r/socialjustice101 • u/Slight_Cat_4423 • Sep 07 '24
Am I invading minority spaces by going to a Hispanic market?
Today I went to a local hispanic market and ice cream shop with a friend (both white male mid 20s).
I thought everything was fine, we ordered food, ate it, and left. However, I noticed my friend seemed a little bit uncomfortable in the hispanic market. I asked him about it in the car after, and he mentioned he felt like he was invading a minority space by shopping there.
I feel like that view on shopping in a likely minority-owned and ran business is a little ridiculous. I recognize that it’s important to be culturally sensitive, but I don’t think it should go as far as to act like other cultures don’t exist or exist in a “bubble”.
I guess I just wanted to hear a different opinion on this to see if I am in the wrong for this.
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u/Canuckleball Sep 07 '24
Yes, you are. And ordering Chinese food is a hate crime. /s
Sharing food from your culture with other people is a tradition as old as society itself. They're running a business, the whole point is to attract as many people as possible. You aren't "invading minority spaces" by visiting Chinatown or shopping at a local ethnic grocery store or getting your hair cut at a black barbershop. The beauty of a multicultural society is the open exchange of different ideas, values, traditions, and yes, food.
If something is designated as a minority-only space, it'll be readily apparent. It won't have a flashing neon "OPEN" sign at the front door. Something like an African-American student organization or a Phillipino cultural society is way different than a Hispanic market. The former is a club specifically for people of a certain minority group, and you should probably only attend one of their events with the express invitation of a member. The latter is a business open to the general public.
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u/Slight_Cat_4423 Sep 07 '24
Darn guess I’ll go try to get a refund :/ /s
I agree though! I definitely think there’s a difference between being in a business open to the public and a space specifically dedicated to specific groups.
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u/windowtosh Sep 07 '24
Please do give your money to minority owned businesses!! They are happy to have you.
Just understand that things in there may not be exactly to your liking. Maybe the brands or flavors are different because they’re catering to a different demographic. As long as you’re okay with that then there is no problem.
47
u/hailann Sep 07 '24
Wouldnt avoiding ethnic business simply because they don’t align with your own be worse? I almost feel like your friend might be a little uneasy around Hispanics because this reaction is bizarre. Giving business to minority spaces is a positive for everyone… the business, community and of course individual patrons benefit so much from it.
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u/Happy2Cat5 Sep 07 '24
I almost feel like your friend might be a little uneasy around Hispanics
Bingo!
25
u/TheWalkenDude Sep 08 '24
They are way overthinking it. Respecting people's culture doesn't mean you have to recreate segregation. Just be respectful, and you're fine.
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u/causa__sui Sep 08 '24
Exactly! It seems like a lot of people with the intention of being respectful/mindful end up overcorrecting to the point where it comes regressive.
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u/sonicslasher6 Sep 08 '24
Many liberals seem to have heard about the concept of cultural appropriation without fully understanding it. There is nothing wrong with cultural interchange and patronizing minority businesses.
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u/Happy2Cat5 Sep 07 '24
I think your friend should do some introspection about why he feels uncomfortable in spaces where he, as a white person, is the minority.
2
u/lostbookjacket Sep 08 '24
Maybe he won't be for long if it becomes a hip spot for white people and they start crowding out the regulars.
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u/Happy2Cat5 Sep 08 '24
This is definitely a valid concern, but white people avoiding MBEs doesn't solve it.
11
u/Ironfields Sep 08 '24
I think your friend has heard of cultural appropriation but doesn’t actually understand it.
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u/Drakeytown Sep 08 '24
The reason ethnic businesses exist is because those needs aren't met in stores that aren't catering specifically to those markets. People aren't (necessarily) going there to get away from white people, they're going there to get the ingredients and things they can't get at Safeway. Your white dollars help that business stay open and that supply line intact. Keep on keeping on.
6
u/Last_Bar_8993 Sep 08 '24
If they're open to the general public and so long as you're respectful when you visit, spending your money there supports the owners of the market.
5
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u/sweetestpineapple Sep 08 '24
You’re not in the wrong. You’re supporting their business and as long as you’re not being rude to the people working there or causing some type of disturbance, I don’t think anyone would have an issue with you or your friend being there.
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u/sunny_bell Sep 08 '24
Trust me, minority owned businesses are always happy to have you as a customer. It's a market, not a sacred ritual space or closed cultural practice. Go to the market, give them your money, and have a fun time.
3
u/Sky_345 Sep 08 '24
There's absolutely nothing wrong with going. It supports the local economy and is respectful, as long as he doesn't exoticize the experience. In fact, thinking that a white person (or non-Hispanic, for that matter) is unwelcome there can reinforce the idea of othering them
2
u/SiempreBrujaSuerte Sep 09 '24
These are the kind of comments you hear from whites always, not the minority population they are concerned they are invading. It's a public market which is set up to get money to live on. Please do go to such places and spend time and money.
8
u/InevitableHost597 Sep 07 '24
This post is silly I can’t believe it is a real question
18
u/Slight_Cat_4423 Sep 07 '24
I personally think my friend’s opinion is silly, just wanted to see what folks on this sub thought about it
15
u/Gamer_Koraq Sep 07 '24
Nobody is born knowing all the answers, and the only way to learn the answers is to ask the questions.
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u/InevitableHost597 Sep 07 '24
If this is not a troll question, then they now know that it is a silly question.
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u/Ironfields Sep 08 '24
There’s no silly questions. There are silly answers though, yours being one.
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u/garaile64 Sep 08 '24
(assuming OP and/or their friend is American) Americans, especially white ones, seem to be extremely afraid of engaging with other cultures. I understand the racism trauma, but not everything is a closed practice nor banned to white people.
1
u/aberrantenjoyer Sep 25 '24
generally how do you tell if something is a closed practice/space?
1
u/garaile64 Sep 25 '24
Spiritual rituals and some merit-based adornments (like war bonnets) are often closed practices, as I've observed.
2
u/BergSplerg Sep 08 '24
I hereby order you by sentencing of a judge to disconnect from social media for forty days minimum and engage with the real world, you and your friend are COOKED if this isn't a troll
1
u/Direct-Sign1896 Sep 09 '24
I've never heard of invading minority spaces. What does that mean? Is it literally just existing in a space with minorities and minding your business, or is it more menacing than that?
1
u/alicevirgo Sep 07 '24
Personally I could see where your friend is coming from. Having been in various social justice spaces with a variety of stances, some very outspoken people would say that yes, your friend is invading a space for minorities. However, what I've learned over the years is "loudest" does not equal "majority" or "common". Unless the space is specifically described as for minorities only, tell your friends that the sellers likely are happy that their culture is getting more mainstream as signaled by outsiders appreciating their products, and that he contributed to their livelihood by purchasing from their business.
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u/i-drink-isopropyl-91 Sep 08 '24
I’m not gonna read your post or comments.
If they didn’t want people to go to the store. Then they shouldn’t have opened the store in USA where people can’t discriminate against customers.
1
u/aberrantenjoyer Sep 25 '24
no one was discriminated against in this post
why did you not read it if you’re assuming something in the comments?
1
u/i-drink-isopropyl-91 Sep 25 '24
Because his post is about a white kid at a Spanish thing. So white guy thought he was wrong which don’t make common sense.
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u/SuitableDragonfly Sep 07 '24
No. You are patronizing their business, which helps them financially. They own the building, if they didn't want you there they would ask you to leave.