It's not always about race

[Lamb]

Did you read the story about the guy who called the cops because someone piggybacked into his building when he was leaving and the guy entered while the door was open? The guy's son didn't want the dad to call the police. The other guy was black so of course the media is making it out to be race.

But here's the thing...it's not always about race. When I worked a few years ago there were 2 buildings that were next to each other and the big rule that they enforced was NO piggybacking into the building! We all wore badges and had to badge in. There were 2 doorways...the first one opened to a vestibule and in there was a phone for visitors to call the person they were meeting with so that they could receive a visitor's badge. There were no exceptions to this rule. If we bypassed it we could be fired.

WHY did my company do this? A few reasons. There was some theft years ago of expensive computer equipment, there was a death threat against an employee and the last reason is because a homeless person wandered in either drunk or on drugs and it became a safety issue for the employees.

Now back to the story of the dad and the cops. The black guy filmed it of course because he assumed he was being denied admittance because he was black. But don't most buildings in cities now enforce the no piggyback rule for safety issues regardless of color? I know of quite a few that do.

Here's one story on it
https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/10/us/san-francisco-apartment-confrontation-wednesday/index.html

 

[vince284]

There is no rule in the building that I work in, we piggyback all the time through the outside doors. However, we also have to go through glass gates or glass turnstiles as some call them. Besides the gates closing fast, it would be difficult to piggyback, they also have a very annoying sound which alerts the whole lobby including the guard's desk which is next to them. They go off if someone is carrying something especially if someone is lugging those computer bags on wheels that look like carry-on bags. On rainy days they go off when people are coming in with umbrellas.

 

[Lamb]

There is no rule in the building that I work in, we piggyback all the time through the outside doors. However, we also have to go through glass gates or glass turnstiles as some call them. Besides the gates closing fast, it would be difficult to piggyback, they also have a very annoying sound which alerts the whole lobby including the guard's desk which is next to them. They go off if someone is carrying something especially if someone is lugging those computer bags on wheels that look like carry-on bags. On rainy days they go off when people are coming in with umbrellas.

The system at your work is more secure in that it doesn't allow basic open doors for entry. Does that mean that everyone who has that system is a racist because it's keeping people out who want to go in and you should just trust him on his word? That's what that black guy expected, that the guy who lived in the building should just go by his word even though the guy said that there had been thefts in the building in the past. The guy was practicing building safety for the sake of his home and his neighbors. He would have done the same thing to a white guy.

 

[tango]

This is just part of what makes race matters so utterly stupid.

When any non-white person can get away with just about anything and claim racism if they are stopped, called out, prosecuted, whatever, none of the perpetrators of the fake allegations of racism can claim they are working towards racial equality. When a situation like a homeowner shooting an intruder occurs and the first thing the media want to know are the races of those involved, they can't claim to be seeking an end to racial bias. Let's face it, it's hard to imagine a homeowner being confronted with a potentially violent intruder and deciding that because the intruder is the same race as they are they won't do anything about it.

The only reason for trying to bring race into cases like this is to create a reverse racism under which the rules that apply to white people don't apply to black people.

On a positive note, if we see a rise in the number of black police officers I wonder whether white people will be able to get away with crying racism any time a black cop tries to enforce the law we broke.

 

[Lucian Hodoboc]

I am utterly confused.

 

[Andrew]

I am utterly confused.

I believe they are talking about driving behind a vehicle to get into a gate before it closes

 

[Lamb]

Sorry about the confusion!

In the case of this article it means to gain entry to some place by means of another person. Someone goes out a door that is usually locked but another person comes into that door because the other person was leaving and didn't shut it in time to prevent the other guy from entering.

A lot of people who have to use key cards or badges to enter a locked door get lazy and don't want to use them so they walk in as someone else uses his badge to unlock the door. That's a pretty good scenario of a piggyback.

 

[tango]

I am utterly confused.

One of the oddities of English, sometimes a word that technically means one thing is often used to mean something very different. I'm glad I don't have to figure out English as a foreign language because it can be really odd at times.

As others have said, any time you need some kind of security device to open a door the person behind who follows you through (with or without your permission) can be said to be piggybacking on you. Just like your definition here indicates riding on someone's back, so the second person through the door is kinda-sorta-riding on your key.

Sometimes it's a reasonable thing to allow someone to do. At an apartment block where I lived years ago, if I knew the person behind me and knew they lived in one of the apartments I'd hold the door open for them. Technically speaking it's a security risk because they might have moved out but practically it seems really stubborn to pull the door shut in their face so they have to unlock it for themselves. In an office setting, particular an office that is more secure than most, it's arguably a lot more important to make sure everybody who enters has used their own security device to do so.

Sometimes it's just a simple matter of maintaining security, sometimes it's about knowing who is in the building and who is not, sometimes it's about time management and if you don't log yourself into the building you don't get paid until the computer does see your card somewhere. In any event, not letting someone follow you through a secure door is about security and nothing to do with race.

 

[Jason76]

Well, honestly, when it's just another race - the people are often trigger happy. For instance, a black woman - living in a black neighborhood - won't be shy to pull a gun, simply cause: "She knows the environment.".

Well, actually, it boils down to just a crappy environment - and one where, sadly, some innocent by-standards get lumped with the evil ones. An example was on the movie Crash - where the sensitive, innocent black middle class guy got lumped in "with the others" and harassed by a racist cop.

Anyway, I don't know how to cure a crappy environment. It's just a product of man's sinful nature - and can only be cured with Christ's 2nd coming.