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For anyone who didn't see David Letterman's take on this: (And it's a true
story...) On a recent weekend in Atlantic City , a woman won a bucketful of
quarters at a slot machine. She took a break from the slots for dinner with
her husband in the hotel dining room. But first she wanted to stash the
quarters in her room. 'I'll be right back and we'll go to eat,' she told her
husband and carried the coin-laden bucket to the elevator.
As she was about to walk into the elevator she noticed two men already
aboard. Both were black. One of them was tall...very tall...an
intimidating figure. The woman froze. Her first thought was: 'These two are
going to rob me.' Her next thought was: 'Don't be a bigot; they look like
perfectly nice gentlemen.' But racial stereotypes are powerful, and fear
immobilized her. She stood and stared at the two men. She felt anxious,
flustered and ashamed. She hoped they didn't read her mind but gosh, they
had to know what she was thinking!!!
Her hesitation about joining them in the elevator was all too obvious now.
Her face was flushed. She couldn't just stand there, so with a mighty effort
of will she picked up one foot and stepped forward and followed with the
other foot and was on the elevator. Avoiding eye contact, she turned around
stiffly and faced the elevator doors as they closed. A second passed, and
then another second, and then another. Her fear increased! The elevator
didn't move. Panic consumed her. 'My God,' she thought, I'm trapped and
about to be robbed! 'Her heart plummeted. Perspiration poured from every
pore.
Then one of the men said, 'Hit the floor.' Instinct told her to do what they
told her. The bucket of quarters flew upwards as she threw out her arms and
collapsed on the elevator floor. A shower of coins rained down on her. Take
my money and spare me, she prayed. More seconds passed. She heard one of the
men say politely, 'Ma'am, if you'll just tell us what floor you're going to,
we'll push the button.' The one who said it had a little trouble getting the
words out. He was trying mightily to hold in a belly laugh. The woman lifted
her head and looked up at the two men. They reached down to help her up.
Confused, she struggled to her feet. 'When I told my friend here to hit the
floor,' said the average sized one, 'I meant that he should hit the elevator
button for our floor. I didn't mean for you to hit the floor, ma'am.' He
spoke genially. He bit his lip. It was obvious he was having a hard time not
laughing. The woman thought: 'My God, what a spectacle I've made of myself.'
She was too humiliated to speak. She wanted to blurt out an apology, but
words failed her. How do you apologize to two perfectly respectable
gentlemen for behaving as though they were going to rob you? She didn't know
what to say. The three of them gathered up the strewn quarters and refilled
her bucket. When the elevator arrived at her floor they then insisted on
walking her to her room. She seemed a little unsteady on her feet, and they
were afraid she might not make it down the corridor. At her door they bid
her a good evening. As she slipped into her room she could hear them roaring
with laughter as they walked back to the elevator. The woman brushed herself
off. She pulled herself together and went downstairs for dinner with her
husband.
The next morning flowers were delivered to her room - a dozen roses.
Attached to EACH rose was a crisp one hundred dollar bill.
The card said: 'Thanks for the best laugh we've had in years.'
It was signed;
Eddie Murphy
Michael Jordan
story...) On a recent weekend in Atlantic City , a woman won a bucketful of
quarters at a slot machine. She took a break from the slots for dinner with
her husband in the hotel dining room. But first she wanted to stash the
quarters in her room. 'I'll be right back and we'll go to eat,' she told her
husband and carried the coin-laden bucket to the elevator.
As she was about to walk into the elevator she noticed two men already
aboard. Both were black. One of them was tall...very tall...an
intimidating figure. The woman froze. Her first thought was: 'These two are
going to rob me.' Her next thought was: 'Don't be a bigot; they look like
perfectly nice gentlemen.' But racial stereotypes are powerful, and fear
immobilized her. She stood and stared at the two men. She felt anxious,
flustered and ashamed. She hoped they didn't read her mind but gosh, they
had to know what she was thinking!!!
Her hesitation about joining them in the elevator was all too obvious now.
Her face was flushed. She couldn't just stand there, so with a mighty effort
of will she picked up one foot and stepped forward and followed with the
other foot and was on the elevator. Avoiding eye contact, she turned around
stiffly and faced the elevator doors as they closed. A second passed, and
then another second, and then another. Her fear increased! The elevator
didn't move. Panic consumed her. 'My God,' she thought, I'm trapped and
about to be robbed! 'Her heart plummeted. Perspiration poured from every
pore.
Then one of the men said, 'Hit the floor.' Instinct told her to do what they
told her. The bucket of quarters flew upwards as she threw out her arms and
collapsed on the elevator floor. A shower of coins rained down on her. Take
my money and spare me, she prayed. More seconds passed. She heard one of the
men say politely, 'Ma'am, if you'll just tell us what floor you're going to,
we'll push the button.' The one who said it had a little trouble getting the
words out. He was trying mightily to hold in a belly laugh. The woman lifted
her head and looked up at the two men. They reached down to help her up.
Confused, she struggled to her feet. 'When I told my friend here to hit the
floor,' said the average sized one, 'I meant that he should hit the elevator
button for our floor. I didn't mean for you to hit the floor, ma'am.' He
spoke genially. He bit his lip. It was obvious he was having a hard time not
laughing. The woman thought: 'My God, what a spectacle I've made of myself.'
She was too humiliated to speak. She wanted to blurt out an apology, but
words failed her. How do you apologize to two perfectly respectable
gentlemen for behaving as though they were going to rob you? She didn't know
what to say. The three of them gathered up the strewn quarters and refilled
her bucket. When the elevator arrived at her floor they then insisted on
walking her to her room. She seemed a little unsteady on her feet, and they
were afraid she might not make it down the corridor. At her door they bid
her a good evening. As she slipped into her room she could hear them roaring
with laughter as they walked back to the elevator. The woman brushed herself
off. She pulled herself together and went downstairs for dinner with her
husband.
The next morning flowers were delivered to her room - a dozen roses.
Attached to EACH rose was a crisp one hundred dollar bill.
The card said: 'Thanks for the best laugh we've had in years.'
It was signed;
Eddie Murphy
Michael Jordan
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