Host and Racial Profiling

[Rahadian0]

Hi, 

I am currently staying at Airbnb in Bergen. My host asked me about my toilet habit eg whether I stand or sit on the toilet. She knows from my profile and I come from Australia although my cultural background is Asian. At first I was a bit confused with her question and she awkwardly said that some of her guests with different cultural background (I guess what she meant was non-white) have a different toilet habit (standing on the toilet seat). She had some issues in the past of cleaning the toilet seat because her guests have stood on it. I politely said 'No' to her question and explained that in Australia people sit on the toilet. I wonder if she asked me that question because of my cultural background. If so, then I feel a bit racially profiled in this instance. Surely, a similar question wouldn't be raised if I am white - even if I stand on the toilet. I am not yet decisive about reporting this to Airbnb but I'd like to know some people view on this matter. 

[Sarah977]

I don't think we can look to Airbnb to do this, @Rahadian0 and I'll explain why. The whole thing about how anti-discrimination has become such a huge public issue has gotten to the point where, to me, one becomes suspect if they even acknowledge that there are cultural differences.  I think this would be Airbnb's official stance. Of course racism and discrimination shouldn't be tolerated, anywhere, anytime, but the reality is that there are cultural differences between people, even though all individuals from those cultures don't behave the same way. Pretending there aren't doesn't lead to more understanding, I think it leads to less. 

Personally, it's meeting people from all over, whether they be just someone I met or a guest, that helps me to understand and not be judgemental or presumptuous. I had a lot of experiences with renting to young Mexicans- not my private room I host, but a couple little places that rent long-term that I managed for friends. Every time I rented to young Mexicans, male or female, they ended up leaving the place a mess when they moved out, really truly filthy and with truckloads of garbage to haul away. And the first Mexican guest I had in my home was the only guest I've ever had to leave her room a pigsty, although otherwise she was very sweet and a good guest. So while I'm certainly not racist against Mexicans, or I wouldn't live here, I became extremely wary of renting to them. You could say I was racial profiling, I guess.

But since then, I've had many other Mexican guests in my Airbnb room, and they have all left the room really tidy and clean-one young guy left it so clean it didn't look like anyone had stayed in there for 4 days. So those experiences totally changed my attitude, and I'm glad it did.

So in order for an entitly like Airbnb to decide to try to educate hosts and guests on cultural sensitivity they would first have to acknowledge that there are sometimes life experiences that can make someone biased against others, that it's not necessarily "bad", it's a reality and a mindset that can change, and that you don't have to delist a host or ban a guest simply because they didn't "get it" somehow. I can't see them doing that, because these days, it wouldn't be politically correct.

[Rowena29]

Hi @Rahadian0 

I'm  a bit hesitant to say anything because this topic seems to have become a bit heated.

I like to think I'm a tolerant, broad minded person, but if the truth be known I think nearly all of us have some prejudices and stereotypes about cultures and races  that we may or may not be aware of.

I can really understand that the question from this host made you feel offended

And I agree, if you were white, she almost certainly wouldn't have asked.

But I can't agree that just because you're from Australia ( as I am) means that you most definitely would sit.

My husband works at a large university and a few years ago an Australian citizen of Asian heritage was terribly injured when the toilet bowl he was squatting on shattered. He nearly bled to death in the cubicle. The uni then had an extensive education programme about appropriate toilet use. They did a survey and I was astounded at how many Australian citizens  reported that they didn't use the toilet in what I regard as the conventional way. ( And yes they were definitely citizens, not overseas students)

I agree that a sign would be more diplomatic.  But then hosts are often criticised for having signs which are impersonal and look institutional and not "homely". Adn many guests claim they don't see them. Personally I always follow up anything I regards as really important in writing via messaging,.

And don't forget the language barrier - the Norwegians speak really good English on the whole, but they tend to be rather blunt and direct (another racist profiling comment I guess) and sometimes the nuances and subtleties  in communication are lost.

I was in Bergen a few years ago adn a bouncer refused to let me into a club. when I asked why he said "because you are too old"  I was absolutely incensed . What I found out later, was that it was a bar specifically for uni students - he couldnt' quite find the right words in English  and what he came out with was more or less right,  - i'm much much older than  they typical uni student,  but I was really, really offended. 

Without knowing the whole story or situation and having not met either of you, my gut reaction was that she was just was just trying to anticipate your needs/ habits and forward plan. Obviously not very diplomatically. And probably she does have some erroneous preconceived ideas.  But so do a lot of people about a lot of things. (I get a bit tired of quite a lot of English people telling me that  Australians are just ex convicts for example.)   I probably do similar things to what your host has done. For example.  I if I get guests of Asian background and their message has clearly come through google translate,  I assume they are first generation Australians and I  always ask if they would like me to provide a rice cooker.  I'M making assumptions aren't I - but I'm trying to be helpful.  (And to be absolutely honest I'm also trying to save my pots and pans which have been pretty badly damaged in the past.)

  I think one of the joys of travel is that it broadens the mind and exposes us to many experiences and situations outside the norm - some negative and some positive. I"d look on this as a bit of an opportunity to educate your host. That is, unless you are finding her to be consistently unfriendly and judgemental, in which case, I'd be moving on.

I adored my time in Bergen, Hope you are having a great time. Enjoy the sights. Don't let a silly misguided comment ruin a great holiday. 

Cheers

[Stephanie]

Hi @Rahadian0 et al,

Thanks for taking the time to bring this situation to the CC for advice and guidance. There are a couple of things I'd like to mention. Firstly, I have popped a note over to our CS team as we do not allow any discrimination here on Airbnb. Secondly, as @Rowena29 pointed out, this thread is getting quite heated with such passionate conversations flowing. To that end, I want to remind you to be please always be respectful to other peoples perspectives and try to stay level-headed when opinions don't match your own.

If in doubt, you can go ahead and flag a users post and I can review it, should you feel it is out of line with the guidelines.

Thanks,

Stephanie

[Jo607]

Racial profiling and discrimination is commonplace and AIRBNB does NOTHING to counteract it. They, in essence, promote it and help it stay alive and well. 

[Jo607]

Infact, my profile picture is now a white man, bc I was getting constant rejections before. 

[Ute42]

.

@Jo607  

Last year airbnb has changed its profile picture policy. Ever since that change, hosts can no longer see the picture of a guest prior to accepting a booking. Instead, we see a grey circle with one letter in it. Not even the first name or the avatar-name is displayed.

Pls read this:

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Airbnb-Updates/Airbnb-Answers-Guest-profile-photos/m-p/839227#M6...

After heaving read all of this, would You still say that „Racial profiling and discrimination is commonplace on AIRBNB“. And if You still do say that, could You give an example?

[Kevin1322]

@Rahadian0  bit cheeky imho of the host.   You could do whatever you like in our toilet. As far as I'm concerned it's your private space.

Most of us travelling when using a toilet do as they do in the host country because that is how the toilets are set up. If it's a hole in the ground we wing it. If it's "western style" we know what to do.

Trust me I've been around a bit. From holes in the ground, here's a shovel, to the weirdest contraptions they can devise to entertain you in Japan.

I've never been asked how I intend to use the facilities!

This will make you laugh.  My first time in the US as a young lad..... booked into a hotel and because the toilet bowl was so full of water I asked for another room, thinking it was blocked. The one in the room the gave me was the same.   Being british I didn't want to make a fuss, but it had been a long flight and a long time, and I needed (to put it bluntly) a sit-down. So I went out tofind a bar.... just to use the toilet.

Guess what. 

I found a bar OK, but I realised that the high water level was normal in the US.

I also found out in the same bar that in the US they call don't call cigarettes "fags",  so asking in a bar where I could buy some was awkward.

San Francisco was an interesting place in the 1980s. 

One day I will go back before I'm too old. 

Hopefully nobody will be around to remember my last visit.