Last night...stupidity at it's finest

Hurt me to my soul...

It's rare that I'll come right out and admit something bothered me, but last night left me almost speechless really hit me hard.  Jose, T-speck, and I went out to Hamburg for a night out on the town and so I could get my first experience with a much larger city here in Germany.  The night started out pretty awesome walking around laughing, talking, and just joking (ya know being guys).  We hit up a couple clubs got our dance on (despite idiot locals just standing in the middle of the dance floor cramping our style lol) and had some drinks to really set the night off perfectly. All in all we were having a great night and then in literally a flash the entire night turned sour.  We were walking through the streets just chatting and Jose noticed a group of women speaking English (which around here is like a little piece of heaven, cuz it's like living in a vacuum of confusion and misunderstanding sometimes).  Jose approached the girls and we found out one of them was actually from Eugene, OR.  We all chatted for awhile (I think we were all just so excited to meet other ppl who understood us haha) then decided it would be fun to hit this club Thomas Reader. We get to the club and stand in line waiting to go in. Finally we got to the front and the girls go in right before us, then Jose steps up and the bouncer at the door takes one look at him (doesn't even check his ID, which is his main job) and tells Jose he can't in.  At this point I'm thinking oh it's gonna be that kinda thing where they don't let us in cuz we're American. I was wrong b/c T-speck steps up and is ushered right in.  Instantly I realize what the real issue is and right on cue as I step up the bouncer glances at me and says "Nope" and tells me to step aside.  Then things got ugly pretty fast.  T-speck turns looking at Jose and I looking rather confused and sheepish as we stand beside this prick.  T-speck waves us in prompting the bouncer to again stop and tell us we can't come in.  T-speck asks the guy why his friends can't come in several times (seems like a simple question to me).  The bouncer continually blows him off saying the club is "empty" (I think he meant full, just his english wasn't good the guy was an idiot in all senses), as he continues to let other ppl in front of us.  T-speck again questions the guys motives asking if it's b/c our skin is darker than other people's.  This instantly sets the guy off and the situation escalates.  He yells at T-speck to either go in or out and that we could not come in.  Again T-speck asks why and asks if its an issue of race again.  The guy then is in T-speck's face telling him to leave as well. He pushes him close to us toward the exit line, but still non-threatening and with his hands out to his sides in a clear sign of nonviolence T-speck asks why.  The guy proceeds to shove him again (mind you we are at the top of about 3 flights of stairs here) and then punches T-speck without warning.  At this Jose and I step in between him and T-Speck to make sure  he doesn't continue to assault our coach and friend.  At this the bouncer pushes us and yells for us to leave.  Everything in me wanted to fight, wanted to give this guy exactly the rise he was looking for and show him how tough he really was because it doesn't take a big man at all to sucker punch someone for asking a question.

We end up leaving the club and going to police in the area, but to no avail.  The club sent the guy home so we couldn't even identify him to the authorities.  But at that point the night was ruined and I was left feeling so upset and empty.  It's just disgusting that even today, b/c the color of our skin we end up in a situation where our white coach is socked in the face for standing up and questioning the bouncer's ignorance.  And what's more Jose and I couldn't even respond knowing that if we raised a hand to this guy 1) we would end up locked up in jail and 2) we would've probably been beaten up or at least hurt b/c a group of 6 guys ran over right after we stepped up after the bouncer hit T-speck.  Today after sleeping on the matter I'm not nearly as upset as I was last night, but I'm still shocked at what occurred.  I know there are ignorant ppl everywhere and that racism is still present, but this was just absurd and sad.

All in all the night in Hamburg was fun and the city is awesome.  But that one experience may have tainted it for me. I know it's a bit silly to take one person's ignorance to heart, yet for whatever reason I can't shake it.