‘Poised Clapback’: Black Entrepreneur Has an Epic Response to White Woman Who Questions Her Presence In Coveted Seats at Opera
An interaction between two women at the opera — one Black and one white — is causing quite an uproar on social media. Longtime opera fan LaeTania Richardson, 53, recorded a conversation that provides a lesson on how to handle subtle racial microaggressions. LaeTania Richardson was questioned by a woman when attending an opera. (Photos: TikTok/heyladybytania) The California-based lifestyle entrepreneur had a coveted seat in the orchestra section for a recent performance and was beaming with anticipation. As the musicians warmed up, a white woman sitting next to Richardson leaned in with a pointed question: “Are you famous?” “Famously sitting here about to enjoy the opera,” she replied. Richardson was dressed to the nines in opera attire, complete with a stole and shoulder duster earrings. The woman followed up with, “Is this your first opera?” @heyladybytania After she asked, “are you famous?” She asked, “is this your first opera?” 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 ♬ original sound - Hey Lady Inc The tone-deaf line of questioning could have ruined her mood, but Richardson saw it as a chance to discuss an art form she's passionate about, a development her seatmate was apparently not expecting. ‘The Audacity’: Black Couple Sues Buffalo Wild Wings for $5 Million After Ordering Takeout, Then Finding Racial Slur on Their Receipt It turns out, Richardson is no casual operagoer. She travels the world to see performances, including twice a year to Italy, and even taught herself to speak Italian. This prompted the woman next to her to embark on a silly game of one-upmanship, in which she even name-dropped an “underwriter” she knew who had front row tickets for that night’s performance. The entire exchange was caught on video in what apparently was the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles and posted to TikTok on November 23, garnering widespread applause for the “classy” way Richardson handled the situation. “Wow, you are a master at this. Poised clapback,” wrote one in the comments section. Another gushed, “She thought she was about to school you and got schooled. So classy.” Many commented on the subtext of the women’s conversation. “The microaggressions went crazyyyy,” wrote one, followed by “She wanted it to be your first opera so badly.” Another chimed in, “I stayed for the entire volley!!! I was screaming, ‘Give it to her!’” Richardson posted the video to pull back the curtain on a subtle form of racism that is too often dismissed or mistaken for typical rudeness. “Some people are unaware because they don’t have to be aware! That’s privilege! As a Black woman, it happens more often than I care to admit!” she wrote on TikTok. “Whether I’m shopping in a high-end department store, sitting in first class, at Starbucks, the Opera, or the ballet! I’ve simply learned how to navigate as I won’t allow anyone to keep me from living a FULL life!”
