California Woman Fined $5,000 for Denying Korean-American Lodging Based on Race

This just makes you wonder what is wrong with some people?:

An Airbnb host who canceled a woman’s reservation because of her race has agreed to pay $5,000 in damages and take a course in Asian American studies, a state regulatory agency announced Thursday.

The host, Tami Barker, told the woman who reserved her Big Bear cabin for a ski vacation in February that she would not rent to an Asian, justifying the action by adding in a text message, “It’s why we have Trump,” referring to President Trump.

The woman, Dyne Suh, a UCLA law student, said she was driving in a snowstorm to the Big Bear cabin when she received the text messages via the Airbnb mobile app. A tearful Suh, standing in the snow, shot a video posted on YouTube, describing her exchange with Barker.

“I’ve been here since I was 3 years old,” she said in the video. “America is my home. I consider myself an American. But this woman discriminates against me because I’m Asian.”  [LA Times]

You can read more at the link.

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bmw
bmw
6 years ago

I may be mistaken, but I believe when this happened a few months ago I read that the Korean called the host asking for a discount on the agreed upon price that night as they were heading to the cabin. I would have probably canceled their stay out of spite as this women did, but I wouldn’t have thrown race into it (as long as it was acceptable to do so under the Airbnb terms and conditions).

sfasdfsadf
sfasdfsadf
6 years ago

Here are some aspects to the story that the fake news might not have told you about

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NIRz7cqreA

liz
liz
Reply to  sfasdfsadf
6 years ago

Thanks for that link.
There is typically a lot of context missing in these types of situations (especially when it involves someone .
And context is everything.

liz
liz
Reply to  liz
6 years ago

Oops…since I lack an edit button….
(especially when it involves someone who is studying race relations and makes it a point on her Facebook page that she wants to abolish capitalism and prisons)
Not proof, but a detail that makes my bs-detector go up a smidge.

Tbonetylr
Tbonetylr
Reply to  sfasdfsadf
6 years ago

Fake News IS ‘found on YouTube. Your link IS NOT fake news exempted.
OTOH,
After Trump Deemed China a Foreign Enemy, Anti-Asian Hate Crimes In LA Surged.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAAJ), a civil and human rights nonprofit, recently launched StandAgainstHatred.org, a website to track Anti-Asian hate crimes.
Trump said China was an “economic enemy” during his campaign and grouped China with “ISIS, China, and Mexico are all beating us.”

Tbonetylr
Tbonetylr
Reply to  liz
6 years ago

Proof Liz believes fake news!

liz
liz
Reply to  Tbonetylr
6 years ago

She has a Facebook page.
I read it.

liz
liz
Reply to  Tbonetylr
6 years ago

I understand you don’t know the difference between desiring to know more context before forming any conclusions, and believing everything you hear, immediately, particularly if it has the word “trump” in it and says something bad.

Flyingsword
Flyingsword
6 years ago

Always more to these stories….

setnaffa
setnaffa
Reply to  liz
6 years ago

tbone can’t help it. The Russians made him take those drugs. And since his “friends” are all humorless racists with chips on their shoulders, he became one to fit in…

MayDay
MayDay
Reply to  bmw
6 years ago

There was no mention of the discounts. She just canceled for no good reason. Here’s the full transcript of the conversation.

https://www.everipedia.com/tami-barker-airbnb-host/

liz
liz
Reply to  MayDay
6 years ago

But it clearly isn’t the full transcript of their conversation.
Significant portions are missing because the response (“if you think 4 people and two dogs are staying for 50 dollars during the busy season…”) makes absolutely no sense in the context given.
They’d already agreed on 250 for two people, plus 25 dollars per extra person. How did this turn into 50 dollars for everyone for the night?

ChickenHead
ChickenHead
6 years ago

“There was no mention of the discounts. She just canceled for no good reason. Here’s the full transcript of the conversation.”

That’s not true. It is an edited transcript. The final conversation leading up to “One word says it all. Asian” was conspicuously left out by the Asian woman who leaked this rather one-sided and incomplete report.

This Asian woman started to be a pain in the àss with her ever-changing number of guests and dogs… even when told it would be a problem to bring dogs.

After all this, pestering for a final discount was the last straw.

One word says it all. Asian.

But statistically validated stereotypes are not yet socially acceptable to point out.

Bonus Material:

– Understanding racial stereotypes is a valid tool when predicting and managing situations. It is generally not correct to brag about this tool use.

– No business owner should speak (or write!) to a customer this way. It is not necessary. You can actually be a bigger àsshole by being cop-polite. In real life (as opposed to being an internet tough guy) it is almost always better to be coldly cop-polite in any conflict. If futher allows for an element of surprise if you need to put a stick upside their head at some point.

– The house owner should have been much more firm early on. This is the price, period. No dogs, period. Don’t like the fixed deal? Hit the streets, Asian. (But without the Asian part).

– A good manager recognizes that some people are a pain in the àss and are not worth doing business with unless they firmly lay down every aspect of the deal beforehand and add an àsshole surcharge to the entire project… and even then, it is unneeded stress. (I just turned down a deal to make $3000 in two hours of work and some free junk I have in storage because I could clearly see they would be a pesterment for some time after… costing me further time and resources to attempt solving their unsatisfiable unhappiness, correct mistakes they would make and blame on me/my stuff, and satisfy their demands for additional free stuff that they want even though it was clearly not included in the deal… it would still make a profit… but I am not hungry enough to deal with the hassle).

– Dealing with Asians in America on the sales side is irritating… but being on the I Have An Asian Wife side of the equation is pretty sweet. We pay full price for nothing.

liz
liz
Reply to  ChickenHead
6 years ago

Hee hee.
My spouse affectionately says I hit every stereotype for the Swiss-Italian-1/8th Jew gene.
(fwiw, he hits every stereotype too, for his race. Which I find endearing)

liz
liz
Reply to  liz
6 years ago

We discovered the 1/8th Jewish gene a few years back in a saliva test (our sons tested and we were like, WTF? so I did mine).
After the results came back he said, “This explains so much…”

bmw
bmw
Reply to  MayDay
6 years ago

Exactly. The selective transcript says it all. She did ask for a discount as they were approaching the house…potentially she tried to get her down to 50$ a night per person, so a total of 200$ instead of the aggreed upon 300$, with the host making arangements and exceptions to allow them to have their dogs…..or mayby she thought she could haggle and started off at 50$ total…but that doesn’t seem remotely realistic.

bmw
bmw
Reply to  sfasdfsadf
6 years ago

Thanks for the link. After watching you can see her planted texts that try to make her seem very cordial and polite …offering wine and such…just to help her perogative.

ChickenHead
ChickenHead
6 years ago

“My spouse affectionately says I hit every stereotype for the Swiss-Italian-1/8th Jew”

You are boring, have a mustache and a big nose?

My heart is broken.

liz
liz
Reply to  ChickenHead
6 years ago

Now that you mention it…that must be it!
I’d always thought it was because I have to be on time, extremely superstitious, and have a tattoo.
(Hey, I’m northern Italian, those hirsute girls are further south) 😉

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