Cheapism and Race Part II: From the Gym to Queens

Miss Cheapist belongs to one of those gyms in New York City that costs almost a hundred dollars a month for the convenience of visiting any one of its many branches, in any neighborhood, at almost any hour of the day. Last week a computer glitch required the manager to summon Miss Cheapist from the treadmill, into his office. The Manager, a 20-something man of African-American descent, who obviously enjoyed his access to human vulnerability as a salesperson, gave her the usual "I like Asian girls" once over, looked at her account and said:
"You know, you've been paying too much. Wow."
Miss Cheapist, always suspicious that everyone at this gym paid a lower rate than her, first felt vindicated. Then she needed more.
He continued, "I can get you a deal. I’m your new friend ‘cause I’m going to do something for you.”
"What's the deal?" she asked blandly, trying not to use her sexuality as a negotiation tool.
"Are you a student?"
"Sure, I took continuing ed. class at NYU in the spring."
"Perfect, I'll close your old account and start you with a student discount. You’re going to really like this."
As he processed her application, Miss Cheapist decided it was only fair to reciprocate and show superficial interest.
“Do you like your job?” she asked.
“Love it. I used to work for GEICO. I like this so much better. There I was like, ‘hi, this is GEICO, how may I help you.’ Here I am really helping people…I mean, everyone needs health.”
“But car insurance is mandatory.”
“Too boring. They kept saying, don’t do this, don’t do that. Here, I can hang out, manage a great team of people, get a little flirt on, you know…”
“Yah.”
“And you know how much I make? 50,000 a year before commissions!”
“You really know how to work the system. They pay you, and you screw them by giving out discounts to people you hardly know.” Her light cynicism was unexpected, perhaps precipitated by the boundaries he crossed by sharing his salary with a complete stranger. Even for her, this was candid.
The Manager responded conspiratorially: “No, you get into positions like these so that you can work the system for your friends and family. Got it?”
His cell phone rings. Beats from L.L. Cool J.’s “Mama Said Knock You Out” vibrate from the phone.
“Hold on, this is my fiancé.”
Maybe it was the L.L. Cool J. song. Maybe it was his comfort with her kind. Miss Cheapist could not help but test out her rules of urban anthropology. Was he from Queens? She asks:
“What high school did you go to?”
He seems pleased that she is taking the interaction further. ”Cardozo.”
“In Queens?”
“Yup, Bayside!” he added.
She said, “I know a lot of people from Cardozo,” she offers.
“Really? Tell me their name and I probably know them.”
“They’re Asian.”
“Ya know it! Tons of Asians in Bayside.” The Manager is strangely gleeful. None of the usual territorialism of “Menace to Society” dramatics or the derision of early Eddie Murphy penis size jokes, much less 19th century “Yellow Peril” hysterics, were present in his tone. As a matter of fact, some of his best friends were Asian.
Miss Cheapist abandoned urban anthropology. So racist of her to assume…
The Manager leaned in again, ready to share another insight.
“You know, what race I like, second to my own?” he asked her. “Matter of fact, just as much as my own?” He paused for a beat, “Asian people! You guys really stick together, help each other out. One person opens a store, everyone else rushes to help.”
Miss Cheapist tries to convince her that this is certainly the case for other racial groups but he contradicts her, with the authority of his membership.

The conversation carried on for a few more minutes, but the details were lost on Miss Cheapist. The credit card had to be applied. A photo taken, a new key pass reissued. The memorable qualities of this encounter were three lessons for Miss Cheapist to take away and apply to life:
1) Always assume there is a cheaper rate.
2) Volunteering your salary to a stranger can be socially acceptable, and sometimes even builds unexpected bonds.
3) Not everyone finds Asian people annoying. Some actually feel genuine kinship with them, primarily based upon assumptions about their relationship to money and community.