A TikTok video has gone viral after capturing a disturbing moment of discrimination at Billiard, a pool hall. After politely thanking a server with the phrase โMuchas Gracias,โ a Latino man was unceremoniously asked to leave the establishment along with his group. The interaction, shared over on Reddit, has drawn outrage, drawing attention to racism experienced by Spanish speakers in everyday settings.
The video shows the man engaging politely with the hostess, defending his use of Spanish to express gratitude. However, the conversation quickly turns tense. The lady responds “It’s America,” insinuating the use of Spanish is not acceptable. She then later claims she said, “I’m American.” Despite the manโs calm demeanor, the server escalates the situation, eventually demanding they leave.
One user commented: “So sheโs pissed that someone said thank you?”โ. Another pointed out the establishmentโs questionable health standards, sarcastically noting: โShe should focus on cleaning and washing her hands. Look at the 4 health code violations on their Yelp page!โโ. The establishment’s reputation has taken a serious hit, with Reddit users quickly discovering the venueโs lackluster Yelp reviews, which were promptly disabled after the incident.
The racially charged nature of the exchange left many questioning whether the same reaction would have occurred had the man used another foreign language. As one commenter put it, โIโm curious if the reaction would have been the same had he responded โmerci beaucoupโ. I suspect notโโ. The post further opened up discussions about the normalization of casual racism toward Spanish speakers, particularly in a country with no official language. Another Redditor humorously remarked on this irony, โItโs crazy how many people donโt understand there isnโt an official language in Americaโโ.
Whatโs perhaps more troubling is how quickly the restaurant attempted to scrub any online trace of the event. Several users noted the sudden disappearance of the venue from Google Maps, and reviews of the establishment were swiftly disabled on Yelp, with comments stating, โYelp is monitoring their reviews tooโโ.
In a society where inclusivity should be the norm, this incident serves as a grim reminder of the discrimination that still lingers in everyday life. The Reddit communityโs response has been overwhelmingly critical, with many calling for boycotts and accountability, reminding us that a simple โthank youโ โ in any language โ should never be met with hostility.
As of now, the pool hall in question has yet to issue an official statement. But in the court of public opinion, the damage is surely already done.
