know why Condiliar is a Repub, she’s better than everyone else. She’s on the winning team!
August 29th, 2007 at 11:37 amSuch arrogance from someone who is clearly incompetent and whose greatest abilities are to play the piano, buy shoes and smile for the camera.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:39 amI hate this Admin and Condi etc for all the damage they’ve done…but Condi was right. As a guy I’ve never received service this bad and I bet almost all guys haven’t. The fact that this women gave here crap back when Condi merely asked to see something nicer was outrageous. It’s not just that the woman didn’t do her job but she was rude to boot. I applaud Condi’s actions. Good for her!
August 29th, 2007 at 11:42 amSuppose she’ll celebrate the second anniversary of Katrina by shopping for shoes again…followed by fun and frivolity at the White House with Chimpy?
Comment by curmudgeon — August 29, 2007 @ 10:00 am
Hey! She didn’t earn that SecofShoes title for her diplomatic or humanistic works!
August 29th, 2007 at 11:43 amHey folks. While I’m NO fan of Condi Rice or the Bush adminstration, it seems to me that we’re all using this ancedote (onbe with a fair amount of informational gaps) to reinforce conclusions about Rice that we’ve already made.
On a personal note, as an african american professional of the same gereation as Rice, I can attest to similar expereinces (jewelry stores, car dealership, etc.), thought thankfully, less frequently than in past years ( which I attribute as much to my getting older that any change in siceital attitudes) Fact is, people still make assumption about class based upon race… and i live in the suburbs of NYC, not exactly redneck territory.
Many have said the the “proper response” is to merely walk out. While that is the tact I have most often taken, I have also quietly gone off’ on a saleperson or two in my day. I don’t see myself as an evil person for doing so, nor do i belive it is reflective of “self esteem ” issues, but a mere human respose to being slighted.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:45 ambased on what i read, i’m with condi on this one. that was a totally adequate response to sass.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:47 amIn Italy we started addressing the politicians as our employees.
It rather pissed them off ;-)
Thanks Beppe!
August 29th, 2007 at 11:47 amah, here we go again, Libtards attacking minority Conservatives.
I am sure that TP and other Libeal outlets would be decrying anyone on the right who dare write somethign similar about a minority Liberal.
how pathetic and small of TP.
and look at the insults, venom and hate being spewed on this forum against Dr. Rice.
Liberal=hate
August 29th, 2007 at 11:47 amAnother one of those why-waste-your-precious-bits-on-one-that-is-central to-the-bush-foreign-policy stories…”Twill always be a crapshoot and you’d only give yourself an unecessary coronary. Impeachment of Bush and Cheney…See now.. Ahhhh, therein lies the rub. Coronaries and Ulcers?
They ALL go Bye-Bye.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:48 amWell we can assume the employee was racist but there is also the possibility that she too was black, so that is just an assumption.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:49 amWe can however demand respect without the elitist commentary on our personal wealth ,a very simple ” do not speak to me in that tone ” addresses the problem without the critique on the individuals status.There is a difference between being assertive and being a bitch.
Yes, Condi is an important person, a VIP. Her important job for which she is handsomely paid has been toilet training a Chimp and teaching it to use a knife and fork. She hasn’t been very successful, apparently, but trying to civilize a chimpanzee is hard work.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:51 ami want to hear from that clerk!
what exactly is “sass”???
condi’s “let’s get one thing straight” comment
August 29th, 2007 at 11:53 amwas a put down…
there are better ways to tell off rude people…
…
I don’t get why this is a story.
If you get bad service, you let them know. It helps the store, and it gets you better service.
Comment by squegeeboo — August 29, 2007 @ 11:01 am
It’s a story because TP applies different standards to libs and conservatives. Like the way TP reports Republican earmarks, but ignores Pelosi’s and Feinstein’s. ;)
August 29th, 2007 at 11:56 amwhoa! how the hell can we “assume” that clerk was “RACIST”???
GET OFF THAT LINE OF CRAP.
.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:57 amThis another one of those bushie-team stories. No need to expend your precious bits on these bushie-team stories, you’d only give yourselves a coronary. Impeach Bush and Cheney? See now…Ahhhh, therein lies the rub. Coronaries and Ulcers? They ALL go bye-bye.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:57 amoppression of the proletariat, anyone?
August 29th, 2007 at 12:00 pmI don’t get why this is a story.
If you get bad service, you let them know. It helps the store, and it gets you better service.
Comment by squegeeboo — August 29, 2007 @ 11:01 am
It’s a story because TP applies different standards to libs and conservatives. Like the way TP reports Republican earmarks, but ignores Pelosi’s and Feinstein’s. ;)
Comment by upright left — August 29, 2007 @ 11:56 am
TP is a sad, pathetic, run by perfect ignorant and idiotic people left wing hack site.
They are NOT interested in the truth, they are NOT interested in keeping government honest. the only thing TP is interested in is making Conservatives, Republicans and anyone that disagrees with the amoral Liberal ideology look bad.
Their double standard and their hypocrisy is quite sad and pathetic.
I wonder why TP, who claims to be for the truth, and honesty and is not scared of anyone hasn’t run a story on how the Washington Post refused to run a comic making fun of Islamic extremists. Yet the same Post has no problem running comics making fun of Christianity.
Oh I forgot, according to the left it is hip, cool and in to make fun of Christinaity, but you are an intolerant, closed minded bastard if you make fun of Islamic extremists. I am sorry, I forgot. pathetic.
August 29th, 2007 at 12:06 pmThat is awesome. Just cuz she is the secretary of state don’t mean she has to be a saint. However, this statement is not meant to condone her actions in office. She SUCKS as a secretary of state.
The bitch was behind the counter.
August 29th, 2007 at 12:11 pmpathetic. Comment by why
You said it.
August 29th, 2007 at 12:11 pmwhy
1: The Washington Post is a conservative rag.
2: Seen as this is what you guys think of as being morally okay, I will take your moral judgements with more then a grain of salt.
August 29th, 2007 at 12:12 pmI can’t count how many times I have heard someone say “The customer is always right” in an effort to justify their whining or expectations of unrealistic service. As an employee you should do all you can to make sure the customer gets the proper service and products, but harming your business at the expense of a customer’s ego is wrong – at that point you ask the customer to leave and never come back. This kind of thing is an extremely rare occurrence, but sometimes it just has to be done. 99% of all customers will get everything they ask for and deservedly so, but it is that final 1% that show that “The customer is NOT always right”… Sometimes the business is “right”.
August 29th, 2007 at 12:14 pm1. We don’t know when this happened. Condi could have still been at Stanford and not a public figure.
August 29th, 2007 at 12:18 pm2. We don’t know if the clerk was being racist or rude at all. Maybe Condi was standing at the costume jewelry counter and thus the clerk assumed Condi was looking at something in that case.
3. Regardless of what happened, Condi was rude. It is always wrong to purposely make any other human feel insignificant and inferior to you. Best response: “I’d like to see your supervisor.” Frosty but still polite alternative: “You misunderstood me; it may surprise you, but I can afford real jewelry. Show me something nice.”
4. It’s a story, because it’s an interesting slice-of-life story about a celebrity. And she’s supposed to be diplomatic, which makes this funny.
Let’s get one thing STRAIGHT:
I commit TREASON for a living, and get paid WELL by my husb…, er, “presidemt” Bush.
YOU work for minimum wage because you wouldn’t vote for us TRAITORS…
August 29th, 2007 at 12:23 pmThe people that are saying she was snooty and dressing down a poor little wage slave behind the counter are missing the point. Didn’t you read the line about the salesperson “sassing” her under her breath? Most of us have experienced this brand of rudeness before. If things happened as described here, the salesperson got exactly what was deserved.
August 29th, 2007 at 12:25 pmPartisan hatred is something how it will twist people. This supposedly happened to Rice long ago when she worked at Stanford. ( When she was at Stanford, NOT working as sec of State) The clerk may have been rude to everyone or prejudged Rice as someone shopping for costume pieces. An employee at a retail location shouldn’t be harassing customers. I’m not saying that it’s bar none the best way to handle such a situation, but if Rice weren’t a Republican ( and most likely a black woman) no one would really be picking on an accomplished woman for standing up for herself against a rude clerk who may have had racist prejudices in play (even if the clerk was the same race as Rice). I find it disturbing the venom and bile spewed at Condi over this incident, I’m no fan of Republicans or Democrats for that matter but if you are out shopping you are directly supporting that clerk’s wage, the clerk should show civility. I call bullshit on everyone saying they should or would walk away. I’ve personally seen clerks treat black and white patrons differently and I say good for Condi for not tolerating it. If you don’t stand up for yourself things will never change and you will be forever a doormat.
August 29th, 2007 at 12:26 pm(in her typically quivering voice…)
“I believe the title was ‘Bin Laden determined to attack inside the United States.’”
PRADA, bay-bay!
August 29th, 2007 at 12:26 pmwhat a prick she is!
August 29th, 2007 at 12:26 pm@121 – more than standing up for herself, let alone her fellow african americans, rice seems to me to have just been ruder than the clerk.
August 29th, 2007 at 12:28 pmWonder what side of the counter she’d be on if the party whose values she defends had been in charge earlier in the century.
August 29th, 2007 at 12:28 pmComment by why — August 29, 2007 @ 12:06 pm
…] on the larger picture of __why__ the Post hasn’t run what you suggested is simple:
Most squirmishes have at some point claimed the causes of “winning hearts and minds”. You would not win a single grain of sand in the world today with fiefdoms controlling the life-blood of our culture, like oil, by printing stories that would incense their delicate senses. Face it, the internet or other COMM protocols has opened the book of knowledge to all and and sundry. Third world countries are now wise to a lot of the business negotiations that feed landmark international agreements and pacts and want a piece of that action as well.
We are simply still in denial over the glaring fact of it.
August 29th, 2007 at 12:29 pmAm I the only one here who was taught that bragging to someone about how much money you make, especially to someone who’s making wages below poverty level, is vulgar and boorish?
Or that a sign of maturity and gentility is the ability to make your point with civility and grace?
Maybe it’s just a southern thing.
August 29th, 2007 at 12:29 pmI despise Rice, but I have some sympathy about this. I have found that retail store clerks often exhibit poor judgement and bias towards the people they serve.
August 29th, 2007 at 12:30 pmOh spare me! She was 1000% right. The person at the store is paid to provide customer service. If the person acts as she did, ie did NOT do her job, she should be dressed down at a bare minimum, if not fired on the spot.
There is no story here folks, nada. Only the PC liberal trash of america floating to the top again to expouse the opinions handed out to them by the whiney rich elite who want to further entrench their power and money (much as the right). Wake up!!!
August 29th, 2007 at 12:33 pmright on! serves the clerk right. she sees a black women and automatically thinks that this person is poor and can’t afford anything nicer.
August 29th, 2007 at 12:35 pmSo, anyone know if Condi’s gay? Straight? Any serious suitors?
August 29th, 2007 at 12:35 pmShe was wrong to point out the clerks wages as compaired to hers….period. It was rude behavior on both their parts.
August 29th, 2007 at 12:36 pm129 and 130 I disagree. 132, spot on
August 29th, 2007 at 12:43 pmand here you have the true definition of a CUNT!
August 29th, 2007 at 12:44 pmOne more thing, Condi’s only human, and the clerk pissed her off, BUT, Condi’s comments DID show her true nature. When a person gets angry, they lose the ability to reason and just spit out what’s on their mind.
August 29th, 2007 at 12:47 pmWith that said, we ARE SEEING the real condi here.
I know that Dr. Blacker and Ms. Rice have been friends for many years. . .but I’m not sure that this is the type of statement makes about a “dear” friend. Of course, Dr. Blacker may behave with the same ego, and, therefore, her behavior seems normal to him!
August 29th, 2007 at 12:54 pm“funny how many in the middle class still believe that this administration really cares about them..”
Thank the corporate news media for that (CNN, FOX, ABC etc..). They play a big part in that charade.
August 29th, 2007 at 12:57 pmand here you have the true definition of a CUNT!
Comment by paul smitty — August 29, 2007 @ 12:44 pm
You sound like with all said, you have one heck of hankering for that woman. That’s what you sound like!
10 Hail Mary-s
August 29th, 2007 at 12:57 pm20 strokes of the cane and come back in a fortnight, my son.
Dr. Blacker may behave with the same ego, and, therefore, her behavior seems normal to him!
Comment by Bounder’s mom — August 29, 2007 @ 12:54 pm
THAT was one of my points…
we only have HIS rendition of this scene…
HIS idea of what “sass” is…
I want to hear from that clerk!
August 29th, 2007 at 12:59 pm…
Wow, it’s amazing looking at all the people that think they know something about something when they don’t know jack about anything. You don’t know what the Clerk said and that’s the critical part. If the clerk was insulting, why does she have to take it?
If you as a store clerk insult me or treat me like crap, I’m going to put you in your place as you well deserve. Why do I have to leave and go elsewhere and let you “win” by being rude to me?
Maybe Condi blew something out of proportion and totally over reacted. Maybe the clerk was being racist. Oh and as far as not knowing who Condi was, half the people in the country ESPECIALLY college kids can’t even name the vice president.
So unless you know specifically what the clerk said, stop saying Condi was rude, or it was about Race, or Condi was right or Condi was wrong. None of you know.
August 29th, 2007 at 1:00 pmInteresting. Condi is so ’smart’ she’s on the ‘better’ side of the counter but so dumb that she puts herself in the position of trading cash for silly objects that could have been put to better use than ‘bling-bling’ to hang off her ears (particularly when it won’t do a thing to enhance a physiognomy like hers). Oo Condi! You are so smart. Yeah, right. And your so-called diplomacy proves it. Such an overly-educated loser. Go crawl back to Stanford or some cushy think tank and write your book. I won’t be buying it.
August 29th, 2007 at 1:01 pmPost 5 wins. If you were too stupid or lazy to get a higher education, and are stuck earning minimum wage, then you have no right saying something calling Condi, or me or anyone successful with a sassy attitude. You can think anything you want, but when you’re at work, act professional.
This PC culture drives me insane.
August 29th, 2007 at 1:02 pmI think a lot of people here don’t really get it. Condi’s behavior isn’t notable because it’s rude; it’s notable because she’s telling the clerk that Condi’s bank account makes her better than them. This episode illustrates her medieval perception of class interaction in a much more direct way than our only former glimpse, her 5th Avenue shoe shopping while corpses were floating in the Katrina floodwaters. Despite a VERY different upbringing, her understanding of America’s social classes vis-a-vis American egalitarianism is very sympatico with the Bushes and Cheneys.
August 29th, 2007 at 1:04 pmFor all the folks who say Rice was justified in her response, I hear my mother’s voice – “She started it!” does not excuse your bad behavior (no matter who you are)!
I work in retail and I know from personal experience that while the customer is usually right, they are more often than you might think, just trying to get something for nothing. While I agree the clerk behaved inappropriately, personal abuse is NEVER the “right” response.
Since when do two wrongs might it right?
August 29th, 2007 at 1:05 pmAll the expensive jewlery in the world could not make this utter witch look good. Rice makes Marie Antoinette looks like a saint. KMA KKKondi.
August 29th, 2007 at 1:07 pmYou people…LOL. Who cares what Ms. Rice said to a random jewelry store worker? She’s a hard liner type and probably isn’t sunshine and farts 24/7. PC crowd go home!
August 29th, 2007 at 1:13 pmI know for a fact this did not happen in the state of Texas.
I witnessed a customer at a Barnes & Noble ask multiple questions of a salesperson. While the sales person was trying to answer, the customer said “Look, my time is very valuable! I make over $30 dollars an hour and you’ve already wates more money of MY time than you make in an hour!”
The sales person looked shocked, and a manager that happened to overhear the rude comments immediately walked over and said: “Leave this store. Money doesn’t make the person, and we would rather you take your oh-so-important money and spend it where people are willing to kiss your ass. It won’t heppen here!”
Sec. Rice was right to not accept rude comments, but to claim that her money makes her more important shows that her class is still way down in the sewer with her morals of working for a liar, and the worst administation this country has ever seen.
August 29th, 2007 at 1:13 pmThe fact that Rice is an elitist bitch with no regard for working people is not surprising, but it’s irrelevant next to the fact that Rice is the most spectacularly incompetent National Security Advisor in history and one of the worst Secretaries of State to ever hold the job. Let’s not let her personal failings cloud these facts.
And, as someone who owns a small business, let me point out that yes, the customer is always right, but that doesn’t give the customer the right to treat a worker like dirt.
August 29th, 2007 at 1:15 pmOMG…a minimum wage laborer gave her attitude. Well alert the press, that’s never happened to anyone before. I understand wanting good service, but at the same time as long as stores continue to employ the working poor for 6/hr you can’t really expect a high level of enthusiasm. That’s pretty much only going to make someone work just hard enough not to get fired.
August 29th, 2007 at 1:22 pmC_ _ _ T.
August 29th, 2007 at 1:26 pmGiven Cunny’s track record as secretary of State, she has no room to judge another’s job performance.
August 29th, 2007 at 1:29 pmKC
Since when do two wrongs might it right?
About when three lefts started doing the same thing.
August 29th, 2007 at 1:30 pmCome on, we all know Condi’s a neo-con puppet. While over in the UK recently she made a casual remark about “thousands of tactical mistakes” we’ve made in Iraq. Of course, we won’t hear about those because she’s been a Bush administration cheerleader from day 1.
Ms.Rice’s Corporate Connections? Take a wild guess cuz it’s banks and oil, baby :
ChevronTexaco; Charles Schwab; Transamerica Corp.
August 29th, 2007 at 1:31 pmYep, Rice did make her neocon ‘fortune’ from all of the usual suspects:
Chevron Texaco – Charles Schwab & Transamerica Corp !!!!
….and now she’s their bitch!
August 29th, 2007 at 1:33 pm…I loathe this BS:
What’s a girl gotta do to get a 130,000-ton oil tanker named after her?
Ask Condi Rice. She so charmed Chevron’s board of directors that they named one of the company’s tankers after her. In addition to sitting on Chevron’s board, Rice was also a director at two other multinationals—brokerage firm Charles Schwab and insurance company Transamerica Corp.
August 29th, 2007 at 1:40 pmCarat?
Comment by Mr. President — August 29, 2007
Cavat, as in:
August 29th, 2007 at 1:40 pm“Gutta cavat lapidem, non vi sed saepe cadendo”
Comment by Kevin — August 29, 2007 @ 1:33 pm
She has ‘great fortune’ too. Oh Lord, Mom I have found the one!
August 29th, 2007 at 1:41 pmChevron Texaco – Charles Schwab & Transamerica Corp !!!!
….and now she’s their bitch!
Comment by Kevin
Schwab the decks, Condi!
August 29th, 2007 at 1:44 pmConsidering the minimum wage worker helps pay Condi’s wages, it was improper for Condi to use the fact that she makes more money than the minimum wage worker. That was tacky IMO.
August 29th, 2007 at 1:46 pmI am no fan of this administration, nor of Condi. But I think she was justified in being insulted by the clerk. Perhaps she could have handled it more gracefully, but what she said wasn’t that bad. Black people experience discrimination so frequently that it has to boil up into rage from time to time. I don’t think I could be diplomatic all the time in the face of a lifetime of bad treatment, either.
I say good for her for standing up herself and demanding to be treated with respect.
August 29th, 2007 at 1:48 pmI don’t know why people are trying to make this a racial issue. If I get bad service I let them know. She got bad service and wouldn’t stand for it. I’m an Appalachian-American (hillbilly) and when people say things under their breath about me (usually referring to incest) I go on the offensive as well. Why should she be considerate of the clerks feelings when he obviously wasn’t concerned about hers? She should have pulled him over the counter and pounded him into mush. I love you Condi. Don’t ever change.
August 29th, 2007 at 1:53 pmGood for Condi. She’s got more brains than any of the commenters above. And was perhaps being looked down upon by the brainless store-person who saw a black woman and figured she’s poor.
Of course, you brainiac liberals would never figure that scenario out, would you? As Pat Schroeder says, you’re just too smart!
August 29th, 2007 at 1:57 pmYou, are an idiot Russbo ; Condi’s a Bush / oil corporation lap dog.
August 29th, 2007 at 1:58 pmRice is a good American.
August 29th, 2007 at 1:58 pmGood for Condi. She’s got more brains than any of the commenters above. Of course, you brainiac liberals would never figure that scenario out, would you?Comment by daveinboca — August 29, 2007 @ 1:57 pm
OMG, I think I just threw up in my mouth . GET. OFF. THE. FOX. NEWS. NOW!
August 29th, 2007 at 2:00 pm(())(())(())(())(())(())
High Five to Rice – That’s freaking awesome
The retail clerk Bitch deserves it for talking “sass” to a customer.
(())(())(())(())(())(())
August 29th, 2007 at 2:03 pmDavidStaRR, “OMG, I think I just threw up in my mouth”
When that happens, you’re supposed to swallow hard, I read that in a DNC briefing backgrounder!
August 29th, 2007 at 2:11 pmRice is a good American.
Comment by ForTruth
Also, somewhat typical.
August 29th, 2007 at 2:18 pmSadly.
daveinboca: “Good for Condi. She’s got more brains than any of the commenters above.”
This isn’t about brains. It’s about an elitist pig treating a minimum wage worker like dirt and rubbing her wealth in a minimum-wage worker’s face. It’s not about intelligence. It’s about human decency. But I don’t expect power-worshiping Bush cultists to understand that.
August 29th, 2007 at 2:19 pmProof that snobbery just like love is colorblind
August 29th, 2007 at 2:22 pmI’ve always been a big fan of Condi. She takes no crap, and knows how to kick ass.
August 29th, 2007 at 2:29 pmReticulated Colon “This isn’t about brains. It’s about an elitist pig treating a minimum wage worker like dirt and rubbing her wealth in a minimum-wage worker’s face. It’s not about intelligence. It’s about human decency. But I don’t expect power-worshiping Bush cultists to understand that.”
You are not getting it because your IQ is closer to one-digit than to three [hint: below 55]. You don’t know what the clerk said nor even if she is getting minimum wage. You are a simple-minded class warrior who wants to kiss the private parts of anyone who threatens America, by the gist of your gibberish.
Some Colonel you must have been! HA HA HA!
Oh, and you spell it Einstein, not “Einstien,” moron!
August 29th, 2007 at 2:33 pmI would add “ugly” to bitch because she is really, seriously fugly.
August 29th, 2007 at 2:35 pmDr. Condoleeza Rice is a poster child for all that is wrong with affirmative action and all that is wrong with Bushism.
August 29th, 2007 at 2:38 pmThis anecdote appeared in an article on Condi in Harper’s a few years back. In the context if the story, the jewelry salesperson certainly sounded like she showed Condi cheap(er) jewelry because she was black.
Most people of color would react with indignance when treated this way. Did Condi cross the line? That’s for you to decide. Cut her slack as you prefer.
The distasteful bits of Condi’s personality and politics don’t excuse the clerk’s racism. And Condi’s mistreatment don’t excuse the distasteful bits of her personality and politics. That is, unless you want to argue that the conflict was not about racism.
August 29th, 2007 at 2:40 pmThe usual carping from all the so very egalitarian Democraps … Rice asked to see something better, and got low talk snarky sass in return.
August 29th, 2007 at 2:43 pmRice was perfectly legit in her behavior.
White man in a black woman suit.
August 29th, 2007 at 2:49 pmAn old chinese expression says:
“To get respect, give respect.”
Condi was just getting back from the clerk the same level of respect Ms. Rice has shown to the world and other people all her life.
A bitch is a bitch…and it’s now 2007 so please don’t say the way the clerk treated her badly because she was black or a woman.
Rice is a horrible person. She got what she gives.
August 29th, 2007 at 2:50 pmThe jewelry story is a famous part of Condi Rice lore. In fact, the salesclerk said “black trash” under her breath when Rice kept insisting on seeing the real jewelry.
This was about race. Liberals on this board, most of whom are white, are attacking Rice in this case because she refused to be treated as a second class citizen by a white clerk in a jewelry store. Period.
Rice was correct, and you, her critics, are wrong to criticize her in this case.
August 29th, 2007 at 2:51 pmI don’t see the problem. I get shitty service from ungrateful teenagers and apathetic over-employed morons constantly.
August 29th, 2007 at 2:53 pmNothing makes me more angry than seeing a pathetic no good teen picking their nose serving my food.
America does not breed quality workers.
#
The jewelry story is a famous part of Condi Rice lore. In fact, the salesclerk said “black trash†under her breath when Rice kept insisting on seeing the real jewelry.
This was about race. Liberals on this board, most of whom are white, are attacking Rice in this case because she refused to be treated as a second class citizen by a white clerk in a jewelry store. Period.
Rice was correct, and you, her critics, are wrong to criticize her in this case.
Comment by section9 — August 29, 2007 @ 2:51 pm
Thank you for straightening out the bigotry, attitudinizing, and general ignorance of the liberal commenters on this thread.
August 29th, 2007 at 2:59 pmGiven the position that Ms. Rice currently holds, representing this country’s interests in the world arena, she should set the gold standard with regard to diplomacy.
It is indeed disappointing to note that so many posting on this website hold her to no higher standard than what would be expected of a minimum wage sales clerk (and I have to wonder how many people posting on this site have ever worked behind a counter).
I recall an old saying many years ago (paraphrased): “Diplomacy is the art of telling someone to go to hell in such a way that they look forward to the trip.” It doesn’t appear that Ms. Rice rates very well in that regard. She does seem to accurately convey the attitudes that W & Dick convey toward others who are not part of the “have more” class, or as W put it in Fahrenheit 9/11, “my base.”
No wonder this country is reviled around the world.
August 29th, 2007 at 3:01 pmcurmudgeon—the story is so old, Condi was head of the NSC when it happened. So you’re ignorant, no surprise there.
But thanks for your ponderous arrogant attitudinizing. Fits in with the gas-bag flatulence of other liberal bigots.
August 29th, 2007 at 3:16 pmNo, just you and the rest of your kind, curmudgeon.
August 29th, 2007 at 3:20 pmNothing makes me more angry than seeing a pathetic no good teen picking their nose serving my food.
Comment by Guido, OBGYN, Lover
I have to laugh, watching them handle the food with the rubber gloves on, and their clothing, and their cell phones, and the mop, and the trash can, and the washroom door…..
August 29th, 2007 at 3:23 pmSo if Dr. Rice had not bought shoes New Orleans would not have flooded? The LibLuds are hell on any minority who leaves the plantation. As for the clerk, she should get into another line of work. Garbage collecting pays well. Bad behavior merits instant feedback.
August 29th, 2007 at 3:26 pmBut thanks for your ponderous arrogant attitudinizing. Fits in with the gas-bag flatulence of other liberal bigots.
Comment by daveinboca — August 29, 2007
“ponderously” would perhaps work better to keep the flow going…
and how about “flatulent gas-bagging” to keep up the pace?
Oh, wait, what am I saying?
August 29th, 2007 at 3:28 pmYou have no interest in progression, you’re stuck in ‘Raton….
The concept of “noblesse oblige” seems to elude Condosleezza. Nobody should tolerate poor service, but there are far classier ways to address the situation than she employed in this case.
Also, someone ought to remind her that she is actually employed by this shop clerk and millions like her.
August 29th, 2007 at 3:30 pmYou have no interest in progression, you’re stuck in ‘Raton….
Comment by Raven — August 29, 2007 @ 3:28 pm
Liberal bigots hate blacks that don’t buy their plantation nanny-state BS and they just can’t stand being reminded of what a silly bunch of hypocrites they are.
August 29th, 2007 at 3:32 pmHere’s the point:
Condi did NOT say, “Listen, I’m a customer, and I expect common courtesy from you.”
“She said “I’m better than you because I make more money than you. So defer to me.”
The first is fine, and the glue that holds society together.
The second is not.
It’s not just bad temper, it’s bad temper based on aristocratic arrogance.
August 29th, 2007 at 3:44 pmCaption:
“And this little finger smells like Dave in Boca…”
August 29th, 2007 at 3:45 pmJust because you have money and can afford better things than the person behind the counter doesn’t give you the right to dress down that person. It is a true measure of the type of person that you are by how you treat other human beings.
Some companies will not hire you if you are rude to the receptionist behind the front counter. Acts of kindness are not wasted and everyone has a right to be treated humanely. That being said, the door swings both ways, and the salesperson should also treat the customer with respect… and many sales people these days do not.
August 29th, 2007 at 3:46 pmI’m as liberal as they come, and could hardly think any worse of the Bushies than I already do, but to me, the racial subtext of this stood out prominently. Most liberals (and likely most Americans) understand that black people are pulled over disproportionately by police, are more often suspected of shoplifting, and in general face subtle discrimination in all parts of life from trying to rent an apartment to trying to find a job.
For another account of this, here’s another account from the Washington Post, from 2006 (apparently the incident occurred before 2002):
I have to agree with Rice here. Democrats are supposed to be the ones who understand better that race is still a big issue in how America lives. Rice could perhaps have phrased her thoughts better, but she was angry and these were unscripted words in any case.
August 29th, 2007 at 3:49 pmA link to the original Post article:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/10/AR2006041001387.html
August 29th, 2007 at 3:50 pmdaveinboca
Nope. We don’t like or dislike black people in particular. We simply don’t care about blacks, because you see, you Conservatives might not have noticed but those people with brown skins? Yeah, those people? They are people.
This means individual black people can be bitchy, bigoted morons, or very nice respectable hard working types or anything in between. They can be sensible, they can be wrong, they can be highly objectionable.
That there skins are a different colour doesn’t really come into whether we like them or not. Nor does their social standing, nor does their religion. We will object to a black guy doing exactly the same things we object to white people doing, and we won’t lose a moments sleep over it because unlike you conservatives, who seem to be bringing the race card up here to try and say “Well she is black so you can’t criticise her” we don’t care about her skin colour.
August 29th, 2007 at 3:51 pmCondi is a war criminal. Her salary was at the expense of the truth and 500,000 Iraqis lives. How can she live with herself?
August 29th, 2007 at 3:54 pmShe should be prosecuted as an evil rich person attacking a disadvantaged member of the working class.
Wait! She’s black. How can this be?
Actually… good for Condi. Regardless of race or gender, if one wants to succeed in this world (and make some money), one needs to show respect for their customers.
That is the kind of tact we need to keep from giving in to our spineless “allies”, and to put some fear in our enemies.
August 29th, 2007 at 3:56 pmOkay, Bruce, if you say so from your Brit perspective, unless you’re misspelling “color.” I’d love to know the “we” you’re alking about.
And BTW, this whole thing could have happened a couple of decades ago for all we know—-it’s just Condi-bashing, so we know it’s not coming from a neutral corner.
Did Kessler actually re-interview Condi’s friend and get the full dialogue or is this just re- re-cycled decade-old garbage of the kind that Dhimmi-crats love to feast on?
August 29th, 2007 at 3:58 pmWords that should be spoken to Condi:
You are on that side of the cell bars because you are a war criminal. I am on this side because I am your minimum wage-earning prison guard.
August 29th, 2007 at 3:59 pmdaveinboca
Yeah, it is Condi bashing – she is a central player in the Bush administration and this is a liberal site. It has nothing to do with race unless you didn’t notice the locals feelings about the very pale, very male guys sitting in the oval office.
Or do you think that just because somebody is a different race to you you aren’t allowed to disagree with them?
August 29th, 2007 at 4:08 pmSo What?
NeoConDungSleaza Lice is a war criminal who, we can only hope, will one day be called to account by facing justly deserved prosecution.
August 29th, 2007 at 4:34 pmI like you how idiot libs do nothing but bring out the fact that she was being arrogant, without even addressing the origin of the problem: the clerk. I, too am arrogant?.. and why not? I worked my butt off in college, graduated this May, and have had a great job since.. oh and I make a significant amount greater than the average 23 year old. I don’t show it to random people I meet, but if someone is rude to me because of my ethnicity, then it is my right to fire back with anything in my arsenal.
If the lady did her job without the victim attitude, this would have been avoided.
Oh, and keep the politics out of this. The war in Iraq and Condi’s role is insignificant to an incident in a damn jewelry store. Please, liberals, do me a favor and STOP BREEDING.
August 29th, 2007 at 4:41 pm“Please, liberals, do me a favor….”
Comment by Pavel
Always thinking of just yourself…..
August 29th, 2007 at 4:47 pmTypical neo-con….
What’s wrong with being proud of my achievements? I worked hard for them, and they have paid off.. literally.
I would have a completely different response to this story if Condi said that and the clerk was acting polite the whole time. Then it would be uncalled for.
And yes. I always think of myself and my family before anything or anyone else. What’s wrong with that? Why should I have to worry about your problems?
August 29th, 2007 at 4:51 pmPavel
Yeah, because, you know, somebody whose primary function is to handle people who aren’t always then nicest guys out, really should be the sort of person who throws out her toys when confronted with a snotty shop assistant.
Yep. Real great candidate for dealing with say, Iran and its nuclear technology programme there.
August 29th, 2007 at 4:54 pmyou know you Love her… all of you. You missed the SASS part…. ie givin us lip! That’s what the world is doin’ to the US now….that is why she is awesome and great for the job
by the nincompoops…. they dont give Stanford doctorates to dum-dums with no social skills
sheeeesh
you all make me laugh!
August 29th, 2007 at 4:58 pmTo start off, I dislike Condi Rice and everything she stands for. But as a professional black woman, I understand what it’s like to go into a store, car lot…, and people automatically assume you can not afford certain items because of the color of your skin. Or to be followed around in a store because you’re black. I can understand her frustration and have too had to address the person(s) on the other side of the counter. It’s about dignity and respect, nothing more…nothing less.
August 29th, 2007 at 4:59 pmThis has NOTHING to do with politics. As was stated in the original story, Condi felt like she was being treated like most blacks are in a similar situation. I doubt the Hitler in Iran is going to be saying the n-word in his press conferences, but there’s a difference between acting in your professional life and in your personal life.
On that note, time to head home from a nice shift at my wonderful job. Take care everyone.
August 29th, 2007 at 4:59 pmResponse to Comment by Why (#105):
Ah, here we go again, another right-winger who can see and comprehend nothing about another person beyond his/her race or minority status.
I am sure that Why and other racist right-wingnuts will continue to decry anyone (whether liberal or not) who dares to evaluate or judge a person of color (or any other minority status) based on any criteria other than that person’s color (or minority status). Why and his right-wingnut compatriots see only color and minority status, and nothing at all about the individual and his/her actions/conduct. Thus, they can only criticize based on color or minority status; they cannot comprehend legitimate criticism based on a person’s competence (or lack thereof) or character (or lack thereof).
How pathetic and small of Why.
August 29th, 2007 at 4:59 pmAnd yes. I always think of myself and my family before anything or anyone else. What’s wrong with that? Why should I have to worry about your problems?
Comment by Pavel — August 29, 2007 @ 4:51 pm
Because, ultimately we have a duty to protect the weak and make sure that tomorrow’s world is a better one to live in. Because while utopia is impossible, that doesn’t mean things can’t be improved.
It is because it is through mutual concern that you have clean drinking water, you can drive to work on tarred roads, and you have access to an education. It is because, if you get seriously sick you should not have to be afraid of what happens to your children, and you should not be afraid of going broke because your medical insurance won’t cover it.
It is because by helping others, in the long term you are helping yourself by keeping your streets clear of vagrants, by keeping the goods you buy safe and by making sure that your economy remains stable.
And it is because you might need help tomorrow.
August 29th, 2007 at 5:01 pmWell said Bruce Gorton
August 29th, 2007 at 5:18 pmThanks Bruce.
August 29th, 2007 at 5:24 pmHad I been the clerk, I wouldn’t have shown her the high ticket items. She’s obviously shopping with money made from her job in the Bush Administration–they’re so corrupt that anyone on the cabinets payroll is in possession of stolen property every time they cash their paychecks. They’re all criminals.
August 29th, 2007 at 5:38 pmIf the owners took less profits for themselves and paid their employees more everyone would get better service. There are many reasons businesses fail; overpayment of low echelon employees is not one of them.
August 29th, 2007 at 5:44 pmDidn’t read all the posts, so maybe this has been said, but isn’t it possible that the clerk DID recognize Condi and that’s why she treated her with disdain. Why assume it’s because she’s black? It could be because she’s a party to the biggest crime ever committed against the American people and the clerk’s a progressive.
August 29th, 2007 at 6:03 pmThis took place back in Stanford, before she got to Washington, so shane, there’s no excuse.
I have been watching white liberals defend the casual petit beugeois racism of this store clerk all day.
The fact is, the so called fairness of white liberal Democrats is only situational: you will tolerate racism when it is directed against black people that you do not like. The notion that you do not approve of racism in general is not true when you tolerate it in certain situation.
August 29th, 2007 at 6:17 pmMy gay lover of 17 years got snotty treatment much like Condi received from a clothing store clerk in Raleigh years ago–a bozo who ignored the customer while talking to a friend, then deigned to give a little time and bad service…always showing attitude. He said to the clerk, “Look, b**ch , you’re a minimum wage dirtbag who doesn’t deserve the time of day. I earn twice what you do, and I treat my customers well, whether they deserve it or not.”
I laughed my ass off when he told me this. Michael is the sweetest man on earth, and kind to a fault. I know the salesman must have been a real piece of work. Do I think Condi is elitist? Heck no. She was just a customer ticked off by rudeness who had the b*lls to call a person out on it.
Does that make her a decent Secretary of State? God NO! She sucks at it.
August 29th, 2007 at 6:23 pmAll I have to say is you can judge a person’s character by the way they treat those lesser than them. If I was American, I’d be scared at the thought of Condi leading my diplomatic business…
August 29th, 2007 at 6:25 pmIt sounds like the person working in customer service “started it” with her sass. Condi just finished it. Respect is mutual until someone drops it.
August 29th, 2007 at 6:46 pmYou tell it like it is, Zooey. Condi bi*ch-slapped that rude salesperson, and she deserved it. Of course, it does reming me a little bit of drag queens fighting.
August 29th, 2007 at 7:11 pmTwilight Zone Episode…
August 29th, 2007 at 7:13 pmI have a post which does not post, magically appears for awhile, then disapears again…
and then it’s back again!
August 29th, 2007 at 7:14 pmWhen you scrape aside the facade of respectability, under each Republican you will find a totalitarian dictator screaming to get out.
August 29th, 2007 at 7:20 pmThe clerk might have been out of line, by Rice’s response betrays her shallow nature and deep insecurities. What a complex and terrifying woman. I wish she was in therapy instead of in power.
August 29th, 2007 at 7:33 pmIt’s good that she used salary as the relevant metric, and not job performance, or there might’ve been a tiff.
August 29th, 2007 at 8:06 pmYes, the clerk is there to serve her, bla bla. But Condi is there to serve the clerk. Condi is just a public servant herself. She needs to treat her constituents better.
August 29th, 2007 at 9:11 pmWord to both of you Zoey and Candideinnc. The fact that rice sucks a s a SecState and a person has nothing to do with her right to good service and respect as a paying customer.
August 29th, 2007 at 9:28 pmI read this story several years ago, about the time Condi Rice became Secretary of State. Except the version I read didn’t say “sass”. It said the girl used the “n” word.
August 29th, 2007 at 9:30 pmI CAME IN THAT FILTHY WHORE’S ASS ONCE!
August 29th, 2007 at 9:45 pmTNHHB – Typical Nappy Headed Ho Behaviour. Kizzy needs her ass whipped.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:24 pm…but in the next life, in which no one earns a “salary”, and all are judged by the content of their character, Condi will be scrambling to get in line just to shine that clerk’s shoes.
The meak and humble will inherit the earth…
August 29th, 2007 at 10:40 pmSo?
August 29th, 2007 at 10:45 pmShe’s a Bushie, what did you expect?
The Bushie women keep showing us that they are 21st Century’s version of Marie Antoinette.
Rice was right to be offended by the notion that a Black woman could not afford better jewelry, but wrong in the way that she handled it. She could have had a little more class. She is not a private person, she is the Secretary of State, and should be mindful of how she behaves in public.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:46 pmYou democrats should be more sensitive. Your racism is showing.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:07 pmRegardless of any other details of the interaction, it’s appalling to me that she would make the statement she did: “You are behind this counter BECAUSE you make minimum wage”, when the reverse is clearly true. It’s as though, were this woman to suddenly make more money, her vocation would spontaneously change to match.
Someone needs to take a logic class!
August 29th, 2007 at 11:11 pmI’ll bet the sales girl really didn’t realize that the black woman on the other side of the counter was NOT just any black women. But I’m sure she soon learned that she was someone you don’t mess with. I’ll ber the clerk deserved every bit of that dressing down, and maybe more.
I’m sure this is a problem for a lot of professional black women.
It does not reflect badly on Rice for standing up for herself. Frankly, I’d respect her a little less if she didn’t speak up forcefully.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:16 pmI am not a Condi fan. I believe her naive sense of foreign policy has led to some of the most serious blunders of this administration, specifically the dramatic waning of US influence throughout the world.
However, I suuport her reaction in this case. If I people some clerk is going to dis me because of their perception of me (color, economic standing), I am going to shut that person down.
Do you want a person who accepts being belittled by a store associate because of race, gender or other external perceptions, to represent the US overseas?
August 29th, 2007 at 11:17 pmC U Next Tuesday !!!
August 29th, 2007 at 11:19 pmIf Cheney thought he needed a secretary of state, he would have hired one.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:26 pmSo many opinions, and hardly any worth reading. I love all the personal observations about Condi from people that do not personally know her.
The IQ level presented in this thread is amazingly low. That’s not to say that the people posting have low IQ’s, they are just not demonstrating any of their intelligence with their writings.
The internet has a way of bringing out the lowest common denominator in people and this thread is a good example of people who would use personal bias and emotion to post about things they know nothing about.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:28 pmTruly classy people don’t dress anyone down, even if they have an excuse.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:29 pmCondi’s a jerk, but I have to let her slide on this one. Of course, I’m imaging it was a white woman behind the counter. I’ve seen many of those hidden cam shopping videos and it’s a disgrace the way black people are treated.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:32 pmAs a person who has worked in the service industry let me be the first to say that, No, the customer is not always right. The person who coined that phrase never actually had to deal with a real customer before. And quite honestly, the “customers” who like to throw that comment in a min wage workers face are usually arrogant self absorbed jerks that think they are god’s gift to the world.
Here’s my question how did Condi phrase her question when asking for the better jewellery? Was she friendly about it, or was she rather snotty about it? And were the items shown to her really “costume” jewellery or is that just what Condi and her friends consider it? Because I’ve noticed alot of well to do types with big egos will classify anything they don’t like as cheap. I’m not exactly prone to believing Condi was in the right when she was out shoe shopping while people were dying in a major hurricane.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:33 pmsomeone saying that to me would find how useful making more money is while recovering from blunt force trauma in the hospital.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:39 pmI’ll admit beforehand that I have not read every post. But I’ll still make my comment. Why does everyone assume that if she got crappy service, because the clerk did not think she could afford the “good stuff”, that the clerk was white. A black person is just as capable, in this instance, of not believing that another black person could afford the “good stuff.”
August 29th, 2007 at 11:39 pmOh lets pick out some choice quotes from this thread.
“She’s a Bushie, what did you expect?”
Brains on your part?
“and here you have the true definition of a CUNT!”
Wow, lets slam a woman for her putting someone down while using a term that most women find offensive. While you nor I know what was actually said by the sales clerk, we do know what you said which makes you far worse than the person you are slamming.
“C U Next Tuesday !!!”
I see we have an intellectual among the group, or was it a comedian… See previous paragraph and add lack of a spine for just coming out and saying the word.
“She is nothing more than a stinky, buck-toothed twat”
Sniff a lot of crotches do you? Hows that working out for a career?
“Wonder what side of the counter she’d be on if the party whose values she defends had been in charge earlier in the century.”
Perhaps you should refresh yourself on which party was opposed to civil rights legislation and which party has a high ranking KKK figure for it’s senior statesman before making that type of statement.
“White man in a black woman suit.”
Ah.. would you be the same person asking if Obama is “Black enough”? I guess you can only be a legitimate black as a high ranking official if you are a Democrat… But considering Democrats rarely put blacks in high ranking offices, that’s a rare breed indeed. In fact they often go out of their way to support white candidates from their own party running against blacks in their own party.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:41 pmGo Condi, you will be looked down upon because you are African American and most American making min wage (hell most Americans) won’t know who you are anyway. Just because you are black they show you costume jewerly, serves the clerk right!!!
August 29th, 2007 at 11:45 pmNow what about all those poor people that are still waiting for money on the Gulf Coast, who are proud that you are part of an administation that is suppose to serve and protect its people?
I agree with post #244. Working in the service industry, I have usually found that the only time the customer tries to claim they are right is when they decide to throw their weight around because something went wrong (not always employee error). Although it was uncalled for for the clerk to behave like that, it was also not appropriate for Condi to belittle the worker, especially considering Condi’s status within the US government. Rudeness is rudeness, plain and simple.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:57 pmI agree with Condi, I get sick of dealing with rude sales staff, it seems the younger they are the bigger chip they have on their shoulder. The sales staff is not doing the business any favors with her rude racist attitude.
August 30th, 2007 at 12:08 amCondi needs some help.
August 30th, 2007 at 12:20 amGet over yourselves already…this is really digging for a story, very lame.
August 30th, 2007 at 12:33 amThe customer is NOT always right. Customers abused that rule until the point where ANYONE who has ever worked retail knows that that phrase is bull. Some customers can go perform an anatomically impossible act upon themselves.
August 30th, 2007 at 12:34 amI’m curious why she thinks the woman “has to work for minimum wage”?
August 30th, 2007 at 12:46 amLots of trolls out tonight. Interesting thing about the right is how eager you all are to destroy affirmative action,THE ladder to the middle class for many blacks, but you have no problem with legacy. You know legacy, that little perk that will get a deadbeat who couldn’t get into the University of Texas (part-tay!!) into both Harvard and Yale. Comforting to know the merits of our great leaders. Condi showed incredibly bad tact, the newly rich and the unearned powerful are funny that way. Bad manners are bad manners on either side of the counter; but Americans are increasingly course. That would be the loud+ugly=strength crowd. The woman’s track record is best summed up by “Bin Laden determined to strike”. She recently wrote a piece for the The New York Times she could not get any paper to publish supporting the war that turned out to be a love letter to the brilliance of W. This administration will long be remembered as affirmative action for the entitled, incompetant, elite.
August 30th, 2007 at 1:26 amCondoleezza Rice is a very intelligent person who would not conduct herself in such a way; I do not believe she said those “exact wordsâ€. That’s my opinion.
August 30th, 2007 at 1:29 am…this is second hand news. do any of us really know what happenned let alone if it happenned? then, as the different interpretations people have made so far has shown, there is the question of context.
perhaps this is more accurately what is known as a ‘leading’ story.
August 30th, 2007 at 1:38 amMaybe she decided to throw her weight around because she could sense the racist attitude from the clerk. You liberal hypocrites ever consider that?
The way that conservative people of color are treated by the left in this country is a national disgrace and exposes many liberals as the modern slave holders they really are. You don’t care about the plight of the colored person. You just want to keep them repressed and underprivileged so you can pander to them and get their votes. God forbid one of them should think differently from you liberals and actually be successful!
August 30th, 2007 at 1:48 amShe just was 100% right. I believe we should do our work as good as possible. Or go for a better one. I work for a very small amount of money – but I love my job and I feel ok.
August 30th, 2007 at 2:01 amWhen I was a university student, I had some sketches that had been drawn by a recently-deceased friend and I wanted to know how much framing one or two of them would cost. I went into a local framer and described the size of one of the sketches and the rude cunt of a clerk (or maybe it was the owner, I don’t know) looked down her nose at me and said very snottily, “Oh, that would be VERY expensive.” I wish I had had the presence of mind to snap something back instead of being embarassed and leaving the store quietly. Good for Condi. Any store employee or owner that treats prospective customers like shit deserves nothing less back.
August 30th, 2007 at 2:04 amdamn racist clerk! Condi should of told her off !
August 30th, 2007 at 2:12 amBefore school when I worked as a clerk we had two dollar off coupons that clearly stated across the front “with ten dollar purchase”. It is hard to believe how many people would want to make a two dollar purchase with them and even harder to believe how nasty you could be treated over two dollars. I always say please and thank you to clerks, I tip waiters/waitresses well-it’s amazing how far that goes to getting good service.
August 30th, 2007 at 2:17 amshe is a representative of America. i was going to say more, but i think that’s it.
August 30th, 2007 at 2:53 amI lived in the service industry for years, and I treat everyone behind the counter quite nicely. Until they do something worthy of response.
This for instance:
Again, if you want to be treated well in the service industry, you serve the customer well. The customer isn’t always right, I agree, but neither is the server. “Sass” me and you’ll get the same kind of response that this clerk got.
August 30th, 2007 at 2:54 amBeing that people are free to speak their im fine with it. while on topic though i will say she could have possibly handled it better. as it appears to me regardless of whether the clerk was showing racial prejudice(not least of which because its unknown) i should hope someone that represents this country(much less themselves as mature humans honestly) to be able to control their emotional responses especially in public/business settings.
August 30th, 2007 at 3:24 amOn a relevant tangent behavioral science shows us both humans and animals tend to respond(learn) best from positive reinforcements. therefore it likely doesnt make the most sense for condi to “fight fire with fire” as it were in this situation muchless any others(unless options are exhausted of course). i do realize as humans we dont like to think others might think less of us(much less them voice it crudely) but responding with anger is generally not an efficient way to overcome the difference in our understandings.
For as insignificant as this is does it honestly make any us feel better about her skills as a diplomat? personally i think she could have avoided this being a story at all but hey shes human like the rest of us. lastly im of mixed descent (practically everything including african american) so this is not a racially motivated comment.
Condi did the right thing to dress down the clerk. It doesn’t matter whether the clerk is white, blue, black or yellow. Condi was in the store to spend her hard-earned money. Yes, hard-earned money. She deserved quality service.
August 30th, 2007 at 3:29 amOkay, in summary of what I think about this strory
1: The clerk was in the wrong and got precisely what it deserved. Frankly, if you are serving customers you do it with a smile – and you will generally get treat a lot better by those customers if you heed that advice.
2: Condi was right in what she did – as a customer. Still, it showed a short temper and that is far from ideal in someone whose primary job is as a diplomat. She could have handled it better – but then, she is human just like everybody else.
August 30th, 2007 at 3:56 amMy take continued…
3: Race and racism has nothing to do with this story – or the reaction to it. We have all met and dealt with snotty clerks who need a kick up their pants, and the general reaction here is more to do with a lot of liberals being angry with Condi in general over what the Bushies have done to America, then with what happened in that store.
4: TP shouldn’t have run this story, it makes it look like liberals are grasping at straws to find something to criticise conservatives over – when there is still one heck of a lot of stuff to go at, such as how de-regulation has led to the recent sub-prime loans debacle.
August 30th, 2007 at 3:57 amTake the Nig Nog out of the ghetto but you can’t but any sort of manners in a Nig Nog
August 30th, 2007 at 5:40 amFirst off, the clerks race was never mentioned, at all. So stop assuming it was some sort of racial incident. Second, the clerks “sass” was never directly stated. So they muttered something under their breath. Maybe they were muttering “Finer jewelry, hmm, where’s that at…” or something along those lines. For all you know, the clerk could have been new and still getting used to the layout of the store. If they did sass Condi, then yes, that was inappropriate and wrong. Always serve the customer with a smile, no matter how much you may dislike them… at least until they get out of line, which is what Condi did.
Regardless of what the clerk said, Condi, in her position is supposed to deal with people like that in a much, much more professional manner. If this had been your average joe, that is one thing. But when you have someone like Condi in that role, it’s completely different. She should have never, ever attacked that clerk in that manner, regardless. Like said, she’s a representative of America, she’s supposed to promote diplomacy. For those claiming she is having a bad day, too bad. Leave it at the door. And how bad of a day could she be having if she’s going out to buy expensive jewelry?
Was the clerk in the right… of course not. But Rice was much, much more wrong in this situation given her position.
August 30th, 2007 at 5:43 amWell, I read the story differently in 2001.
According to the Washington Post Magazine, Condoleeza came from a very well to do family and mother was a great influence on her.
It was Condi’s mother, a fairly rich lady who dressed down the clerk. This was in the days of segregation, not in the current environment, which made the story even more compelling.
Can someone dig out that issue? To me it seems that Ms Rice is rewriting her own myth.
August 30th, 2007 at 5:57 am…and the clerk did nothing wrong? So what did you think was running through the clerks head that lead up to that situation?
Dont let your hatred of GOP skew this scenario. Provided that we have been given a accurate account, that clerk needed her ass handed to her.
I don’t make alot of money but if I go somewhere to buy something I dont want to be treated like a second class citizen.
August 30th, 2007 at 6:29 amMy reply to Condi would have been, “Yes, but when I wake up in the morning I will still be white and you will still be black.” *snap*
August 30th, 2007 at 7:00 amJust keep one thing in mind. You are hearing, probably, only part of the story from only one source and you cant completely trust it at face value. My first impression was also the Rice is not a person I want around but, it could be the store person deserved to dressed down or more.
August 30th, 2007 at 7:01 amI have a big heart and a big boot. You can have either, if you choose my heart I will give you all that you want and be glad to help you anyway I can for as long as you need it.
If you choose the boot I will put my boot so far up your back side you have to untie my boots to brush your teeth.
I would rather use my heart but when the cause is just, Ill use my boot. People who only see me once, use my boot will not like me.
lets get one thing straight you are secretary of state because you failed miserably as the head of national security when on your watch you let two planes crash into the trade towers. Wait how does someone get a promotion when they failed, oh thats right Bush is a gotard.
August 30th, 2007 at 7:02 amCould the conservative plants, posting here in order to make the site look like it is racist, please sod off?
August 30th, 2007 at 7:41 amleave her alone I would have done the same thing.
Bidding Directory
August 30th, 2007 at 8:20 amFor all we know Rice could have been a total beeatch when she asked to see the better jewelry, which prompted the under the breath comment from the clerk. As far as the customer is always right, that’s a bunch of bull. Store clerks are people and deserve to be treated with dignity and not like some sort “Yes whatever you say,” wage slave. Keep in mind that most clerks make horrible wages, don’t have medical insurance, and don’t have room for economic advancement and then comes in a shopper who thinks the world should bend to her will because she is rich and powerful and muttering under the breath becomes quite understandable.
I do agree, however, that minorities are often treated worse in stores. We may not like to admit it but there is still an awful lot of subconscious racism going on in America. I remember the episode of 20/20 where they had perfectly equal men, one white and one black, and the African-American person was given the short end of the stick repeatedly from being told there were no apartments to rent when the white was told there was to being given a lecture at needing to be responsible at a job center while the white guy was told he’d certainly be finding a job soon to buying a new car with the white guy getting a much better price to job interviews where the white guy got several call backs and the black man got none. They dressed the same, looked nearly the same, had the same accent, and their resumes were exact duplicates yet time after time the white guy got preferential treatment and, for some asinine reason, there is still a sizable minority of white guys who think they are suffering from reverse discrimination because of anecdotal stories that justify their unenlightened, self-serving bigotry.
Condi is scum and if W didn’t have wet dreams about her she’d have likely never gotten the job. Yet another one of W’s loyalty is far more important than competency flunkies who, when the leave federal service, will join the private sector and help republicans to further rape the country in the name of the neo-con nightmare!
August 30th, 2007 at 8:48 amThere appear to be some assumptions made by posters in this thread pulled out of thin air, because there is no evidence supporting them in the text.
1) It is assumed that the clerk was white, and that the “sass” was because Condi is black. There is nothing said about the clerk’s color, nor was there anything indicating that the “sass” was racist.
2) It is assumed that the clerk (regardless of color) didn’t show Condi the expensive jewelry because she is black and therefore perceived to be unable to afford the nicer stuff. There is nothing in the article to support that. It’s just as possible that starting the sale by showing the fashion jewelry is SOP for that store if that’s the most popular, and Condi may have taken that as an insult and responded rudely, prompting the “sass” — although there’s nothing in the article to support that, either.
C’mon people — there’s too much REAL racism in our society that needs to be corrected without making it up (not only from this story, but also suggesting that the Alberto Gonzales resignation had anything to do with his ethnicity). Not every conflict involving a non-white person is racially motivated. Sometimes people just act like jerks for a variety of other reasons.
August 30th, 2007 at 8:52 amComment by brentbent — August 30, 2007 @ 8:48 am
I agree with everything you said in your post. Oprah Winfrey once did a thing on her show where she took a handful of black men, dressed them in nice but casual clothing, and set them in downtown Chicago. They were to ask total strangers for directions to different places. After they did this, they were brought back to the studio, disguised as white men (dermablend, false noses, etc.), dressed in the same clothing, and returned to the same spots with the same instructions. As black men, they experienced people avoiding them, or speaking to them as little as possible. As white men, they were readily engaged in conversation, given very detailed answers to their questions, and treated with much more politeness.
Much of the racism that we have in our society today is subtle, insidious, and much harder to detect than it was, say, in the Jim Crow south of half a century ago. We need to be aware of this and overcome it.
But just as important — we must not assume that every situation involving a non-white person has to do with their race or ethnicity. In the anecdote of this thread, it’s possible Condi was being dissed for her race. It’s also possible that both she and the clerk were just having a bad day.
August 30th, 2007 at 9:03 amWow. There is a whole lot of stupid in this thread. A Rock of Gibraltar sized chunk of fail. You people are so blinded by partisan rage that you look for any excuse at all to lash out at the current administration. It is sad really. Even more pathetic is how stunned and devastated you will be once Hillary gets the (D) nomination and then loses in the General Election. Hopefully the more pathetic of your lot will actually move to Canada or Europe. America is much, much better off without pillow-biting Nancys like yourselves.
Find a real reason to argue about this administration. Iraq certainly doesn’t count either, since we are winning that war. The surge is working, the left-leaning media in this country simply refuses to broadcast it.
August 30th, 2007 at 9:16 amHow does anyone here know whether or not the clerk was black?
Where did race even enter this discussion?
How does anyone know what the clerk was thinking?
What we do know is what Condi said. She brought up minimum wage.
Anything else is speculation or a figment of their imagination.
August 30th, 2007 at 9:36 amGood for Condi. I’d get a little cranky being racially profiled by some white trash bonehead behind a jewelry counter.
August 30th, 2007 at 9:45 amcondi was totally in the right…i frequently drive away from drive-throughs when the illegal immigrants that dont know how to speak english try to give me attitude
August 30th, 2007 at 9:45 ami love how all the bush haters cling to stories like this when they run out of fodder… so the jewelry store clerk was a racist and condi’s supposed to sheepishly walk awaly? those that digg this article are probably the dumbest of all.
August 30th, 2007 at 9:55 amthis is flamebait and I expect better from this blog. Honestly: this is not political news. What, is there a news drought? Really, it’s not like the bush administration is giving you guys a hard time when it comes to “bad shit that they do, pretty much every day.”
August 30th, 2007 at 10:38 amI really don’t see this as a race issue. For one thing, it doesn’t say when this happened, but if it happened when she was secretary of state–and I would assume it would, as the point of the article is that she “has lost none of her bluntness”, so it would be safe to assume it was recent–there’s no way anyone would confuse her, no matter how racist, with someone who couldn’t afford jewelry.
The point of this is her response. I probably would have been rude as well, but reducing it to a “I make more than you” insult is just childish, and not becoming of a member of the president’s cabinet.
She’s not supposed to “sheepishly walk away,” she’s supposed to act like a woman with dignity and class, and acting like a spoiled snot is not the appropriate response. I tell this to immature children all the time, just because a person is in the wrong doesn’t give you the right to act that way. Two wrongs have never once made a right.
It’s not a democrat/republican thing; it’s a rich vs. poor thing, and the wealthy classes idea that making more money makes you a better person. The clerk lost control of her emotions and was rude and then Condi lost control of hers and was rude, and that makes them pretty equal in my book.
August 30th, 2007 at 11:01 amIf someone at a store treats me like that clerk did, I would easily put them in their place. I probably wouldn’t be as rude, but none the less if I am a paying customer I don’t deserve crap. I am not rich, not even close to rich. But I would put whomever in their place in a second if they acted like that.
August 30th, 2007 at 12:06 pmShe’s a failure at what she has chosen to do for a living. That fact alone disqualifies her from being able to dress anyone down. Her name will be a punchline in American history. For those making this a race issue, Colin Powell was an amazing African-American politician. As is Barak Obama. There are smart, successful people in all races who stand out, make a change and are incredible human beings. Condi is NOT one of those people.
August 30th, 2007 at 12:41 pmShoes!
August 30th, 2007 at 1:07 pmI suppose for all of you bashing her, if someone gives you crap for no reason whatsoever, you just sit there and take it? Must be an awesome, way to live — bending over and taking it.
bottom line:
August 30th, 2007 at 1:31 pmGirl gave her lip, Condi gave it back better. Non issue.
Condi for President! She’d have my vote!
August 30th, 2007 at 1:42 pm#15 “You mean to tell me that the clerk didn’t know who she was? I assume that Condi has her contingent of secret service around her when she shops, and she is pretty famous.” – bilbogaggins
You do realize this story takes place years ago, possibly even in 1989. Are you telling me that you knew who she was in 1989? You may not have even been potty-trained back then. I’m sure the store clerk lacked the prophetic vision needed to know that she would one day become one of the most powerful women in the world.
August 30th, 2007 at 1:49 pmHaving gotten poor service from a jewelry store clerk in a manner that made it clear to us that we didn’t belong in he store, I don’t fault Rice for dressing this clerk down. (I fault her with a fair share of the blame I have against Bush administration, however.)
People in these types of retail stores can act just as snobbish as the customers they serve.
August 30th, 2007 at 1:52 pmCondi was rude and belligerent, but the clerk is not without fault either. She should’ve waited until Condi left to make a snide comment.
Overall though, Condi could’ve done without the snob attitude.
August 30th, 2007 at 2:07 pmNegra pisada mal parida!
August 30th, 2007 at 2:19 pmNow, this whole discussion has just made me wonder, if people in USA have any idea what is going on in the world at all? Half you people think this is some kind of “racial issue” and you are acting like bragging about how much you make and putting down people for doing mininum wage is something your super heros would and should do… I mean, how the hell do you think people would ever get along with each other in a world, where Condi just went around, bragging about how much she makes, putting people down like they were dogs?
Come on, you might be Americans. You might be either colored, latino or caucasian, but THE POINT HERE IS THAT SHE WAS REALLY RUDE AND OFFENDING to the clerk. Sure, who knows, we know just something that some bloke remembers and not the clerk’s opinion of how the things were and what she said to Condi, if anything, but my mom always told me to BE POLITE with people and Condi really showed us, Europeans, that all republicans just want to have their asses sucked until your beloved country is nothing, but ruins…
Yeah, right, half of the people here think that it’s ok to be a DICK (Cheney) and put people down, when a simple “Sorry, but I would like to have a word with your boss now.” would’ve been both very polite and still effective, if there ever was a problem. No wonder you guys have “some” trouble with foreigners, when Condi is acting like that. Maybe she missed her time with her shrink?
August 30th, 2007 at 3:01 pmI think the saddest part is that people like Condi would be the first ones to tell you how much they represent the American spirit, while acting the complete opposite. I bet 250 years ago Condi, Rove and all the rest would have been the “brains” behind King George.
August 30th, 2007 at 3:21 pmI would’ve come back with, “Yeah, pretty good job on the Iraq invasion. Way 2 miss the daily briefings; what was it called again?” or “How many dollars have you made on this war, Condi?”
August 30th, 2007 at 4:13 pmHat’s off to Condi! I too, have had my fill of self serving lazy clerks behind counters running their fly traps. I don’t put up with it any more. If they are going to be jerks they need to expect the consequences. Most of them need to get off their lazy asses and stop using their cell phones and talking to their trashy friends and pay attention to their jobs! Condescending minimum wage clerks need to be kept in their places!
August 30th, 2007 at 4:43 pmJust one comment: Isn’t Condoleeza Rice part of an administration that feels that a pharmacy clerk’s religious beliefs take precedence over the law of the country? If a person supports that action, they really have no recourse or right to complain that any clerk, anywhere offers an unwanted opinion on the person’s purchase. Indeed, if the clerk felt that selling Ms. Rice any jewelery was wrong on a moral or religious level, the clerk should be (using Ms. Rice’ logic) legally protected from any ramifications that might arise from their action. In other words, whether Ms. Rice was or was not employed by G.W. Bush at the time, she has apparently held her beliefs for some time, and should, therefore have no problem with a clerk “sassing” her, no matter what the reason.
August 30th, 2007 at 4:57 pmBy the way, just so you know, I’m not a fan of Republicans or Democrats, I believe that they are all crooks. I believe that I should be able to watch porn, own guns, send my child to any school, (including religious ones) that I choose with my tax money and not be forced to live by the rules of a religion that I don’t subscribe to. I think that illegal immigrants are criminals and should be offered no chance at citizenship, and I believe that any homosexual couple who can find a minister to marry them, has the right to be married.
Liberals grasping at straws. Condi herself told this story to Nicholas Lemann in 2002.
The fact is this: liberals are willing to tolerate racism when it is directed at black people they do not like. Period. End of story.
The notion that you don’t is simple horse manure.
August 30th, 2007 at 6:43 pmLet’s hope all her heels break!
August 30th, 2007 at 8:00 pmOh for god’s sake, stripping out the context – a store clerk who refused to show her anything but costume jewelry – is just racist.
August 30th, 2007 at 8:01 pmI thought that she (sort of) did the right thing. It seems as though the clerk was being rude for no good reason. Any other customer would have been furious, and Condi is no exception.
August 30th, 2007 at 9:17 pmHow sexy is that. God, what I wouldn’t give to go out with that woman. I bet she’s an animal in the sack!
August 30th, 2007 at 9:24 pmI gotta say… all these comments concern me. No matter how little money someone makes they are still a human being… and are to be treated with dignity befitting a human being. Seems like many people still think that a higher net worth equates to higher human value. The value of a human life is indivisible and not subject to gradations. This was the prime lesson of WWII. Jews are human beings…not vermin. Blacks are human beings… not cattle. Republicans and Democrats are human beings. This whole interaction on the part of BOTH parties in the store and on the national stage smacks of the thinly cloaked violence that our society has come to embody. It’s clearly not hard to extrapolate such small interactions to the behaviour of our nation as a whole.
August 30th, 2007 at 9:47 pmThis kind of shameful behavior is not acceptable from top Diplomat who is representing USA.
August 30th, 2007 at 10:14 pmCurrently there is a bigger case against her for bad decision, bad judgment and cover up that Senate might investigate after they come back from vacation and when freedom-loving American people find out about the case completely then they will be really angry. FYI please search Google with a name Kavousifar and find out about the case yourself with all photos.
Majid and Hossein Kavousifar, they both left Iran for Abu Dhabi following the assassination of the top murderous Islamist judge, Hassan Moghaddas,( Washington Post called him as “Judge, Jury and Prosecutorâ€) and they both took refuge in the US Embassy where they had applied for US asylum (2005). So far State Dept has not provided information as to why they were handed over to the Islamic Republic of Iran agents when they were aware that they would definitely be facing, torture and execution.
What was the Secretary Condi Rice’s logic for her actions regarding Kavousifar case to send them for Torture and finally Execution by Mullah’s agents when there is no diplomatic relation with Iran and Mullahs are declared as Terror State by State Dept and responsible for killing many Americans in past 28 years …? (News source: VOA on Thursday, August 2, 2007 ) Condi Rice action does not match president Bush statement on June 16, 2005 “And to the Iranian people, I say: As you stand for your own liberty, the people of America stand with you.”
Majid Kavousifar 28 and Hossein Kavousifar 24 executed in public in front of family members on August 2, 2007 Majid smiled with victory, no remorse and waved good bye. The mother of Hossein cried out: “God, please give me back my son.” Please don’t cry, search Google and write to your Senator for public investigation for Unjust Law and sign petition related to this case.
Petition: Stay the Hands of the Murdering Mullahs URL:
August 30th, 2007 at 10:32 pmhttp://www.petitiononline.com/achat49/petition.html
Kavousifar case investigation by Media and Senate will put Condi Rice in check mate position with no way out because she was in charge of State Dept. and her best option will be resignation soon. Dirty deals with Terror Master and Mullahs are not forgiven by public after Sept. 11.
August 30th, 2007 at 11:47 pmShopping? Is there a hurricane coming I don’t know about?
August 31st, 2007 at 12:15 amWow. I can’t believe there would be this many racist or bigoted comments about this article. I find Bush and his advisors to be scary people. And as one of his advisors, Rice has played a destructive role in formulating policies that have had devastating impact on our long-term security, reputation and national budget.
I understand if people were criticizing her right after her “birth pangs of a new Middle East” comment at the time when Israel was obliterating parts of southern Lebanon. But the vitriol directed at Rice regarding this private interaction about which we have only sketchy details says more about the hysterical posters than it does about Rice herself.
I have to conclude many of the posters just followed the link and aren’t really regular readers of thinkprogress.
August 31st, 2007 at 6:26 amI wonder how the whole transaction went down. Did Condi enter the store snippy…or did the sales woman have an attitude first? I have experienced nasty sales people and if you did nothing to provoke them, it could make you extremely angry dealing with them. However, if you come into the store treating a salesperson as “Help”…that could make them rather nasty towards you. So it really depends on who had the attitude problem first.
August 31st, 2007 at 11:33 amGood for Condi! All snooty sales people should be put in their place!
August 31st, 2007 at 2:33 pmI am not surprised about her unprofessional behavior in the shop, because according to Marcus Mabry from Newsweek Condi Rice has no principle …. :
“Across the political spectrum, many of Rice’s former bosses now question whether she ever identified with them at all. Rice’s central philosophy is power—not realist or idealist or Marxist, but personal power. She does what she has to in order to achieve it in whatever situation she finds herself, and, throughout her career, some would argue, opportunistically conformed to her mentors’ opinions in order to rise. “She did this with me and… ”
August 31st, 2007 at 6:56 pmSource: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/users/login.php?story_id=3781&URL=http://www.foreignpolicy.com
Costume jewelry does not mean bad quality. It means not natural stones. This makes them cost less than real stones, but sometimes more. Most jewelry stores carry some costume jewelry and very rich people buy it. Some of it costs thousands of dollars.
The article doesn’t say what store it was, but you can bet t wasn’t Wal-Mart. And it doesn’t say how she treated the salesperson from the beginning. If she talked down the PERSON and her merchandise, as her history of treating people would suggest, then she was wrong. The person is there to sell you something. Salespeople in that kind of store work on commission. It doesn’t matter who you are or what color you are they will treat you well until you leave the store, at least.
Also, remember this is the same person who told Saddam it was OK to invade Kuwait.
September 2nd, 2007 at 9:19 amIf Rice were paid according to how effective she was, she’d be earning minimum wage too.
September 4th, 2007 at 6:27 am