Where I live, the legal age of buying alcohol/cigarettes is 18 (used to be 16). You have to show your ID UNTIL the age of 25 to prevent any arguments regarding age. It's up to the cashier whether they think someone is under the age of 25 or not. Are they in doubt that the person is above 25? They must ask for their ID. They don't have an ID with them? No alcohol or cigarettes for them. This, ofcourse, comes with its struggles and annoyances.
The other day, a guy who didn't speak great Dutch, wanted to buy a pack of Marlboros. He looked around 20 so I asked for his ID. He said he forgot to bring it and that he was 24 and he always buys cigarettes and alcohol without showing an ID. I said I couldn't sell the pack of Marlboros to him because I needed to see an ID, otherwise the store might risk a warning or a ticket.
He
IMMEDIATELY resorted to acting like a victim and accused me of being racist. He said I was discriminating him for being Somalian. ''You're only being so strict because I'm Somalian!'' were his words.
To make a long story short: He fumed, called me a racist and left.
Why must people always take up this whole ''You're discriminating me!'' card? It's not even necessarily people of colour who do this, but also religious people.
I've experienced this too often and wanted to know if some of you have (or haven't) been in a similar situation? Is there a reason why foreigners/immigrants immediately feel like they're being discriminated in a situation where they're being refused something, or in any other case?
I hope that if a discussion follows, we can keep it civil. I am by no means racist, I'm of colour myself. Not that that means anything. I just simply refused to sell him the pack of Marlboros because he didn't have an ID with him, not because he was born in Mogadishu.