A therapist in Columbus, Georgia, has been fired from her job for having the audacity to politely ask two fishermen she didn’t recognize from her community if they were residents — a requirement for using the lake.
The woman, identified as “Tanya” by her former employer, Sea Glass Therapy, approached the men, who began recording the incident, smiled at them, asked how they were, and then asked, “Are you guys residents in any way?”
“Are we bothering you in any way?” one of the men shot back.
“I just have to ask,” she calmly replied.
She remained cordial throughout the encounter, noting only that the lake “is for residents only.”
Now, you might be wondering what this moment could possibly have to do with Tanya’s job as a therapist. You might also be asking yourself if this isn’t exactly the “Neighborhood Watch” kind of action you would want your own neighbor to take if she saw strangers hanging out near your home. And you’re probably wondering why a clip like this would go viral in the first place.
It’s simple: The fishermen were black, the therapist was white, and one of the guys, Anthony Gibson is, according to the Daily Mail, a wannabe actor and aspiring social media influencer.
@fishingbay2ga I Get harassed when i Go fishing because these privileged people don’t think i live in this nice neighborhood! #racistneighborhood #fishinggonewrong #ijustwanttofish #oldladyharrassingme #iliveinthisneighborhood ♬ original sound – fishingbay2ga
Gibson posted the encounter to TikTok and made it about his race, claiming, “I Get harassed when i Go fishing because these privileged people don’t think i live in this nice neighborhood!”
Evidently, if you are white, asking a black man you don’t know if he lives in your private community is “harassment,” and it can lead to unemployment.
The presumption will always be that you wouldn’t have asked the question if the strangers were white, and you will not be able to prove otherwise. You will be branded a racist Karen by the woke mob and your employer will smear you as intolerant, and there is very little you can do about it.
“Sea Glass Therapy is a place of acceptance, healing, and inclusion of all people regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or background,” Tanya’s former boss said. “We stand against discrimination of all forms.”
“We have terminated our business relationship with the independent contractor, Tanya, in order to uphold our values and standards,” Sea Glass stated. “We strive to be a service to our community and do whatever we can to accommodate the needs of it, operating with integrity.”
And to show how much they care about what their community actually thinks about the move, they turned off the comments to avoid “unhelpful” replies.
It’s not unlike Gibson’s friend, who, when approached by Tanya, snapped, “Don’t talk to me.”
Faced with no “helpful” comments, Tanya informed the duo that she would be snapping a shot of their license plates and “forward it on.”
“OK, so this is what I go through,” Gibson told the camera. “This is the third person. I’m in my own neighborhood, and a white person came and bothered me while I am fishing. Another white person bothered me while I was fishing.”
As Tanya walked away, he hollered, “Hey, don’t leave now! Do you live here? Where’s your address? This is unbelievable.”
When a white man who identified himself as “John” and said he was on the board of the Home Owners’ Association” later approached the fishing buddies and asked if they lived there, Gibson again was recording the exchange.
The duo asked John for his address, and he promptly provided it. They, however, refused to reciprocate, choosing instead to try and bait him into another viral moment.
@fishingbay2ga I Get harassed when i Go fishing because these privileged people don’t think i live in this nice neighborhood! Part 2 #racistneighborhood #fishinggonewrong #ijustwanttofish #oldmanharrassingme #iliveinthisneighborhood ♬ original sound – fishingbay2ga
On Thursday, when the police finally came out to question him, Gibson posted “Part 3” of his victim status.
“I’m getting famous off this by now,” he exclaimed with a grin.
@fishingbay2ga (Police) I Get harassed when i Go fishing because these privileged people don’t think i live in this nice neighborhood! Part 3 #racistneighborhood #fishinggonewrong #ijustwanttofish #oldmanharrassingme #iliveinthisneighborhood ♬ original sound – fishingbay2ga
Online, many see Gibson as the unreasonable one in these videos.
“Perfectly reasonable to ask ppl you haven’t seen in the neighborhood who are fishing at a lake that’s only for residents whether they live there….” wrote one user on Twitter. “Unless of course they’re black…then you lose your job if you ask that.”
“It’s almost like what this social media personality and aspiring actor was actually fishing for was attention,” noted another.
Perfectly reasonable to ask ppl you haven’t seen in the neighborhood who are fishing at a lake that’s only for residents whether they live there…. Unless of course they’re black…then you lose your job if you ask that https://t.co/Jz6Az2YyTM
— Don’t @ Me PhD (@UsingLyft) July 14, 2023
It’s almost like what this social media personality and aspiring actor was actually fishing for was attentionhttps://t.co/osyOnHk0US
— Paul Hundred, GED (@paul_hundred) July 14, 2023
The @DailyMail thinks these articles help, but they drive people apart.
There is no proof the “Karen” asked him what she did because of his race. He assumed it. That’s on him. Is she annoying? Sure, but save the race drama for when it’s needed.https://t.co/db6rA7cRgX
— Popeye Spartacus (@PopeyeSpartacus) July 14, 2023
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Melissa Fine is the former executive editor of Casino Player, Strictly Slots, and Poker
Digest magazines. She is a UCLA graduate, news junkie, and dedicated Stargate SG-
1 fan. Melissa currently lives with her dog and two cats in a tiny town in the Sierra
Nevada foothills.
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