Pride Run Amok... or, "Would You Like Fries With That Smirk?"

It was one of those moments where I didn’t know whether or not I was supposed to be angry.

I was at a McDonald’s restaurant yesterday morning. Okay, say what you will, but I had to be to the job extra early, and I had no time to eat breakfast while standing still.

In the Chicago area there is a large number of Hispanic immigrants. I’m sure a significant portion of them are here illegally – probably not the majority, but a significant number just the same.

So I got to the counter at this McDonald’s just as an older white guy – say mid-50s to early 60s -- finished ordering his breakfast. The young woman behind the counter – Hispanic, most likely Mexican, who seemed to speak and understand English well enough – misunderstood something the man said, or he misunderstood something she said, and she had to recount his change. Then he said, quite loudly, “Do you have a green card?”

The woman again raised her eyebrows, at first not hearing or not understanding, perhaps as if she didn’t quite believe what she heard, and then she nodded vigorously and said, “Card? Yes, I do,” while she absently patted her chest near her name tag.

He responded with an “Uh huh” that resonated with doubt, almost contempt.

She went to retrieve his food, and the man said, “Do you like working in my country?”

She didn’t respond, either unhearing, or ignoring.

She brought him his food and his drink, and said, “Have a nice day.”

The man said to her, “Oh, I’m certain I will!” as though he was certain he had ruined hers. The woman didn’t appear to have been offended or rattled. He walked away moments before my food was handed to me.

On the rest of the drive to work the scenario kept eating at me. Did that guy – or does ANY of us – have the right to ask someone who’s apparently or even obviously not from this country originally for their green card? Other than if that guy – or any of us – is an employer interviewing a prospective hire, I mean. She didn’t show him her green card, nor did he actually demand to see it. It was more as though he was just fucking with her, but he did it with the attitude of subtle intimidation.

On the subject of illegal aliens in our country, I feel I stand pretty firmly: the important operating word in the term is “illegal.” If they’re undocumented and are here illegally, then they should be deported. The argument that “this country was built by immigrants” holds no water in this particular argument; my great-grandfather came here, spent ten years of his life here working to get his family here and working toward citizenship. Documented. Resident Alien. Naturalized Citizen. He earned the right, as did the rest of his family, as did hundreds of thousands like him after they arrived here, to stay here and raise their families with all the freedoms and benefits a United States Citizenship affords.

The argument gets deeper, of course, but it’s not my topic.

In the car I kept addressing the ass-wipe.

Her answer to your green card question was “Yes.” So she’s here legally. She has the right to work in “your country.” She’s most likely working toward citizenship, which should make your bigoted ass proud that you live in a country for which so many are willing to leave their homes and much of their family and try to make a new life. Where did your family come from? What twisted arrogance makes you think we should have shut the gates after your exalted heritage slowed to a trickle? You smug prick.

But then I got to thinking…what if I had misheard him, and he had actually asked her, “Do you have a green car?” And what if he had actually said, “Do you like your McNuggets crunchy?”

It was early, after all. I was still pretty tired.

So I’m not sure if I should be angry with the guy.