The reward for the long drive back from Wyoming was an overnight at The Hotel in Las Vegas. Dinner--because it was a reward--was at Mix, The Hotel's top-floor restaurant with a sweeping view of the city and a top-dollar menu.
Champagne, tuna tartare, and a curry lobster, and to-die-for bread. All was well. In fact, things were still going well when two gentlemen sat at the table beside us.
Now, for whatever reason, the two men decided to strike up a conversation with us. "What brings you to Las Vegas?" led to a long conversation that continues to disturb me two days later.
The two men (white and in their mid-forties to early fifties) were attending the National Broadcasters Association conference. We had friends and business associates in common as it turns out. And then the conversation turned to the Imus affair. I stayed silent--happy with my ciabatta roll. The men, all in agreement, said it was a First Amendment right for Imus to say what he wanted. Not that it was okay, but . . . should he have been fired? No. I continued to enjoy my ciabatta roll. Inside, I was disagreeing, but why ruin a good meal? I didn't say anything when one of the broadcaster guys said: yeah, that Al Sharpton is dangerous.
Then the conversation turned. With a chuckle, one of the broadcasters said of the other: "Now, if you want to hear something controversial then you better not ask my partner here about his super right-wing views."
We all laughed. Huh-huh-huh. But then I noticed, the guy wasn't laughing. The rest of the conversation went something like this:
"Oh, really? You seriously are right-wing?" I asked. From all that I knew of him thus far, born and bred in New York City, and eager to chat up the only black folks in the restaurant, right-wing didn't fit.
"Yeah, ask him about how he feels about Muslims."
"How do you feel about Muslims?"
"You don't want to know."
"What?" I asked.
"I think Islam is a bunch of crap. That's no religion--people going around blowing each other up. Blowing up kids. Exploding planes into buildings and killing thousands of our people."
You know, as I write this, I realize I don't want to recount the rest because it only gives the man a forum for his bigoted views.
But here's essentially what I had to say: " ."
Yup, nothing. I didn't want to ruin dinner.
I did register my vehement disagreement, but I didn't challenge him because it wouldn't be polite.
I don't know that I would handle the moment any differently now. His opinion was so outrageously bigoted. What do you do in the face of such bigotry? Is the conversation even worth continuing?
