THERE HAS BEEN SOME JUSTICE INVOLVING A ñ AN AIRBNB HOST TO
DISCRIMINATED AGAINST AN ASIAN GUEST BY CANCELING HER TRIP
LAST MINUTE.
THIS STORY OCCURRED BACK IN LAST FEBRUARY.
THERE WAS A SNOWSTORM IN BIG BEAR, WHERE THE HOST HAS THE
PROPERTY, AND A WOMAN WAS DRIVING THROUGH THIS SNOWSTORM
TO GET TO THE PROPERTY AND ENJOY A LITTLE TIME OFF; A LITTLE
BREAK WITH HER FRIENDS.
WELL, AT THAT POINT APPARENTLY SHE CALLED THE HOST AND THINGS
TOOK A TURN FOR THE WORST.
DYNE SUH HAD DRIVEN IN A SNOWSTORM TO THE AIRBNB RENTAL
NEAR BIG BEAR CARLA ñ COMP BIG BEAR ñ BIG BEAR, CALIFORNIA.
THE HOST CANCEL THE RESERVATION AS SHE WAS CLOSE TO
ARRIVING, AND TESTED HER, I WOULDN'T READ TO YOU IF YOU
WERE THE LAST PERSON ON EARTH, ONE WORD SAYS IT ALL: ASIAN.
SHE RESPONDED BY SAYING THAT SHE WAS GOING TO LET AIRBNB KNOW
THAT SHE WAS DISSEMINATING AGAINST HER.
HER RESPONSE WAS, IT'S WHY WE HAVE TRUMP, AND I WILL NOT ALLOW
THIS COUNTRY TO BE TOLD WHAT TO DO BY FOREIGNERS.
EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE I STILL GET SHOCKED.
WHO HATES ASIANS THIS MUCH?
IT'S FASCINATING, BUT I STARTED THE STORY BY SAYING THERE HAS
BEEN SOME JUSTICE, AND AIRBNB DID TAKE SOME ACTION, AND
SINCE THIS IS IN CALIFORNIA, OFFICIALS IN CALIFORNIA DID
TAKE SOME ACTION.
AS A RESULT, SHE WILL HAVE TO APOLOGIZE TO SUH, COMPLY WITH
ANTIDISCRIMINATION LAWS, ATTEND TRAINING, TAKE A COLLEGE LEVEL
COURSE IN ASIAN-AMERICAN STUDIES, PARTICIPATE IN A
COMMUNITY EDUCATION PANEL, PERFORMED VOLUNTEER SERVICE
AT A CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZATION, REPORT RENTAL DATA TO THE
DEPARTMENT FOR FOUR YEARS, AND ALSO PAY $5000 IN DAMAGES.
AND THE DEPARTMENT I AM TALKING ABOUT IS THE CALIFORNIA
DEPARTMENT OF FAIR EMPLOYMENT AND HOUSING.
SO, I LOVE THIS STAGE.
SOME OF YOU RIGHT WINGERS ARE PROBABLY WATCHING THIS
LIKE, CALIFORNIA SUCKS!
GOOD, STAY AWAY FROM US.
THEY WON'T EVEN LET ME JUST HATE ON ASIANS.
LET'S UNDERSTAND WHY THEY DID THIS.
SO, YOU HAVE A FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT TO HATE ON ASIANS ALL
YOU WANT, AND SAY IT.
NOW BECAUSE OF DONALD TRUMP, I HATE YOU, HAVE ADDED COSTS.
BUT IF YOU ARE RUNNING A BUSINESS, YOU CANNOT
DISCRIMINATE BASED ON RACE.
YOU KNOW THE WHOLE THING WITH THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT,
WHEN THEY CANNOT SIT AT SOME COUNTERS, OR GO INTO SOME
STORES, AND THEY HAD ALL THOSE DIFFERENT RULES APPLY TO
THEM BECAUSE THEY WERE AFRICAN-AMERICANS?
AMONG ONE OF THE MANY POINTS OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
IS THAT YOU CANNOT DO THAT.
YOU CANNOT HAVE SEPARATE WATER FOUNTAINS FOR OTHER PEOPLE,
AS THEY WOULD SAY BACK THEN, AND WHITE PEOPLE.
SO YOU CANNOT SAY, I'M GOING TO RENT MY HOUSE OUT AS PART OF A
BUSINESS ENTERPRISE, BUT I WILL WILL NOT RENTED TO BLACKS, OR
JEWS, OR ASIANS, AND HERE YOU CANNOT HAVE A MORE CLEAR
ADMISSION OF GUILT THEN, ONE WORD SAYS IT ALL: ASIAN.
SO, I USE AIRBNB, I LIKE AIRBNB A LOT, AND I FEEL LIKE WHEN YOU
ARE SHARING YOUR INFORMATION IN ORDER TO RENT A PLACE, YOU
DISCLOSE QUITE A BIT.
THERE IS A PHOTO INVOLVED, YOUR NAME IS INVOLVED.
I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS AN ANSWER ñ I DON'T KNOW IF THIS
IS IN AN INSENSITIVE THING TO SAY, BUT DYNE SUH DOESN'T
REALLY SOUND LIKE A WHITE PERSON NAMED.
1ST OF ALL, IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU CAN IDENTIFY THE PERSON'S
RACE OR NOT, YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO DISCRIMINATE, BASED ON THE
LAWÖ WHY, LAST MINUTE, AS SHE IS DRIVING THROUGH THIS
SNOWSTORM, DID THIS HOST DECIDE TO CANCEL?
DID YOU REALLY NOT KNOW SHE WAS ASIAN TO BEGIN WITH?
WELL, IF YOU ARE THAT IGNORANT, WHERE IS YOUR IGNORANCE AND?
SHE MIGHT NOT HAVE KNOWN.
2ND OF ALL, SHE MIGHT HAVE BEEN DRUNK.
I SAID YES, BUT I DON'T WANT IT, I DON'T WANT THIS STINKING ASIAN
IN MY HOUSE!
THEN DON'T RENT YOUR PROPERTY OUT.
YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T RENT YOUR PROPERTY OUT.
YOU DON'T GET TO CHOOSE WHAT RACE STAYS IN YOUR PROPERTY.
KIND OF, AND PARTICULARLY FOR BLACK USERS OF AIRBNB, THEY
ARE OVERWHELMINGLY DECLINED WHEN THEY APPLY FOR HOUSING.
I THINK AIRBNB HAS TO REVISE THE STANDARDS BY WHICH YOU CAN
APPLY.
I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T AIRBNB BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO BE
DISCRIMINATED AGAINST, BECAUSE YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU GO GET A
HOTEL, YOU CAN JUST CHECK IN, SO THERE'S NO OPPORTUNITY FOR
THAT DISCRIMINATION.
BUT ALSO, I DON'T WANT TO STAY AT ANYONE'S HOUSE WHO IS RACIST,
BECAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO HAVE MY MONEY, SO THIS IS KIND
OF LIKE, YOU KNOW, I'M GLAD SHE DID NOT STAY THERE.
SO, AIRBNB KNOWS THIS IS A PROBLEM, AND THEY ARE
TRYING TO ADDRESS IT, AND IT LOOKS LIKE THEY ARE TRYING
HARD TO AMELIORATE THE PROBLEM.
IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE THEY SAID, LOOK, WE ARE GOING TO
REFUND YOUR MONEY IMMEDIATELY, PLUS WE WILL GIVE YOU MONEY
A VOUCHER FOR A HOTEL ROOM, AS WELL AS YOUR FRIENDS, SO IT
IS NOT US AND WE ARE GOING TO TRY TO HELP YOU IS ñ
HELP YOU IN EVERY WAY WE CAN AS A COMPANY.
BUT THIS IS WHAT PEOPLE TALK ABOUT WHEN THEY SAY WHITE
PRIVILEGE, BECAUSE UNTIL WE WERE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION, I
HADN'T THOUGHT ABOUT IT.
IF YOU ASKED ME, DO YOU THINK AFRICAN-AMERICANS WOULD GET
DISCRIMINATED AGAINST AT AIRBNB?
YOU WOULD FORCE ME TO THINK ABOUT BUT ñ THINK ABOUT THAT FOR
THE FIRST TIME, AND I GUESS I WOULD THINK, I GUESS THEY DO,
BASED ON ALL THE OTHER STORIES WE HAVE DONE ABOUT RESUMES, AND
SEEING A WHITE HAND VERSUS A BLACK HAND, IT'S ALL THE
DIFFERENT STUDIES WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT, BUT I HAVEN'T LIVED THAT
EXPERIENCE, WHEREAS, AMBRIA, YOU, YOU THINK ABOUT THAT ñ YOU
THINK ABOUT THAT IS THE FIRST THING, BECAUSE YOU HAVE HAD THIS
EXPERIENCE, OTHER PEOPLE YOU KNOW HAVE HAD THIS EXPERIENCE.
SO I NEVER THOUGHT, HEY I CAN GO TO AN AIRBNB OR A HOTEL, IT'S
MY CHOICE, WHEREAS FOR YOU IS LESS OF A CHOICE, OR YOU HAVE
PERCEIVED THAT IT IS LESS ñ THAT IT IS LESS OF A CHOICE.
THAT IS A PRIVILEGE THAT I DID NOT EVEN KNOW I HAD.
DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU RECEIVE THE PRIVILEGE OF BEING....
WHEN THEY SEE CENK UYGUR, THEY ARE LIKE, YOU ARE IN BUDDY.
IN ALL SERIOUSNESS THOUGH, MY NAME IS UNPRONOUNCEABLE, SO THEY
DON'T KNOW IT IS CENK UYGUR, AND THEY SEE MY WIFE'S NAME, WENDY
LANG, COULD BE JEWISH, COULD BE ASIAN.
I'M SUPER LUCKY, ALMOST ñ UNTIL ALMOST RECENTLY I ALMOST NEVER
FACE DISCRIMINATION, BECAUSE PEOPLE COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHO I
WAS, OR MAYBE I WAS SUPER LUCKY AND I HAD GOOD PEOPLE AROUND ME,
AND I GREW UP IN A GOOD PL.
IN NEW JERSEY WHERE IT WAS VERY MULTICULTURAL, ETC.,
BUT I HAVE NOT FELT ANY OF THE KIND OF DISCRIMINATION THAT
AFRICAN-AMERICANS FEEL ON A REGULAR BASIS.
I WAS ONLY DISCRIMINATED AGAINST ONCE ON AIRBNB, AND IT WAS BY A
TURKISH HOST.
I REQUESTED A PROPERTY FOR MY IN-LAWS WHEN THEY WERE COMING TO
LOS ANGELES, AND YOU SEE THE PERSON'S IDENTITY, WHICH IS WHY
THIS IS SURPRISING TO ME THAT THE HOST DID NOT KNOW THAT THE
WOMAN WAS ASIAN, BUT YEAH, KASPARIAN IS A SUPER
ARMENIAN NAME.
I APPLIED FOR IT, SUPER FRIENDLY, I HAVE A GREAT
READING, I IMMEDIATELY .
DECLINED.
I'M NOT GOING TO BLOW THE PLACE UP.
WE DON'T KNOW FOR SURE, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE IT.
FINALLY, ON THIS STORY THERE IS A LITTLE BIT OF A GOOD ENDING.
NOT BECAUSE SHE GOT FINED, AND HA HA SHE HAS TO GO TO THESE
CLASSES AGAINST HER WILL; FROM WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT HER
REACTION, IT APPEARS AS IF IT WAS A LITTLE BIT OF A
LEARNING EXPERIENCE.
IT REMINDS ME OF THE STORY WE DID YESTERDAY, ABOUT THE GUY WHO
WAS YELLING BIGOTED STUFF AT MUSLIMS ON THE HIGHWAY IN
OREGON, AND AFTERWARDS HE GOT SO REMORSEFUL, SAYING THAT IT
WAS SO STUPID, WHY DID I DO THAT, THEY ARE JUST REGULAR
AMERICANS LIKE ME.
SO I LIKE THAT, INSTEAD OF BEING LIKE, THAT'S IT, IT'S NOT A
$5000 FINE, IT'S A $50,000 FINE AND WE ARE GOING TO BANKRUPT YOU
AND TAKE YOUR HOUSE, IT WAS MORE LIKE, LET'S TALK ABOUT IT, LET'S
LEARN FROM IT, AND IT SEEMS LIKE SHE IS OPEN TO THAT, SO IF WE
EXPANDED HER WAY OF THINKING FOR A SECOND, AND SHE IS INTO IT,
THAT IS GREAT NEWS, AND I THINK IT'S THE RIGHT WAY TO HANDLE IT.
I'M SKEPTICAL.