On Thursday Nov 10/11 I witnessed something that I have to share with you all. I was in Johnny B’s having a beer, when a man walked in and immediately began denigrating the bartender. I don’t know his name but he claimed to be the singer in a band, the Nassville 5. This person walked strait up to the bartender and began yelling at her. He claimed that he had been trying to get his band a job playing in this bar for months without success, and that she (the bartender) was a white trash racist. At this point the bartender tried to say, “I only serve beer, I don’t have anything to do with hiring bands”. He continued to denigrate her with a barrage of insults and racial epithets. Finally a gentleman stepped in and told him he was being out of line, and he should be talking to the management, not the bartender. He then started throwing insults at the gentleman for sticking up for the bartender, who was standing there in utter disbelief. Finally he was told to leave and he started out the door with obscenities and insults flying all the way.
I can’t say why the Nassville 5 has never played at Johnny B’s because I don’t know for sure, but after witnessing this I have a real solid hunch. I have seen this band play a number of times at the Moby Dick and most of the other guys in the band are OK, and by themselves did a decent job. However, every time I’ve seen them, the singer was so drunk he could not remember the words of even the most well known classic tunes. I wonder if this is why he doesn’t work at J B’s. One thing’s for sure, after this I don’t think he’ll be playing there any time soon. That was a hell of a job interview he conducted. This guy purposely ambushed someone he perceived as an easy target and not in a position to fight back. I think that’s despicable. The first nations community has a hard enough time dealing with the social inequality and racial barriers that exist, they probably don’t need this guys help either.
Next time you’re out having a few pints, remember to thank, and tip your barkeep because they put up with a lot of crap from some people.
Well I think he just cemented that the Nassville 5 will NEVER be playing at Johnny B’s in the future and if I were another pub/bar I would be banning him as well for such ridiculousness and blatant racism towards the bartender.
Yes, it was a blatant display of racism that was directed at the bartender, for sure. But I can’t help but think that he’d be willing to do it to a stranger on the street, just as easily. I think he blames the entire non-native establishment for how his life has turned out. We’ve all probably been discriminated at some point in our lives. Some companies will not hire you without a grade 12 education no matter how qualified you may be. There are exclusive clubs that discriminate who can join. All that being said, a person that discriminates may not be a racist but a racist will always discriminate. In this case Johnny B’s probably does not hire bad musicians that are also drunks. And since 85 to 90 percent of the employees at the Rupert Hotel are native, I doubt they’re all a bunch of racists.
" A person that discriminates may not be a racist, but a racist will always discriminate "
this is a great quote .....some of us may have to read it at least three or four times, untill you truly understand it.