The Ugly Side

I can't remember if I've ever written about this, but I feel it's an important story to share.

I just read an extraordinary blog post:
http://thelinoleumsurfer.blogspot.com/2011/05/arabs-got-prostitution.html Now....he says some very nasty things about more than a few places. I'm not going to nit-pick on his details, but I certainly think this is a subject few will speak openly about. I'm calling it 'the ugly side' since I don't want traffic to my blog by creeps looking for certain services.

A few years back, I was coming out of a fabulous posh 5 - star type hotel in a Middle East country. Now, this particular hotel I used to frequent quite a bit - great pool, lovely place to sit and have coffee etc......not to mention the folks who work there are absolutely tops (I helped pay for my university by working as a hotel desk clerk). Being a typical 5-star type place, it's very easy to use the valet parking. I got to know by face, and a few by name, the men who worked parking the cars and opening doors etc. These men all came from other countries - all over Africa, India and the Philippines to name a few. Well...now to the story....

I came out from the hotel one day, rather early in the morning, to collect my 'vehicle of choice'. I was chatting with one of the bellmen about how busy the hotel had been blah blah blah.....friendly small talk, when a man comes out of the hotel looking like he just rolled out of bed. He was accompanied by two women, who were dressed reasonably well, but it was pretty obvious that the women were uncomfortable in their surroundings. The women looked nervous, and their clothes were not of the best quality unlike what the typical woman guest at this hotel would wear. Each woman got in her own car (older, basic, run-down looking) and drove off - not a single good-bye said to the man. The man sauntered back into the hotel.

Well, the bellman I had been chatting with and I just looked at each other. I shook my head and said, "Never a dull moment is there? God help those poor women." And his reply to me? "God help that poor man." Yup, the bellman who probably only makes $1000 (US) a month looked at the man staying at the fancy 5-star hotel with pity.

'Classy' is not defined by the hotels you stay in and what you wear but by how you treat your fellow human beings. That morning, the bellman was the classiest guy there.

Peace.