US

Barber Deflects Racism Charges by Admitting He Can‘t Cut Black People’s Hair

BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. (AP) — A Vermont barber who turned away a black customer says he was trying to avoid embarrassment for both of them because he‘s no good at cutting black people’s hair.

Mike Aldrich, who is white and runs Mike’s Barber Shop in Bellows Falls, told the would-be customer when he stopped in last month that the barber wasn’t in.

The man, Dr. Darryl Fisher, of Taos, N.M., walked by the shop later and saw Aldrich cutting the hair of a white customer and realized then that Aldrich was the barber.

Fisher, whose cause was taken up Saturday in a sidewalk demonstration outside the shop, says he thinks the incident was racially motivated. Aldrich says no, it was because he has trouble with black people’s hair.

Comments (92)

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  • Carrie3570
    Posted on November 9, 2010 at 3:56pm

    I think the barber lied in the first place because he didn’t want to be accused of racism. Anyway, I think it is rediculous that people would actually protest over this. If someone in my own family asked me to protest something like this I would have to take them to a shrink to make sure they were alright mentally.

    Report Post » Carrie3570  
  • Pawsupday
    Posted on November 9, 2010 at 3:54pm

    Two wrongs don’t make a right!

    Report Post » Pawsupday  
  • Chicago Ray
    Posted on November 9, 2010 at 3:47pm

    It also indicates that perhaps in today‘s ’post Obama race card world’ ….if he said the ‘truth’ first off they‘d probably yell ’racism‘ for not knowing how to ’buff a fro’…. ;)

    Report Post » One Man Progressive Wrecking Crew  
  • Disabledvet
    Posted on November 9, 2010 at 3:45pm

    I think this is stupid, I guess the Dr. has nothing better to do then to try and find someone to accuse of racism, kind of like our community leader Obama if you don’t agree with him you are racist, this Dr. had no other way to point out something than to scream racism, let me tell you in a little town like that, having a sidewalk protest is just brining business to the barber, thanks for getting his name out now every true racist will go there to get their hair cut.

    Report Post »  
  • Psychosis
    Posted on November 9, 2010 at 3:40pm

    our banking system explained, its history, those who fought and killed to set it up the way it is, and how it will destroy the United States.

    kinda long, but explains connection between world bankers, IMF, AND GLOBAL GOVERNANCE

    http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-515319560256183936#

    Psychosis  
    • OK3Wire
      Posted on November 9, 2010 at 3:49pm

      … and what does this have to do with whether a barber can cut curly hair?

      Report Post » OK3Wire  
  • bestartist
    Posted on November 9, 2010 at 3:38pm

    I’m sure that was true.
    I‘m originally from VT and Bellow’s Falls is about as white as a small town can be and most likely Mr Aldrich has zero experience cutting AA hair.
    Maybe he could have said it better but so what, better that then totally messing up Mr Fisher’s hair.

    I seem to recall situations of Caucasian families being denied the approval to adopt AA children because…“who would be able to do their hair”.
    If the AA hair thing is grounds for an adoption denial, I guess Mr Aldrich’s desire to avoid the situation is understandable.

    Much ado about nothing…..
    and the never ending ad nauseam sense of victimhood……
    wah wah wah

    Report Post » bestartist  
  • sissykatz
    Posted on November 9, 2010 at 3:37pm

    I was a barber and I did always tell them I wasn’t trained to cut African-american .I never had a problem llike this, but most of the black men I knew said they had rather have a black person cut their hair because they did know more about it.Bad choice to lie. But more ridiculous to protest!!!! Get a life,

    Report Post »  
  • tobywil2
    Posted on November 9, 2010 at 3:37pm

    Does this rise to the level of a hate crime? http://commonsense21c.com/

    Report Post » tobywil2  
  • deskpilot
    Posted on November 9, 2010 at 3:36pm

    A Jeep mechanic doesn‘t do Porche’s. A Plumber doesn’t do eletrical (less HWH). Both because they don’t have the skill set expected by the customer. An honest admission by the barber that he knows that he won;t be able to meet the customers expectations is a hard thing to admit, but admit it he did. What would have happened had he cut the Dr.‘s hair with skills he didn’t have, he’d be plastered as an ignorant hick out to mess up somebody. Possibly charged with some form of assault and them complaints to the BBB,
    Maybe if Mike had said, “My employee who is more skilled in black people‘s hair isn’t in,” it would have casued less confusion than to simply say, “the barber isn’t in.”
    But NOOOOOOO. The peope who heard about this and”took up the cause,” had to make this a racial thing, when in fact it was intended as a courtesy to avoid ambarassment.

    Report Post »  
  • joseph Fawcett
    Posted on November 9, 2010 at 3:34pm

    I believe the barber. I knew a barber thaat could not cut asian peoples hair because it was too thick and hard. To bad the black guy didn’t go in and ask again why the barber had told him a lie. Maybe then he would have understood. But the barber did bring this upon himself for not being upfront with the black guy from the start. Better be embrassed for a minute or two than have a racial demostration outside your front door.

    http://www.josephfawcettart.com western artist

    Report Post » joseph Fawcett  
  • MidwestMomof3
    Posted on November 9, 2010 at 3:31pm

    My mother cut hair for 30 years…first in the Philly area, then out here in the midwest when we moved and I can guarantee that there is a BIG difference between cutting a white dude’s hair vs cutting “ethnic hair” (as my mother would say). I think he really was trying to avoid embarrassment. It‘s not easy to admit you suck at cutting someone’s hair!

    Report Post » MidwestMomof3  
  • Aunt Nee Nee
    Posted on November 9, 2010 at 3:31pm

    A sidewalk demonstration??? Oh for crying out loud! Just find another barber!!!

    Report Post »  
  • Ronko
    Posted on November 9, 2010 at 3:29pm

    The Racism has to stop in this country we are all human the color difference is genetic. The protests should continue until he gives an apology. If he can’t cut the hair of someone who is black then why is he cutting hair in the 1st place

     
    • Independent Tess
      Posted on November 9, 2010 at 3:40pm

      Oh please! He may have learned from white people on white people hair. Or just not good with black’s hair.
      I can draw great, but am lousy with paints. I’m not prejudiced against paint. I’m just lousy at it. Stop seeing racism behind every tree.

      Report Post » Independent Tess  
    • dontbotherme
      Posted on November 9, 2010 at 3:51pm

      Please read the comments from some of the barbers / hairdressers above. I walked into the beauty shop at the post exchange in Ky and was told by the uncomfortable black hairdressers that they were not trained to cut “my kind of hair”. I said, “no problem” & left. Racism does not exist in every situation.. so sick of this. Yes, I’m white. Oh & racism does go both ways.

      Report Post »  
    • Beckofile
      Posted on November 9, 2010 at 3:55pm

      The Barber may not be able to set grandma’s hair in curlers either. Does that make him male shovenist or even that he hates old ladies. We all have certain skills and when we are not adept at some we should be honest about it. I am sure glad I did not have my electrician run the gas line to the BBQ. Or does the electrician hate plumbers crack? I going to sue the wire nuts off him.

      Report Post » Beckofile  
  • dontbotherme
    Posted on November 9, 2010 at 3:29pm

    You know, why couldn’t the doctor just shake his head with disgust & walk away? … or better yet, why didn’t he just go in & talk to the barber? Do we all really need to become bullies because we can’t confront injustice one on one? HKS, you are correct. Honesty would have been best.

    Report Post »  
  • halfbrain
    Posted on November 9, 2010 at 3:28pm

    I wonder what Fisher does for a living, why is he wasting his time with a demonstration? i’m sure there are other barber shop around.

    Report Post »  
  • zagfan
    Posted on November 9, 2010 at 3:25pm

    His shop, his choice! Stop the race card toss…black hair is different and I would think it would take a different type of barber. I wouldn’t go to a Black Only shop to have them cut mine.

    We have choices in America and if we own our own business and know we can’t do what a customer wants we should be allowed to make that choice. He probably would have been sued if he messed the guys hair up…Do I not see a win here, either way? Race card–bad hair cut…

    Report Post » zagfan  
    • Bevaboo
      Posted on November 9, 2010 at 4:39pm

      Exactly. I’m white, but my BF in high school was black. For years, she and I went to the same stylist, and she had bad hair for years. (We grew up in a small town in BFE; she was adopted and the only black person in town, literally.)

      When we grew up, she went to college in Jacksonville. Her first trip to a salon recommended by another black friend was an eye-opener for her. For the first time, she got a decent haircut. Her stylist told her point-blank that her problem was she hadn’t been taught to properly care for her hair by all the white folks in our hometown. Not their fault, but it goes to prove the barber’s point. He would have done a bad job on the black guy.

      That being said, he should have just manned up and told the potential customer, maybe recommended another barber who would know how to cut his hair.

      Report Post » Bevaboo  
  • LLATPOH
    Posted on November 9, 2010 at 3:24pm

    Doesn’t a business owner reserve the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason?

    Report Post »  
    • Caffeinated Texan
      Posted on November 9, 2010 at 4:00pm

      Indeed, you are correct. However, in this case, no legal action is being taken, only a demonstration, which is also legal.

      I hope the barber now realizes that being honest up front would have saved him a ton of trouble.

      Report Post »  
    • workin4alivin
      Posted on November 9, 2010 at 4:32pm

      obviously not if they are black-then its racist…

      Report Post » workin4alivin  
  • cubber
    Posted on November 9, 2010 at 3:24pm

    The debt ceiling must not be raised.

    Report Post » cubber  
    • scuba13
      Posted on November 9, 2010 at 3:41pm

      How do you know he wasn’t going to pay for his haircut?

      Report Post » scuba13  
    • Beckofile
      Posted on November 9, 2010 at 3:48pm

      It’s your children and grand children who are going to pay for his haircut.

      Report Post » Beckofile  
    • Annette
      Posted on November 9, 2010 at 3:51pm

      you are funny!

      Report Post »  
    • ObammysMammy
      Posted on November 10, 2010 at 7:52am

      ….Except for EMERGENCY haircut spending situations. His economy might collapse TOMORROW if he doesn’t get this haircut today!!

      Report Post » ObammysMammy  
  • nmb7401
    Posted on November 9, 2010 at 3:23pm

    As a hairdresser of 20 years, cutting hair on an black person or even Asian IS different than cutting someone’s hair that is white or even hispanic. I wouldn’t try it since I would never want to be responsible for making a mistake and believe me it WOULD show up. I feel this man is being demonized unfairly. He was honest and the customer should have known better .

    Report Post »  
    • Smoovious
      Posted on November 9, 2010 at 6:26pm

      the point is, he wasn’t honest.

      if he was honest, he would have told the customer straight-up, “Sorry, but I’m no good at cutting your kind of hair. You would not at all be happy with the results.”

      Taking another few minutes to help him locate another place that could handle the job would have been the classy thing on top of it.

      But no… that isn’t the road he took, and now the customer is justifiably angry about it.

      This kind of thing does nothing to help race relations here. There was no good reason to lie to the man, and there is no shame in admitting you wouldn‘t do a good job on the kind of hair you don’t have the experience working with.

      That said… the customer is wrong too, crying racism… I don’t see racism here… I just see a bad way of handling it.

      We can be complete jerks to someone of another race, without being racist. Just means we’re jerks.

      Report Post » Smoovious  
  • whosit75
    Posted on November 9, 2010 at 3:23pm

    Wouldn’t it have been better to tell the truth in the first place? It‘s a legitimate reason and I’m sure Fisher would’ve appreciated the honesty more than being lied to.

    Report Post »  
    • henryclay
      Posted on November 9, 2010 at 4:52pm

      Yes and he is learning now that he should of been honest first…..

      Report Post »  
  • DonoRomantico
    Posted on November 9, 2010 at 3:22pm

    and this is news because?

    Report Post »  
    • pattyto
      Posted on November 10, 2010 at 7:49am

      This is news because it shows that you don’t have to live in a big city to possibly expect a visit from the ACLU. Yes, honesty up front would have been best,but who knows how that would have been taken either. We have tried to make this country so PC that your afraid to open your mouth.

      Report Post »  
  • FreedomAdvocate
    Posted on November 9, 2010 at 3:22pm

    I grew up one town away from Bellows Falls, and his statement may be true. The number of black people who lived in that area when I was growing up was practically none (and I mean that literally, I think in the space of multple adjacent towns, you could count them on one hand). There may be more now, but I suspect it is still a very low percentage.

    Report Post »  
  • HKS
    Posted on November 9, 2010 at 3:22pm

    Honesty in the first place always goes a long way.

    Report Post » HKS  
    • Sky0bserv3r
      Posted on November 9, 2010 at 4:04pm

      Amen!!! Always tell the truth, even if it hurts.

      Report Post » Sky0bserv3r  
    • sawman
      Posted on November 9, 2010 at 4:56pm

      Yes, honesty is the best first response. When a customer brings me a “cheap” Chinese sawblade to repair, I tell them up front that I refuse to guarantee their satisfaction. Most of those imports are quite inferior to the tools I work on. If they balk at my guarantee refusal, I kindly tell them to send it back to China for sharpening.

      Report Post »  
    • treshall
      Posted on November 9, 2010 at 4:56pm

      Exactly right! Why risk offending a potential customer and setting yourself up for possible harassment and racism charges when the barber could have just leveled with the guy and fessed up?!
      “I am embarrassed to have to admit this to you, sir, but I am not particularly skilled in cutting African-American hair and I certainly don’t want to go ahead and risk giving you an inferior haircut. I hope that you can forgive me and accept my sincere thanks for stopping in” What is that, 2 sentences? How tough could it have been?? Vermont Barber should have been honest.

      Report Post »  
    • Handsome Pete
      Posted on November 9, 2010 at 5:08pm

      Has Obama chimed in? “Now… I don’t know all the facts… but I believe the barber acted stupidly!”

      Report Post » Handsome Pete  
  • 2dollarbill
    Posted on November 9, 2010 at 3:22pm

    I find it difficult to believe. There was really a black person in Vermont?

    Report Post »  
    • dontbotherme
      Posted on November 9, 2010 at 3:24pm

      Ha Ha Ha!

      Report Post »  
    • cubber
      Posted on November 9, 2010 at 3:25pm

      Now THAT’S racist. LOL

      Report Post » cubber  
    • HouseNegro
      Posted on November 9, 2010 at 4:00pm

      He was just passing thru………..LMAO

      Report Post » SpankDaMonkey  
    • adjams
      Posted on November 9, 2010 at 4:20pm

      Thread over, No more comments necessary. Well done $2 bill

      Report Post »  
    • M31Sailor
      Posted on November 9, 2010 at 6:00pm

      Should have given him a Mohawk. Imagine Sharpton and Jackson busing in their pro protestors. and shutting down this racist barber.

      Report Post » M31Sailor  
  • LadyIzShy
    Posted on November 9, 2010 at 3:21pm

    and the problem is? yes he lied but I can see why he did it.. so he would not be called racist..

    Report Post » LadyIzShy  
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