Odd I think, but racist?

meglome · 15-10-2007 04:49PM #1

The girlfriend was in a hurry to get a hair cut/colour about a week ago. So she popped into the new Polish place on Capel Street. Just happened to be the closest place at the time. The signs on the outside are in English so she didn't think there was any reason not to go in. So in she goes and asks the girls for what she wants. Firstly they don't speak much English but fair enough not really an issue for her as she's not asking for brain surgery. They have no interest in cutting her hair whatsoever and it's not because they have lots of customers, they don't have any. All the signs in the shop are in Polish and as far the gf can say they don't want to cut her hair as she's not Polish. I run a business myself so within reason anyone's money is as good as anyone else’s.

So yesterday we're talking to a friend of ours who's just been in London. She was staying in Brixton. She had a few hours to kill so she decided to get a hair cut. No problem she thinks, there’s a load of hairdressers around there. So she goes into the first place along and asks for a wash/cut. They don't want to cut her hair. So she goes into the next place and they don't want to cut her hair either. So she asks them to tell her where to go to get a haircut. They send her round the corner to another place which ends up costing quite a bit. For anyone who knows Brixton it's pretty black, as in the people, and so are the shops. These shops didn't have any customers but they don't want to cut her hair, she's white is that a factor?

So twice in the space of a week I've heard the same story. I find this strange because a business is successful or not based on its cash flow and nothing else. If you have no customers I would have thought you'd almost take anyone but seemingly not.

Is this racist or what is it?

Kintarō Hattori · 15-10-2007 04:56PM

A few years back one of the girls here from the office went into one of the Korean hairdressers in Parnell Street and they refused to cut her hair. Dunno why it is but I have heard of it happening to others too.

phasers · 15-10-2007 04:57PM

yet if an Irish hairdressers did it to a foreign person it would be all over the papers the next day

meglome · 15-10-2007 04:57PM

eo980 wrote: »

A few years back one of the girls here from the office went into one of the Korean hairdressers in Parnell Street and they refused to cut her hair. Dunno why it is but I have heard of it happening to others too.

Funnily enough the gf gets her hair cut there sometimes.

connundrum · 15-10-2007 04:59PM

Management have the right to refuse. Unless either shop specifically said - You're not getting service because you're Irish/White - then there's not much to go on.

Either way, I'd be quite nervous about telling a girl which way I wanted my hair cut, knowing that she has very little English.

'I think joo say noomber 1 all over. Is no goot??'

Trojan911 · 15-10-2007 04:59PM

meglome wrote: »

So twice in the space of a week I've heard the same story. I find this strange because a business is successful or not based on its cash flow and nothing else. If you have no customers I would have thought you'd almost take anyone but seemingly not. Is this racist or what is it?

And here is another one, I went into a barbers in New Cross in South East London many moons ago to get my hair cut. I was told by the black barber that they only cut afro hair. Racist? Or is it they can't cut non afro hair?

TJ911...

Karl Hungus · 15-10-2007 05:00PM

Definitely wouldn't be something new. Afaik, there was a shop in Dublin owned by Nigerians that had a sign in the window that said "No White People"

Certainly racism, and I'd get onto some authority about that, it shouldn't be tolerated.

Vegeta · 15-10-2007 05:02PM

Trojan911 wrote: »

And here is another one, I went into a barbers in New Cross in South East London many moons ago to get my hair cut. I was told by the black barber that they only cut afro hair. Racist? Or is it they can't cut non afro hair?

TJ911...

was just thinking the same thing, maybe they just don't have the experience and were afraid they'd mess it up

Fratton Fred · 15-10-2007 05:02PM

Black hairdressers are different though, an Afro Caribbean’s hair is different and the skills are different, so I can understand the reluctance. I had my head shaved in the Caribbean once and they shaved the edges with a razor blade so I had right angles in my hair line, I looked like a short fat white gangsta rapper.

Polish hair though, it looks pretty much the same as Irish hair to me

Fratton Fred · 15-10-2007 05:03PM

Trojan911 wrote: »

And here is another one, I went into a barbers in New Cross in South East London many moons ago to get my hair cut. I was told by the black barber that they only cut afro hair. Racist? Or is it they can't cut non afro hair?

TJ911...

That is outrageous.

What on earth were you doing in New Cross:eek:

Archeron · 15-10-2007 05:04PM

That is strange. There is an eastern european barber on Talbot street, and I've got my hair cut there twice with not a bother (because I missed my bus and didnt want to hang around in Busaras).
You dont get much chit chat, which is good, and the women are all unbelievably hot too. Win win!!

Trojan911 · 15-10-2007 05:04PM

Vegeta wrote: »

was just thinking the same thing, maybe they just don't have the experience and were afraid they'd mess it up

I went for the latter as well.... Afro hair is a different ball game....

TJ911...

Trojan911 · 15-10-2007 05:05PM

Fratton Fred wrote: »

What on earth were you doing in New Cross:eek:

Lived there for a bit...... Having read the above I incidently get my hair done by a Polish female if her [Irish] boss is away when I pop in.... Never any hassle, does a good job too and a stunner as well ..:D

TJ911...

Fratton Fred · 15-10-2007 05:06PM

Trojan911 wrote: »

Lived there for a bit......

TJ911...

and you live to tell the tale. Fair play to you:cool:

SimpleSam06 · 15-10-2007 05:06PM

connundrum wrote: »

Management have the right to refuse. Unless either shop specifically said - You're not getting service because you're Irish/White - then there's not much to go on.

Management do not have the right to refuse based on culture, race, or ethnic background as several pubs who tried to bar all travellers found out. If the Dept of Justice, Equality and Law Reform is informed about such carry on, they will conduct their own investigation. It could be as simple as sending in a couple of Irish women per day to see are they refused, as opposed to anyone else. The establishment if found in contravention of Equality acts could be warned, fined, or shut down if it perseveres.

Degsy · 15-10-2007 05:12PM

There's a shop in moore street that wont serve whites..its called X-cat or something like that.It doesnt have a sign or anything but it seems to be a policy from what i can gather.There's also a shop in Drogheda that had a sign up saying No White People,they were made to take the sign down but as far as i'm concerned they should have been closed down and prosecuted under the Incitement to Hatred Act.

Trojan911 · 15-10-2007 05:13PM

Fratton Fred wrote: »

and you live to tell the tale. Fair play to you:cool:

Well, I kinda moved out of the area when the house I was sharing with two guys 'n' two gals got raided by plod for armed robbery. The two gals turned out to be crack whores whose pimp used to call every night to them so I decided I would head to pastures new after that.

TJ911...

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar · 15-10-2007 05:13PM

that's ****ing brilliant

i'm going to open a shop in israel and refuse to serve jews. I can see myself making millions.

humbert · 15-10-2007 05:14PM

Karl Hungus wrote: »

Definitely wouldn't be something new. Afaik, there was a shop in Dublin owned by Nigerians that had a sign in the window that said "No White People"

I heard the same about a shop in Dundalk run by Nigerians, I was quite sure it was true, as a matter of fact I think I saw the sign myself but since the two stories are nearly identical I'm a little reluctant to put it forward as fact in case I just picked up some rumour going round.

Either way, it shouldn't be tolerated, but hair dressers are gossipy social little places(bit like the pub for the wimmins I suppose) so I could see them being cliquey.

Vegeta · 15-10-2007 05:17PM

Trojan911 wrote: »

I went for the latter as well.... Afro hair is a different ball game....

TJ911...

I think they would cut my hair though as I have a white mans afro. My dad even slags me about it

projectmayhem · 15-10-2007 05:18PM

heard a few of these types of stories now. it links back to having a 20% foreign national population in this country, but at this point, if these foreign nationals aren't trying to integrate, but instead have their own neck of the woods to themselves only, we'll find outselves in a huge racist power struggle soon.

dodgyme · 15-10-2007 05:19PM

Trojan911 wrote: »

Well, I kinda moved out of the area when the house I was sharing with two guys 'n' two gals got raided by plod for armed robbery. The two gals turned out to be crack whores whose pimp used to call every night to them so I decided I would head to pastures new after that.

TJ911...

Feckin hell - more details more details

SimpleSam06 · 15-10-2007 05:23PM

projectmayhem wrote: »

it links back to having a 20% foreign national population in this country

10%.

meglome · 15-10-2007 05:34PM

Trojan911 wrote: »

And here is another one, I went into a barbers in New Cross in South East London many moons ago to get my hair cut. I was told by the black barber that they only cut afro hair. Racist? Or is it they can't cut non afro hair?

TJ911...

Well they both have fairly straight 'normal' hair so wouldn't that be easier?

meglome · 15-10-2007 05:39PM

connundrum wrote: »

Management have the right to refuse. Unless either shop specifically said - You're not getting service because you're Irish/White - then there's not much to go on.

Either way, I'd be quite nervous about telling a girl which way I wanted my hair cut, knowing that she has very little English.

'I think joo say noomber 1 all over. Is no goot??'

Fair enough but when you have no customers you'd think it would be crazy to turn away a paying customer. And let's face it Irish people are used to paying more for these services than the Polish.

arseagon · 15-10-2007 05:42PM

There was a shop in Enniscorthy that got into trouble for having a sign saying "No Irish". They were forced to take it down but by then it had done what they intended to do because no locals would darken the doorstep.

Terry · 15-10-2007 05:46PM

Thus begins the ghettoisation of Ireland.

Make your own signs, folks.

http://dogonablog.files.wordpress.com/2007/01/no_irish_no_blacks.jpg
http://www.rzuser.uni-heidelberg.de/~el6/presentations/Irish_Americans_S2_WS2003/foto/Image7.gif
http://www.lordtaylor.org/img/cdcover.jpg
http://memory.loc.gov/rbc/amss/cw1/cw104040/001q.gif
http://www.triskelle.eu/images/img_nina.jpg

Now let's sit back as we once again become second class citizens in our own country.

Hobbes · 15-10-2007 05:48PM

Karl Hungus wrote: »

Definitely wouldn't be something new. Afaik, there was a shop in Dublin owned by Nigerians that had a sign in the window that said "No White People"

This was discussed on boards many many years ago. As I recall Blade answered what went on. As I recall on that particular incident it was a case of bad English on the sign and they were trying to say that they were only skilled in cutting black peoples hair.

This may also apply to Asian hair as well, as I have had a similar situation in the US with a Japanese hairdressers. They recommended me to another salon which was pretty much the same price. They explained (may or may not be true) that Japanese hair is different in how it cut with Western styles and generally the customer just gets upset. So to save hassle they send them elsewhere.

However in Ireland at least it is illegal to refuse to serve someone based on race. So if they had something like "Polish only" you might want to report it.

curiousxxx1 · 15-10-2007 05:48PM

phasers wrote: »

yet if an Irish hairdressers did it to a foreign person it would be all over the papers the next day

Actually not.. Peter Mark wouldn't do my hair
1st, for Africans they are not used to the European hair... Our hair is thick and we have to perm it to look straight...Our hair naturally should be afro's but we tend to straighten it.
As for the Polish salon, next time it should say "Polish only". Your gf can report them as she wasn't treated fairly.

tallus · 15-10-2007 05:48PM

Also, there was a shop in Oldcaste Co Meath, that wouldn't serve catholics. My mam told me about it once as we have relatives out in that neck of the woods. I'll try to find out the name later.

cas91 · 15-10-2007 05:50PM

Its definitley racist theres no doubt about it.,.
But there also losing out themselves..however big the POlish population i Ireland is, if they took in Irish customers they'd be doing better for themselves financially.
Whatever they're doing its against the law but to be honest I would'nt be bothered with them ther only losing out themselves after all..

Cas

Odd I think, but racist?

Comments