I would say the answer is "yes." Or at least that's how I feel when I shop, and I'm not black.
Just because she feels that way, doesn't mean every black person does. Maybe many do, but I don't think it is productive to speak for other people's experience.
Of course when speaking for oneself, then it is fine to say anything.
All other things being equal, it should be pretty clear that a given black person is more qualified to speak about the black experience than a given white person is to refute them. If you have reason to believe that this particular writer is unreliable or not representative, then by all means share them.
heyooo
> it should be pretty clear that a given black person is more qualified to speak about the black experience than a given white person is to refute them
I think people are only qualified to speak about their own feelings and experience, just not for other people unless those people requested that.
Other people should do that you say?
Are you trying to imply something?
I hope you're not trying to imply hypocrisy, because saying what someone should do is not speaking for them.
"As a hacker news poster, we all feel that ..."
Not even targeting this article in particular, it isn't bad at all from that perspective, just a trend I have been seeing and thinking about.
And I feel incredibly similarly to her when I walk into Starbucks and pickup my prepaid drink. I imagine I would feel just like her shopping at Amazon Go as well.
I’m not denying there are differences in how you are treated depending on your race. In fact, as a father of black children it is my responsibility to make them aware of the extra level of care they need to engage, during shopping for example.
But the feelings she shares are not unique to being black.
> No one cared what I was doing. Is this what it feels like to shop when you're not black?
The author does imply that all black people are eyed with suspicion when shopping, which is impossible to say but almost surely not true.
However the answer to the question can still be "yes" without giving in to the implication.