Both Uses of
patronize
in
Black Like Me
- I went into a drugstore that I had patronized every day since my arrival.†
*patronized = treated in a manner that demonstrated a sense of superiority, but was supposed to seem kind OR acted like a patron (supported someone or something; or was a customer)
- For example, if a black man set up a business, he might very well hear his black potential clients say: "After all this struggle for integration, I'm not going to self-segregate," and refuse to patronize his business.†
Definitions:
-
(1)
(patronize as in: Don't patronize me.) treat in a manner that demonstrates a sense of superiority, but is supposed to seem kind
or:
the actions of a patron (to support someone or something; or to be a customer) -
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
More rarely, patronize can mean to "give business to" as in "I don't patronize that restaurant because the owner is rude."