Attention Airbnb hosts, you’ve been warned... you bigots you!
I gotta say, I’ve had a wonderful experience each time I’ve stayed with an Airbnb Host. I’ve only stayed at 3 places, but I have every intention of staying Airbnb before I go hotel hunting every chance I get. I like the uniqueness of the experience. It just becomes part of the trip and less like just the place I stayed while I was there. I like the business model and the fact that I’m more directly paying the host than just a company. Besides that, I also like having a kitchen and would prefer to save on restaurants and spend my money on other aspects of sight seeing or just staying longer. I’ve actually wanted to be an Airbnb host since I first starting looking into them and the concept. I mean, who wouldn’t want to earn a little extra or reduce their mortgage payment while entertaining interesting guests on their way through your town. I plan on driving for Uber when I can too. All that said, I know there are always other things to consider when you actually get into the weeds. As an example, I wasn’t sure how my insurance would work with charging people to drive my personal car around. There’s always liabilities and I have to assume I’m taking on risk as those with fancier lawyers are trying to avoid them. This isn’t an attack on Uber, I still want to drive drunks home in my off hours, I just know there’s more to it than what’s on the surface.
So I got an form letter email today from the Airbnb CEO, Brian Chesky and it just has me pondering a new liability in becoming a host that I hadn’t considered yet. They seemed to be rightly concerned of bigotry and that their hosts should obey civil liberties. But it also seemed to be a request to professional victims to go on a bigot which hunt. Could I be labeled the next cake baker to be burned at the public opinion stake? Which host will be the lucky host to be forced to comply to the next social justice movement.
I get it, you need to put aside some things and put your personal bias in check when you turn your house into a place of public accommodation. Don’t advertise your house as a hotel if you don’t want a gay couple staying the night in one of your rooms. Don’t like hanging out with people of other races? Airbnb is not your calling. You don’t have to invite the white priveledge folks over for your next BBQ, but if you’re competing against the Ramada you might not want to start violating someone’s civil rights over your perceived “right” to refuse business just because of the feelz. Now when a statement like this goes out over the wire, I have to wonder if the motives follow the aforementioned social justice culture and they’re just trying to get in front of the next lawsuit or just trying to get close to those in DC they do business. Either way you see the politics of the move, the question is still the same. How does one refuse business to someone that looks like they could be dangerous based on their public social media profile? Can I legally Facebook stalk you, do my own quick background check on you, search for you on instagram and twitter. I think the legal answer to that is “YES.” It is after all, public info I can search on anyone I want now. Should I? Airbnb does cover the bases when it comes to protecting their hosts and verifies me as a guest in the same way an Uber driver is “protected” from potential harm. That said, not all things are checked and even if they were, Airbnb can’t check everything, and I have made a conscious decision to invite the public into the same place I tuck my kids in at night. Would I have to let Omar Mateen stay at my house after pledging his allegiances on facebook.
Before he killed 50 people at a gay nightclub of course.
What if Businessman, Revolutionary, Activist, Unapologetically BLACK, Afrikan in AmeriKKKa, Fighter, Leader Darren Seals goes on a “business trip” for Hands Up United and wants to stay on your couch? I mean, here’s a guy that’s clearly against bigotry.
Chances are he won’t end up shot dead and then in a flaming vehicle on your driveway. You just might want to scrape off your “all lives matter” bumper sticker before he arrives is all I’m sayin’. Would it be alright if I just said, “sorry, but I don’t host anyone with a criminal record.”?
Can a known pedophile come stay with you and your family? What if you just instant booked him?
I mean, how do you know he’s a threat to your little boy? Maybe he’s the victim of the system. Would I be in the wrong for saying “looks like you’re a registered sex offender, care to explain before I give you the key code to the garage?”
Will the host that’s an atheist 3rd wave feminist be forced to host the “Little Sisters of the Poor” on their outreach prayer retreat? What about rejecting people based their voting behavior? that’s okay right? That’s not bigoted. There’s a trick you see, you just make sure you make your place unpalatable to those hateful bigoted homophones. Just say “Free Skinamax and HBO”. We’re LGBTQIAXYZ friendly and we keep a steady supply of Plan-B under the bathroom sink. Wear a hijab and a black lives matter shirt on in your profile photo. That’ll scare of them hillbilly haters. Don’t forget to say 420 and pet friendly too, while you’re trying to show how COEXIST you are. By the way, if you say you’re these things it works. My eyes get itchy just thinking about it and I have this feeling you think just “fabrezing" the sheets is enough and I should probably get that booster shot before coming. Thanks, but no thanks. I just feel like a bigot for not wanting to stay there already.
Can I just come right out and say I don’t host bigots or SJWs alike? Can I just refuse you business on some generic basis when I just feel that you are a potential threat to my family or a good nights sleep? I get that you just create rules that apply to all people. Maybe I just say there maybe a police cruiser parked on the street because my brother in-law is a sherrif and likes to stop by unannounced and we do own background checks here so you better go change your thug life profile picture on instagram. I may instant book you, but I like to blare the national anthem while I clean my shotgun every night before bed. After we pray to the Jesus.
