Remember the fuckface gun range owner in Arkansas that decided to ban all Muslims from her gun range? Sickeningly I know some people who cheered this decision because they believe Islam is a synonym for terrorist. Apparently the range owner believes Islam is a synonym for brown people:
When we reported last fall on a Hot Springs firing range that was declared a “Muslim free zone” by its owner, several blog commenters asked, “how will she know who’s a Muslim?” The answer, unsurprisingly, seems to be good old fashioned racism. The Times was contacted over the weekend by a college student from Hot Springs who went to the Gun Cave with his father for a round of target practice.
They’re not Muslim, but they do happen to be South Asian. They were told to leave by a woman, presumably Jan Morgan, the owner.
[…]
“When we went in, a woman asked, ‘Where are you guys from?’ We told her we were from Hot Springs. She said, “this is a Muslim free shooting range,” so if we are [Muslim] and if we don’t like the rule, then leave. We said that we’re not Muslim, but my dad asked, ‘Why is it Muslim free?’ and they started having a conversation. Then, all of a sudden, I don’t know what went wrong, but she stopped us from filling out the paperwork and said ‘I don’t think you guys should be here.’ She told us to leave or she’d call the cops on us.”
Listen, if you’re hellbent on being a bigot at least get your bigotry right. I’m theorizing, with the circumstantial evidence available to me so far, that the owner of the range isn’t hating on Muslims specifically but claiming to hate Muslims being that’s more acceptable in this country than being a racist.
Either way, I really hope the range goes bankrupt. Or burns down in a fire. I’m not picky.
So she’s a racist. Don’t patronize her range and call out her behavior. End of story right?
Or should the government force her to accept anyone and everyone at her private business?
You’re forgetting options three, don’t patronize her range and publicly shame her so others won’t patronize her range.
As an anarchist I’m obviously against government intervention but I am all for public ostracization, which is what I hope people will choose to do with this woman.
Christopher,
I’m confused as to what part of “calling out her behavior” isn’t doing what you suggested?
Personally, I’m wondering how much of this
Not wanting to cause a scene, they left.
is true. While I think woman is making a bad decision in her choice, I also wonder if they didn’t bait her into a response. Given a college student and the current philosophy prevalent on campuses it wouldn’t surprise me.
“We’re brown; I don’t know if she assumed we were Muslim,” he continued. “When she first asked us, she said, ‘I would hope if you were Muslim you guys wouldn’t be cowards and would be up front about it.'” The student told the Times he was born in the U.S. and lived in Hot Springs for ten years before going to college in a different Arkansas town; he considers Hot Springs his home.
Maybe I’m reading to much into this (too much reading of weasel word contracts and politicians) but he doesn’t deny they are Muslims.
And the idea of not naming the people reporting on the issue is bogus. If you are going to call out one party, have the nerve to own up to your actions in calling them out.
We agree about what should be done with her. i’m just wondering if the truth isn’t a little more nuanced.
I’m not sure what you’re saying here. I am calling out her behavior with the expressed purpose of letting people know in the hopes that they won’t give her money. That is in line with my hope that she is forced to go bankrupt.
If the woman didn’t have a noted history of bigotry by declaring her range a “Muslim free zone” I’d be more willing to assume she was baited into this response. But her history leads me to give the benefit of the doubt to the other side.
At no point did I not say I was calling them out. Heck, this blog is one giant opinion piece where I call out all sorts of behavior I find reprehensible.
It could be. And I did clearly state that I was theorizing based on circumstantial evidence. But again I return to her history as an overt bigot, which makes the claims consistent with what she herself has said and done.
Christopher,
You said you wanted to shame her. I said that I agreed and to call out her behavior. But then went on to suggest “Option three” –This is where I’m confused. If we call out her shameful behavior, call it for what it is, how is that any different ?
I think we can make it clear we disagree with a person’s actions. I think we can say I wouldn’t patronize her business and actually not go there (two separate actions).
. But her history leads me to give the benefit of the doubt to the other side.
Her history also leads me to give the other side the benefit of the doubt but — and this is critical, it could be her very history that lead them to baiting her.
Hard to bait someone you if you don’t know how they will respond, right?
So, that is what makes me wonder if someone with a grudge or wanting to generate faux outrage, didn’t deliberately go to her place and instigate something. I’m not condoning her actions, again I think it is reprehensible.
At no point did I not say I was calling them out. H
Sorry should have made it clear I was referring to the newspaper/media and not you. This is also a reason why my suspicions went in the direction of baiting her. If someone with a history of doing this or if they are actually Muslims, expressed the intention of creating drama did it people could then point that out.
But by not releasing the names of the people complaining, it makes it impossible to really do any fact checking on the people complaining.
Ah. This was my bad. For some reason I caught the part where you said not to patronize her range but missed the part where you said call her out. Reading comprehension apparently wasn’t my thing that day.
It’s not outside the realm of possibility.
I’m curious if the range owner will release this information, assuming the accusers got that far in the paperwork. I’d imagine that the owners of the range would be interested in refuting this accusation if it’s not true (I’m not implying the range owner’s silence would prove guilt either, I often don’t respond to accusations I find ridiculous, but I would be more tempted to respond if my business were being accused of racism).