kennebellcobra
04-15-2008, 04:46 PM
> > Black Robbers
> >
> > For anyone who didn't see David Letterman's take on this: (And
> > it's a true story...) On a recent weekend in Atlantic City , a woman
> > won
> > a bucketful of quarters at a slot machine. She took a break from the
> > slots for dinner with
> > her husband in the hotel dining room. But first she wanted to
> > stash the quarters in her room. 'I'll be right back and we'll go to
> > eat,' she told her husband and carried the coin-laden bucket to the
> > elevator.
> >
> > As she was about to walk into the elevator she noticed two men
> > already aboard. Both were black. One of them was tall...very tall...an
> >
> > intimidating figure. The woman froze. Her first thought was:
> > 'These two are going to rob me.' Her next thought was: 'Don't be a
> > bigot; they look like perfectly nice gentlemen.' But racial stereotypes
> > are powerful, and fear immobilized her. She stood and stared at the
> > two men. She felt anxious, flustered and ashamed. She hoped they didn't
> > read her mind but gosh, they had to know what she was thinking!!!
> >
> > Her hesitation about joining them in the elevator was all too
> > obvious now. Her face was flushed.. She couldn't just stand there, so
> > with a mighty effort of will she picked up one foot and stepped
> > forward and followed with the other foot and was on the elevator. Avoiding eye
> > contact, she turned around stiffly and faced the elevator doors as
> > they closed. A second passed, and then another second, and then another.
> > Her fear increased! The elevator didn't move. Panic consumed her. 'My
> > God,' she thought, I'm trapped and about to be robbed! 'Her heart plummeted.
> >
> > Perspiration poured from every pore.
> >
> > Then one of the men said, 'Hit the floor.' Instinct told her to
> > do what they told her. The bucket of quarters flew upwards as she
> > threw out her arms and collapsed on the elevator floor. A shower of coins
> > rained down on her. Take my money and spare me, she prayed. More
> > seconds passed. She heard one of the men say politely, 'Ma'am, if you'll just
> > tell us what floor you're going to, we'll push the button.' The one
> > who said it had a little trouble getting the words out. He was trying mightily
> > to hold in a belly laugh. The woman lifted her head and looked up at the
> > two men. They reached down to help her up. Confused, she struggled to her
> > feet. ' W hen I told my friend here to hit the floor,' said the average
> > sized one, 'I meant that he should hit the elevator button for our
> > floor. I didn't mean for you to hit the floor, ma'am.' He spoke genially. He bit his
> > lip. It was obvious he was having a hard time not laughing. The woman
> > thought: 'My God, what a spectacle I've made of myself.' She was too
> > humiliated to speak. She wanted to blurt out an apology, but words
> > failed her. How do you apologize to two perfectly respectable
> > gentlemen for behaving as though they were going to rob you? She didn't know
> > what to say. The three of them gathered up the strewn quarters and refilled her bucket.
> >
> > When the elevator arrived at her floor they then insisted
> > on walking her to her room. She seemed a little unsteady on her feet, and
> > they were afraid she might not make it down the corridor. At her door
> > they bid her a good evening. As she slipped into her room she could
> > hear them roaring with laughter as they walked back to the elevator. The
> > woman brushed herself off. She pulled herself together and went
> > downstairs for dinner with her husband.
> >
> > The next morning flowers were delivered to her room - a dozen
> > roses. Attached to EACH rose was a crisp one hundred dollar bill.
> >
> > The card said: 'Thanks for the best laugh we've had in years.'
> >
> > It was signed;
> > Eddie Murphy
> > Michael Jordan
> >
> > For anyone who didn't see David Letterman's take on this: (And
> > it's a true story...) On a recent weekend in Atlantic City , a woman
> > won
> > a bucketful of quarters at a slot machine. She took a break from the
> > slots for dinner with
> > her husband in the hotel dining room. But first she wanted to
> > stash the quarters in her room. 'I'll be right back and we'll go to
> > eat,' she told her husband and carried the coin-laden bucket to the
> > elevator.
> >
> > As she was about to walk into the elevator she noticed two men
> > already aboard. Both were black. One of them was tall...very tall...an
> >
> > intimidating figure. The woman froze. Her first thought was:
> > 'These two are going to rob me.' Her next thought was: 'Don't be a
> > bigot; they look like perfectly nice gentlemen.' But racial stereotypes
> > are powerful, and fear immobilized her. She stood and stared at the
> > two men. She felt anxious, flustered and ashamed. She hoped they didn't
> > read her mind but gosh, they had to know what she was thinking!!!
> >
> > Her hesitation about joining them in the elevator was all too
> > obvious now. Her face was flushed.. She couldn't just stand there, so
> > with a mighty effort of will she picked up one foot and stepped
> > forward and followed with the other foot and was on the elevator. Avoiding eye
> > contact, she turned around stiffly and faced the elevator doors as
> > they closed. A second passed, and then another second, and then another.
> > Her fear increased! The elevator didn't move. Panic consumed her. 'My
> > God,' she thought, I'm trapped and about to be robbed! 'Her heart plummeted.
> >
> > Perspiration poured from every pore.
> >
> > Then one of the men said, 'Hit the floor.' Instinct told her to
> > do what they told her. The bucket of quarters flew upwards as she
> > threw out her arms and collapsed on the elevator floor. A shower of coins
> > rained down on her. Take my money and spare me, she prayed. More
> > seconds passed. She heard one of the men say politely, 'Ma'am, if you'll just
> > tell us what floor you're going to, we'll push the button.' The one
> > who said it had a little trouble getting the words out. He was trying mightily
> > to hold in a belly laugh. The woman lifted her head and looked up at the
> > two men. They reached down to help her up. Confused, she struggled to her
> > feet. ' W hen I told my friend here to hit the floor,' said the average
> > sized one, 'I meant that he should hit the elevator button for our
> > floor. I didn't mean for you to hit the floor, ma'am.' He spoke genially. He bit his
> > lip. It was obvious he was having a hard time not laughing. The woman
> > thought: 'My God, what a spectacle I've made of myself.' She was too
> > humiliated to speak. She wanted to blurt out an apology, but words
> > failed her. How do you apologize to two perfectly respectable
> > gentlemen for behaving as though they were going to rob you? She didn't know
> > what to say. The three of them gathered up the strewn quarters and refilled her bucket.
> >
> > When the elevator arrived at her floor they then insisted
> > on walking her to her room. She seemed a little unsteady on her feet, and
> > they were afraid she might not make it down the corridor. At her door
> > they bid her a good evening. As she slipped into her room she could
> > hear them roaring with laughter as they walked back to the elevator. The
> > woman brushed herself off. She pulled herself together and went
> > downstairs for dinner with her husband.
> >
> > The next morning flowers were delivered to her room - a dozen
> > roses. Attached to EACH rose was a crisp one hundred dollar bill.
> >
> > The card said: 'Thanks for the best laugh we've had in years.'
> >
> > It was signed;
> > Eddie Murphy
> > Michael Jordan