AP/MSN asks--Is It Racism or Good Business Practices?

[underpants]

New hotel owner hounded by racism charges
Hispanic employees protest after being told to change their first names

updated 12:10 p.m. ET, Mon., Oct . 26, 2009

TAOS, N.M. - Larry Whitten marched into this northern New Mexico town in late July on a mission: resurrect a failing hotel.

The tough-talking former Marine immediately laid down some new rules. Among them, he forbade the Hispanic workers at the run-down, Southwestern adobe-style hotel from speaking Spanish in his presence (he thought they'd be talking about him), and ordered some to Anglicize their names.

No more Martin (Mahr-TEEN). It was plain-old Martin. No more Marcos. Now it would be Mark.

Whitten's management style had worked for him as he's turned around other distressed hotels he bought in recent years across the country.

The 63-year-old Texan, however, wasn't prepared for what followed.

His rules and his firing of several Hispanic employees angered his employees and many in this liberal enclave of 5,000 residents at the base of the Sangre de Cristo mountains, where the most alternative of lifestyles can find a home and where Spanish language, culture and traditions have a long and revered history.

"I came into this landmine of Anglos versus Spanish versus Mexicans versus Indians versus everybody up here. I'm just doing what I've always done," he says.

Whitten grew subdued as a two-hour interview with The Associated Press progressed. He said he was sorry for the misunderstanding and insisted he has never been against any culture.

"What kind of fool or idiot or poor businessman would I be to orchestrate this whole crazy thing that's costed me a lot of time, money and aggravation?" Whitten said.

[jwirr]

1. I don't know about you but when I go to a hotel I do not ask the

employees what their names are. Racism with a heavy dose of ignorance added.

[SoCalDem]

10. A wonderful lady named Maria (who did not speak much english)

put my son's $1100 gold bracelet and his $800 gold necklace into a little paper sleeve, signed & dated it and gave it to the lost and found department at Sam's Town in Vegas.. they called me the next day to tell me they were mailing it to us, insured, and needed to know the approximate value.

He sent Maria a check for $100.

He did not ask to make sure she understood english

[leanderj]

2. Montgomery Bus driver said it was good practice

for Negros to be in the back

[tekisui]

3. What the hell kind of question is that?

[underpants]

6. The question was on the front of the msn.com page

my homepage (for email)

It clearly implies that it might be okay IF you make money off it

[imdjh]

7. A reasonable one when you consider how many immigrants use Anglicized names.

I know a storekeeper who goes by "Moe" whose real name is Mohammed. Another inexplicably goes by "Andy" when it's much more likely that his name is Pakistani or Indian. Some Chinese people in California have been going by Anglo nicknames forever, and now there are a lot of Vietnamese people who go by traditional European given names, even though their birth certificates read Hoa or Cho. My good friend's mom has been "Dotty" all the time I have known her, even though her real name is Librada.

[tekisui]

All the examples you gave are not an employer telling the

employee what to be called. There is a difference when one chooses what to be called.

[dysfunctional press]

18. american employers do it to their customer service phone reps in india.

and nobody makes an issue out of it.

[imdjh]

21. Now that the Indian call centers do Spanish calls too, I wonder if they use Spanish names.

I wonder if "Brian" becomes Pedro when he answers the Spanish language gate.

[virgogal]

12. I spoke to a Chuck and a Tammy in India re:Dell.

[imdjh]

4. My good friend who is Jewish uses a business name because his real surname is Russian...

... ethnic, and hard to spell. His dad does the same thing.

[abq e streeter]

16. My family's last name was "Americanized" during the Depression

because my uncle couldn't find a job using his given Russian-Jewish name. he changed it to something more "American " sounding and was able to find work. Had nothing to do with "hard to pronounce" etc, had to do with giving in to anti-semite racists out of desperation. I would like to think we've come a long way since those days, but not for all the Larry Whittens out there. And I 'm also gonna go out on a limb and guess that your friend and his family didn't have some outsider from Texas roll into town and force them either...

[spanone]

5. wake up asshole, it's a multi-cultural world

[imdjh]

8. What if it were a German themed hotel in Vermont and he wanted everyone to have stage names?

To go with their little mountain climber outfits?

[underpants]

9. Has that happened?

has it?

[imdjh]

11. Does it need to?

[KamaAina]

13. "this whole crazy thing that's costed me a lot of time, money and aggravation"?

"Costed"?! Are all bigots grammar- and vocabulary-impaired? :dunce:

[MrScorpio]

14. What a white guy. nt

[imdjh]

20. Should he have shut the place down and then restaffed it rather than hurt feelings?

We're all assuming here that what this man did was at a minimum stupid, because he should have anticipated this kind of reaction. We're all quite smug that we would know better than to do what he did, and that because he did it he must be a stupid or even a bad person. But the bottom line is that he was honest and upfront about what he wanted, and our position is not quite so honest and upfront. We don't bat an eyelash at all sorts of culture based business decisions... if we feel that they conform to a positive social move. But in the hashing out, like things have to be treated as like things, do they not?

[abq e streeter]

15. idiotic and flat-out insulting anywhere in the United States

but my god, especially in a place like Taos. Spanish is spoken in about 30% of homes in this state, our population is about 45% Hispanic, and we have NO official language; neither Spanish nor English... And BTW, the U.S. acquired this area in the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. How ya suppose we pronounce THAT, huh Larry? Martin's name is Mar-TEEN, not MAR-tin, etc....that's what his parents named him, and who the fuck does Mr. Whitten think he is to say otherwise?

[imdjh]

17. How many ethnically nonconforming waiters have you seen in Asian restaurants?

I have eaten in one, ONE, Chinese restaurant that had a caucasian waiter. Some place in San Francisco which catered to the Castro district.

[dysfunctional press]

19. dell does it to their phone reps in india.

most american companies with indian call centers do.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

22. Most Definitely The Latter.

The problem is that the reason the business practice is necessary is due to the far too common racism of others.

[marmar]

23. Good business practice to make people fake their names to not sound so, so, Latino?

AP/MSN should have been too embarrassed to post such a headline.

[abq e streeter]

24. I want to apologize for my earlier replies--I now realize it's good business to not offend racists

in fact, Mr. Whitten should make sure only pure blond Aryans work at his hotel. No chance for any unpleasantness with potential customers that gots a problem with them Messicans. .Just real Americans with real American names.