We all do things we don’t want to do at our jobs—especially when those jobs involve customer service and schmoozing for tips. One TikToker’s video about what her friend pulled to get a hefty return on a customer’s check has viewers eating it up.
TikToker @itsvickytay posted a short clip to the platform, showing her laughing silently before panning the camera over to her friend who’s doing the same. The audio is from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off in which the titular character says, “Incredible. One of the worst performances of my career.”
That performance apparently involved her friend, who’s Black, pretending to agree with a “blue lives matter mf” while serving a table and pulling a $25 tip for her effort. “Blue Lives Matter” emerged as a reactive, pro-police slogan following 2016 Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality toward Black people.
“The mans bill was only $50, and that’s on code switching,” @itsvickytay wrote.
Code-switching is when someone adjusts their “style of speech, appearance, behavior, and expression in ways that will optimize the comfort of others in exchange for fair treatment, quality service, and employment opportunities,” according to the Harvard Business Review. Black people, especially, might code-switch to avoid negative treatment in places where Black stereotypes are viewed, racistly, as inappropriate.
There has been a lot of discussion over the past few years about whether or not it’s OK to stay quiet about political beliefs so as to avoid conflict in social situations. But playing along to keep your job and get that coin seemed to be an acceptable trade-off in this situation, if viewers’ responses are any indication.
“Like coco jones said ‘yes i did that, and you would do it too for a check,’” wrote user @pr.ncxssbitch.anyaa.
“Gaslight gatekeep girlboss,” @oogadarian joked.
Another viewer called it “reparations” and somebody else said they “would do this and then after the tip i would switch up and tell them that blue lives matter is bs.”
“My girl got the bag I fail to see any issue,” @sinnesloschenhomevideo added.
Update 12:39pm CT Jan. 21: When reached for comment, @itsvickytay told the Daily Dot she finds it “frustrating that people think we ‘sold out’ the BLM movement for a tip.”
“You can’t always be 100% honest about your opinions or political views when in the service industry. You’re taught that the customer is always right, so no matter what they say, no matter how rude, or racist, or whatever the case may be, if you argue with a customer, even just to stand up for yourself, you’re risking losing your job. And when you have bills to pay, that’s not really an option you know,” she added.
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