There's a story floating around the blogosphere about exiled Kenyan Novelist Ngugi wa Thiong'o, who was in San Francisco promoting his novel, "Wizard of the Crow". The author was staying at the Hotel Vitale, which, as a former San Franciscan, is a place I'd consider staying due to its great location. Anyway, a Kenyon paper reported that the author was sitting in a common area of the hotel and was confronted by a hotel employee who said, "This place is for guests of the hotel. You must leave."
It's been reported that the author asked, "what makes you think I'm not a guest." I can't find an answer to the employee's answer. The incident has been described as racist, and the hotel is under fire from critics who want an apology in a local paper.
The management responded by apologizing to the author, and by promising to review its diversity policy.
I don't mean to be insensitive, and I am aware of Nguigu wa Thiong'o literary contributions and the fact that he's fought racism all his life, but this seems to be quit an over-reaction to the acts of one individual. Everyone has stupid employees. My company, which has about 50 employees, has about 45 that are really stupid, and on any given day, they screw things up but good. However, I live in Vegas so the per capita ratio of stupid people is unfair comparison to a town like San Francisco - we clearly win.
Comparisons aside, I have trouble with the criticism's against the hotel. They've distanced themselves from the act of this employee, but they need to take in one step further and fire him (and they may already have, I don't know, I can't find anything on the Internet). If they have not, then that is what they should be criticized for. Not just because he went up to an African gentlemen and told him to leave. The employee should be fired for being stupid. For jumping the gun. The first question or comment should have been something to ascertain if the gentlemen was indeed a guest, if there was any doubt.
So once again, someone does not do his or her job right and all hell breaks loose. Next thing you know, I'm blogging about it.
