
I’m a black man. Here’s what happened when I booked an Airbnb - helmett
https://medium.com/stay-woke/i-read-about-this-phenomenon-of-black-people-being-rejected-on-airbnb-f36dd3ab0375#.26qwgv6ih
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retrac98
It 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.

~~~
nailer
> For example, while on-boarding hosts, show a short video encouraging a bit
> of open-mindedness.

Not a video, but AirBnB (maybe about two months ago) made EVERY host agree to
not discriminate or their listings would be turned off.

I still think AirBnB is an awful company (hallway outside my apartment is
currently trashed by an airbnb guest, the host doesn't care, airbnb won't get
involved), but they are definitely aware of and addressing this.

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Chris2048
> hallway outside my apartment is currently trashed by an airbnb guest, the
> host doesn't care

Can't you sue?

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CarolineW
Quoting:

    
    
        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 ...
    

I thought the whole point of AirBnB was to be disruptive, and ignore
regulations, and not have to obey the laws that hotels have to obey and
thereby, well, something. Things like this will happen.

And yes, he can tell his story, but it won't change unless it's legislated.
AirBnB can't have it both ways.

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devopsproject
disruptive doesn't have to mean ignoring regulations

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robbies
I 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'.

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tinus_hn
Incidentally that was why the 'green book' was started. It's a sad thing
indeed.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Negro_Motorist_Green_Book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Negro_Motorist_Green_Book)

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lolsal
I find this interesting because instead of choosing to find a different cabin
and reward another AirBnb host that was not racist (vote with your wallet),
the author went out of their way to still do business with this host. It seems
like the inconvenience of booking indirectly was not enough of a deterrent to
factor into the purchase of this rental.

I also note that the host did say:

> So sorry, but we are planning to be up there now 4th of July week afterall

I wont presume to know if the host was racially motivated or not, but the
response seems entirely plausible - possibly plans really did change. Either
way this does not seem like something AirBnb could even remotely affect with
policy. I don't think anyone could say 'plans changing' is racist, whether
it's true or not.

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TheCoelacanth
Except for the part where the host cancelled his request for another date and
ignored all his subsequent communications.

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txmx2000
Somehow AirBnB is responsible for stopping racism. Not the police. Not the
court system. Not congress. Not the host who cancelled the booking. AirBnB
needs to balance the scales of justice. It's a completely rational idea.

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vinay427
Of course they're not obligated to stop racism. If they don't do anything to
address this issue, however, I and potentially many others will hesitate to
book using Airbnb to vote with our [currency]. This is capitalism working
without necessarily requiring government interference.

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txmx2000
"Address the issue"

That doesn't mean anything. There's no issue here.

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vinay427
I see an societal issue that Airbnb can mitigate, and so do many of the
commenters on this thread and on the article. I understand that you disagree,
but some of us will gladly support alternatives that take a harder stance
against what we see as injustices.

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mathattack
I 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.

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justmadethis
haha crissie is hilarious LOL ROFLMAFAO that expectation vs reality pic at the
end jajajajaja

