Buckle up. We’re going for a ride. I’m shook up about an experience I had at work today and I think this is the only place it’ll be understood. I work in jewelry sales. A man came in to buy an engagement ring and brought his friend for support. They revealed to me within minutes that 1) they were the biggest rednecks I’d ever meet, (their words not mine) 2) Sheriff and deputy of a neighboring county.
When they told me the later I gave a polite smile and said “that’s nice”.
And the sheriff replied: “depends on who you ask”, squinted at me, and then they both laughed it off and we continued with the sale. I quickly got fed up with faking the funk so I pretended to take a forgotten appointment and turned the sale over to another associate.
About an hour later I walk buy in search of an item for another customer. The deputy calls my attention and he leans in and motions to a tattoo of mine. The tattoo is of a Roman numeral 3, a family tattoo shared between myself and my siblings. He asks in basically a whisper: “Your Roman numeral tattoo, is that for the 3 percenters?”
I have literally no idea what he’s saying to me but I’m immediately on edge with the whispering and the questioning. I ask: “what are you asking?”
And he said: “the three percenters?” I gave no reply. “The three percent of men that stood up against a tyrannical government?”
I laughed nervously and said “oh no. No this is something personal to my family”
And he quickly understood I wasn’t interested. The sheriff (support friend) put his arm out in front of the deputy and apologized and said “Sorry about that, he’s a big history buff”
And the deputy dismissed me with a sarcastic “sorry, I just love history”.
I’ll admit I had no idea what he was asking at the time, so I ran to the internet and was horrified with what I saw. Far right, extremist groups listed as terrorists. Outing themselves in broad daylight. “Serve and protect” for who? And I realize this is an Anti-work page. This is the second time within a month that I was forced to provide service to these people. Two weeks ago a man came in wearing swstiks on his boots and belt. I’m in a mixed marriage and my child is biracial. I’m trying not to be paranoid but I don’t enjoy having to serve people like this. And I’m afraid for my family. With the recent state of the world I don’t enjoy that they know where I work.
I live in a very red area and I’m exhausted.