A video that recently resurfaced on social media shows a mother and her son being turned away from a restaurant because of what her son was wearing. According to the restaurant staff, the boy’s athletic shorts and t-shirt violated their dress code.
After being told they couldn't be seated, the mother pointed out another child already eating inside. That child, who was white, appeared to be dressed almost identically to her son. Her questions about this inconsistency were met with vague, dismissive answers.
"Unfortunately we do have a dress code," the host told her, offering little explanation beyond that. As the mother panned her phone across the dining area, the camera captured a white boy wearing a graphic t-shirt, athletic shorts, and sneakers—an outfit virtually the same as her son’s.
from PublicFreakout
"But that white kid out there can eat here with his tennis shoes on and his athletic shirt," she responded. The host attempted to clarify that while tennis shoes are allowed, athletic shorts and t-shirts are not. Yet the child already inside was visibly wearing both.
The 'offensive' shirt Reddit
Rather than addressing her concerns directly, the host repeatedly told her, "I would love for you to come back and eat here." The line, repeated multiple times, came off as condescending and failed to answer her specific and reasonable questions.
Something wasn't adding upReddit
The mom, who continued filming, showed her son's outfit on camera: black athletic shorts, black sneakers, and an Air Jordan t-shirt.
Marcia Grant asked a simple question:
"Why does he get to wear athletic wear and my son can't?"
She continued asking for clarification and fairness. Eventually, the host responded, "Honestly, I did not get a good look, but it looked like a regular t-shirt to me," claiming they didn’t consider the white child's shirt to be “athletic.”
One Reddit commenter captured the moment perfectly: "I like how helpless he looked when she asked him to answer her question and not give her sympathy. Looked like his brain was working overtime to find a reasonable answer." Side-by-side images of both children showed no meaningful difference in their clothing.
Commenters across platforms offered ideas for how the restaurant could have handled the situation respectfully and professionally. One suggested a simple approach:
"1. Whoever let that white kid in was wrong, that child also did not meet the established dress code, the staff will be spoken to about applying our dress code appropriately.
2. Because of our oversight, of course you and your son are welcome to eat here as you are. I apologize that this happened. In the future, we will be making a better effort of enforcing the dress code universally (comp kid's dessert / or entire meal)."
But instead of correcting the mistake, the restaurant let the encounter spiral into a viral example of what many see as an obvious double standard based on race.
One Reddit user wrote:
""Instead of letting this mom and her son eat there, this restaurant host was caught upholding a racist double standard."
The Atlas Restaurant Group, which owns the restaurant in the video, eventually issued a public apology to Marcia Grant and her son. In a statement, they wrote, "The difficult situation does not represent who or what Atlas Restaurant Group stands for. While dress codes across Atlas properties are the result of ongoing input from customers, in no way are they intended to be discriminatory." They also stated that they'd "immediately revised" their policy so that children would no longer be subject to dress codes at any Atlas location.
However, this incident isn’t the first time Atlas has been criticized for their dress code practices. In 2019, writer R. Eric Thomas shared a screenshot of the dress code at Atlas-owned restaurant The Choptank, pointing out how rules against items like "excessively baggy clothing" and "brimless headgear" appeared racially biased.
Back then, Thomas was blocked by the restaurant on Twitter (now X), though his access was later restored. According to The Washingtonian, Atlas responded by saying their policy was consistent with other restaurants in the area—but at least one of the restaurants named said they didn’t have a dress code at all.
This article originally appeared 6 years ago.
A woman feeling under the weather lies in bedCanva
A Carbon monoxide alarmCanva
A happy woman sips from a coffee mugCanva
Representative Image: Busy hands working on a garment. 
"SPEECHLESS!" Facebook I 
"God is really good!"Facebook I 
A family holding hands. 
Representative Image: Money changing hands. 
Representative Image: It seemed like a great tip at first. 
Image Source: Reddit | 
Image Source: Reddit | 
Image Source: Reddit | 
Representative Image: Disney World made the perfect surprise. 
Image source: TikTok | 
Image source: TikTok | 
Image Source: 
An elderly man walks down an icy roadCanva 
An elderly man grilling at a partyCanva
Representative Image: Making pizzas for hungry people. Pexels I Photo by Jvxhn Visuals
Representative Image Source: Pexels I Photo by Polina Tankilevitch
Representative Image: Is there anything better than pepperoni? Pexels I Photo by Pixabay
"This story made my whole night better." Reddit I 
Female shopper looking for help
21 products that are gaslighting us into thinking they’re essential when they’re not
Some things in life are actually necessary—clean water, decent healthcare, basic human decency. But then there are the things that feel like they’re gaslighting us. The things we’re told we can’t live without, even though we survived just fine before they existed. Things like "smart" fridges, lawn fertilizer services, and yes—whole body deodorant.
Recently, our sister-site Upworthy asked their Facebook audience the question: What's a product or service that feels like it's gaslighting all of us into thinking it's necessary? More than 8,000 responses poured in. The answers were passionate, funny, and surprisingly unified.
Here are 21 products, services, and systems people called out for pretending to be essential—when they might actually be optional, overpriced, or flat-out invented.
1. Whole body deodorant
"Take a shower," said Shannon H.
“How did we ever manage all those years without it!! 😂😵💫” added Karen R.
Others noted it may help people with medical conditions—but for the average person, it's definitely a marketing creation.
2. Health insurance
It topped the list. Erica L. explained: “My doctor prescribes, the pharmacist issues meds, nurses care for people, surgeons do surgery—Health Insurance stands between health care and patients and says no, exclusively on whether they think it’s financially effective to treat you.”
Important note: Health insurance can provide life-saving access for many—but what people are frustrated by here is the profit-first system, not care itself.
3. The wedding industry
Multiple people slammed the high cost of modern weddings.
JoElla B. put it plainly: “We spend too much time and money planning one day, and not enough thought on how to blend two lives in a mutually beneficial one.”
Others called out expensive dresses, venues, and pressure to perform for social media.
4. Bottled water
Carole D. said: “Water in plastic bottles! Get a cup!”
While bottled water has value in emergencies, it’s often just filtered tap water—sold for profit in plastic.
5. Baby product overload
“Most baby products,” wrote Kelli O. “They really aren’t as needy and complicated as companies want us to think.”
6. Fabric softener
“It’s bad for clothes, bad for the Earth, bad for the wallet, and totally unnecessary,” said Gail H.
Some experts agree—many softeners contain chemicals that can reduce fabric lifespan and irritate skin.
7. Smart appliances
“Adding ‘phone controls’ to every appliance instead of making them last as long as they used to,” wrote Sherry S.
When your fridge needs a software update, something’s gone off the rails.
8. Makeup and anti-aging products
“Anything anti-aging,” said Melissa T., “Please just let me age into the gargoyle I was meant to become.”
Others questioned products designed to “fix” eyelashes, eyebrows, pores, and graying hair.
April S. added, “Products that women are convinced they MUST have in order to be ‘beautiful’ and therefore ‘loved.’”
9. Cosmetic surgery
Ron P. called out the industry as a whole. And while body autonomy matters, many commenters questioned whether insecurities are being commodified and sold back to us.
10. Ticketmaster and “convenience fees”
“Let’s go back to waiting in line at a record store,” wrote Nicole C.
Zaida B. added: “Convenience fee for online purchases—then charging $10 more at the actual event.”
11. Engagement rings
James P. didn’t mince words: “Engagement rings.”
The diamond industry has long been criticized for manufactured scarcity and marketing-fueled necessity.
12. Lawn chemicals and services
“Plant native grasses and you don’t have the pests or need for constant watering,” wrote Jamie B.
Environmental groups have raised similar concerns over runoff and unnecessary pesticide use.
13. AI and generative tech
“This stuff squeezes the lifeblood and individuality out of the human experience,” said Teresa L.
Saskia D. and others echoed skepticism about its necessity, even as many of us are being pushed to use it.
14. Funeral services
Amy W. shared: “My parents both have already paid to have themselves cremated and are very adamant that they do not want anything big done for them. In their words, ‘I won’t care, I’m dead.’”
Of course, some families find comfort in tradition—but the cost and pressure can feel overwhelming and predatory.
15. Rinse and repeat
Amy D. nailed it: “It’s just to sell more. Not even sure you need it at all.”
16. Credit Card Surcharges
Shawn S. took aim at the extra fees popping up at checkout: “That is the cost of doing business and shouldn’t be the burden of the purchaser.”
Many questioned why customers are increasingly being asked to pay extra simply for the convenience of using a card.
17. Constant phone upgrades
“Apple are notorious for releasing the same shit every year,” said Steph S.
Diana H. added, “Needing to upgrade our phones so frequently.”
Built-in obsolescence and marketing cycles drive most of the demand.
18. Vitamins and supplements
“If I took every supplement they say I NEED I wouldn’t need food. Nor could I afford it,” said Tausha L.
19. Fake pockets on women’s pants
Jessica W. said, “I have to buy men’s pants for work because women’s pants would just get torn up too fast!”
Form over function, and then they charge more for it.
20. Disposable everything
“The ‘convenience’ of disposable everything,” said Rick R.
It’s killing the planet—and draining wallets.
21. Tipping
“I’m sick of supplementing for corporations that refuse to pay a living wage,” wrote Susan V.
Tipping culture has evolved into something far removed from its original intent, and for many, it now feels like a burden shifted onto the customer.
The bigger picture
People aren’t saying all these things should vanish tomorrow. But when we start seeing convenience sold as necessity, and insecurity turned into billion-dollar markets, it's worth asking: who benefits from all of this?
And more importantly—who pays?
This article originally appeared earlier this year.