One of the most effective ways to shine a light on racism is to film it in action — and it’s even better if the video goes viral. Whether it’s a physical altercation or, in this case, a racial slur, people don’t hesitate to reach for their phones these days and blast the perpetrator across the internet.
An elderly white man at Costco found out the hard way, and started the new year off with an important lesson: you can’t casually hurl the N-word and call a grown man “boy” without consequences.
In a video making the rounds on social media, an unidentified Black man is shown confronting the self-proclaimed racist while standing in a Costco checkout line.
The January clip was captioned, “He called me the n-word and ‘boy’ because I wouldn’t let him cut me in line. Racist in Costco. 2026 Wow.”
While the actual slur was not caught on film, the white man happily admitted to being a racist while clearly aware that he was being filmed. Referring to the racial slur, he told the stranger, “Exactly what you are.”
This fat racist called a man N*gger just for not letting him cut in line. Then watch him literally SHAKE when he gets called out.
— i Expose Racists & Pedos (@SeeRacists) January 7, 2026
Pure coward energy.
We’re in 2026 and this is still happening. pic.twitter.com/fNGi0j7Uy8
“So you’re a racist?” the Black man asked, to which he nodded his head yes, and reiterated those same words — “exactly what you are” — and then rudely told him to “f*ck off.”
Likely thinking of his viewers, and aware of social media’s power to bring racism to a national audience, the man filming narrated the moment. “Racism in 2026,” he said, to which the older white man agreed. “Yep, that’s right.”
After the clip was sent to the popular X account “I Expose Racists & Pedos,” the brief and unfortunate interaction started to rack up views and comments. “It’s wild how some people think they can act like that,” wrote one person, adding, “confrontations expose all the cowardice. Unreal.”
Another chimed in, “Bro forgot he was in real life instead of behind a computer,” followed by the comment, “Don’t think he cares.”
While the elderly man seemed set in his racist ways, some emphasized the importance of keeping vile thoughts to oneself. Lamenting a lack of basic decency, one put it: “Once you leave your home, you’re expected to behave and follow rules, code of conduct, especially for all grown men and women.”
Perhaps aware of Costco’s commitment to diversity, several commenters tagged the company’s X account, asking it to revoke the man’s membership.
In January 2025, Costco resisted intense pressure from the Trump administration to roll back its DEI practices. When many other retailers caved, Costco’s board unanimously rejected an audit proposed by the National Center for Public Policy Research, a conservative think tank. According to new reports, the big-box retailer saw an immediate, significant spike in sales, with about 7.7 million new visits in the month after the decision.
So far, there’s no indication whether the white man has been identified or if his Costco membership has been cancelled.
