I’m a black man. Here’s what happened when I booked an Airbnb
1–10 of 28 posts
Re: I’m a black man. Here’s what happened when I booked an Airbnb
#2Quoting:
For folks that are going to say,
"well people have the right to
refuse rentals in their homes".
True. To an extent. There are
Fair Housing laws that may apply
under certain circumstances ...
And yes, he can tell his story, but it won't change unless it's legislated. AirBnB can't have it both ways.
Re: I’m a black man. Here’s what happened when I booked an Airbnb
#3It seems unrealistic to expect AirBnB to "fix" this issue. This is a cultural problem, not a technical one, and it's outside their sphere of control. Sure, they could shut down a few blatantly racist hosts... but that'll never stamp out the underlying sentiment and they'll never get them all.
I think a more realistic expectation on them would be for them to actively promote equality and do their bit to contribute towards a larger cultural shift in that regard. For example, while on-boarding hosts, show a short video encouraging a bit of open-mindedness.
Re: I’m a black man. Here’s what happened when I booked an Airbnb
#4It seems unrealistic to expect AirBnB to "fix" this issue. This is a cultural problem, not a technical one, and it's outside their sphere of control. Sure, they could shut down a few blatantly racist hosts... but that'll never stamp out the underlying sentiment and they'll never get them all. I think a more realistic expectation on them would be for them to actively promote equality and do their bit to contribute tow…
Yes, or perhaps they can flat out tell people "we are looking at the data and if you discriminate based on skin color you are not hosting and we will tell other sites about our find".
It's disgusting that people still do this crap.
Re: I’m a black man. Here’s what happened when I booked an Airbnb
#5It seems unrealistic to expect AirBnB to "fix" this issue. This is a cultural problem, not a technical one, and it's outside their sphere of control. Sure, they could shut down a few blatantly racist hosts... but that'll never stamp out the underlying sentiment and they'll never get them all. I think a more realistic expectation on them would be for them to actively promote equality and do their bit to contribute tow…
Yes, or perhaps they can flat out tell people "we are looking at the data and if you discriminate based on skin color you are not hosting and we will tell other sites about our find". It's disgusting that people still do this crap.
in order to do that they would first have to profile their customers for race. thats not exactly legal either.
Re: I’m a black man. Here’s what happened when I booked an Airbnb
#6It seems unrealistic to expect AirBnB to "fix" this issue. This is a cultural problem, not a technical one, and it's outside their sphere of control. Sure, they could shut down a few blatantly racist hosts... but that'll never stamp out the underlying sentiment and they'll never get them all. I think a more realistic expectation on them would be for them to actively promote equality and do their bit to contribute tow…
They could try and limit what people see about guests before a booking is confirmed. E.g. they could not show any photos of the person before the room is confirmed.
But most of the actions they could take would probably impact their bottom line, so it's hard to see them doing anything.
Re: I’m a black man. Here’s what happened when I booked an Airbnb
#7I don't think this is too surprising for any person of color. For myself, I've learned that I have to plan 'extra ahead' in order to make sure I have time to correspond with multiple hosts, in order to work around the calendar being wrong or other 'reasons'. I've been cancelled too many times with Instant Book for 'reasons'.
Re: I’m a black man. Here’s what happened when I booked an Airbnb
#8Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes, or perhaps they can flat out tell people "we are looking at the data and if you discriminate based on skin color you are not hosting and we will tell other sites about our find". It's disgusting that people still do this crap.
in order to do that they would first have to profile their customers for race. thats not exactly legal either.
No they don't, they can just say this person disproportionally rejects people of whatever race or prejudice. No need to state the host's race.
Re: I’m a black man. Here’s what happened when I booked an Airbnb
#9Earlier quoted context omitted.
in order to do that they would first have to profile their customers for race. thats not exactly legal either.
No they don't, they can just say this person disproportionally rejects people of whatever race or prejudice. No need to state the host's race.
Not the hosts race, the potential renters race. In order for Airbnb to say someone of race {race} got rejected, they have to know, or guess, their race. Whether they ask for that on the application or look at the pictures, its probably illegal.
Re: I’m a black man. Here’s what happened when I booked an Airbnb
#10I used to not believe this happened. Then I saw saw several instances of taxis refusing to pick up blacks in New York, and realized that racism was still hiding below the surface.