PLATFORM : Clash of Cultures Creates a Flash Point

If both parties could manage to put aside their “us vs. them” mentalities, they might be able to see the cultural differences that have turned them against each other. The Koreans might be able to learn what upsets their clientele and thus how to treat customers with the respect and dignity they deserve. And then, instead of feeling alienated in Korean-owned stores, the community will feel welcome.

And maybe African-Americans will see that the Koreans’ speech pattern--their inflection and their lack of command of the English language--often makes them sound short and abrupt, many times when they do not mean to be.

The African-Americans might also see the underlying current of fear of being robbed or shot that lies in all liquor store owners and workers. There was always the fear that one day (my father) might not come home. His brother was, in fact, shot in a holdup.

It is a high-stress atmosphere, often morbidly referred to as the heart-attack business. The stress is caused not only by the fear of being shot or robbed, but also by the endless struggle to make a profit and the high levels of shoplifting at these small stores.

None of this, of course, can justify the killing of a 15-year-old over orange juice--if that turns out to be the whole story--but hopefully (it does) shed some light on the climate of fear that these small-business owners work in.