brad50
06-14-2009, 01:19 PM
Black Robbers
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
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