My coworker might get fired for a racist comment.

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No he doesn't.

Yes he does. Who are you to say? Do you know the man as well as I do?
He was born and raised in an extremely prejudice generation. That kind of upbringing has been ingrained in him and he can't escape it, and he hates himself at times for it. His best friend is black. He would take a bullet for him, he told me that himself. They go on fishing trips together all the time. He probably hangs out more with him than my grandma.
 
You came to a thread about a GAFer's fellow employee saying some vile racist shit to vent about political correctness?

And the PC police are stopping folks from using "coon". As a black man I long from the good old days of being called a "coon" or "moon cricket".

Yes he does. Who are you to say? Do you know the man as well as I do?
He was born and raised in an extremely prejudice generation. That kind of upbringing has been ingrained in him and he can't escape it, and he hates himself at times for it. His best friend is black. He would take a bullet for him, he told me that himself. They go on fishing trips together all the time. He probably hangs out more with him than my grandma.
To use a word born of a time of such hate and violence toward a race shows you still don't give a shit about that race. He is old enough to know better. You are literally using "my best friend is black" excuse,
 
Of course you would, you just opened with the fact you still call people of Asian descent "orientals" lmao

The "well, i guess we can't use occidental either then!!" defense is the one that got me.

When the fuck has anyone, ever, been referred to as "occidental people".

His best friend is black but he still says coon. Tell me more.


This one is actually plausible, since if you're 80 you grew up with an entirely different set of social norms and it is very hard to reverse that. I've heard old people of all colors spew some absolutely vile shit like it was no big deal. Amongst themselves it may not be the big deal that it is for anyone under retirement age.

HOWEVER, it's important to note that we are not talking about two old fucks on a fishing trip. We are talking about professional workplace behavior, and grandpa's coon talk wouldn't fly in ANY workplace, no matter how old he is.
 
You think constantly apologizing for your racist-ass granpa might have something (anything) to do with the fact you made it to 2014 and didn't realize referring to people as "orientals" was a bad thing?

The "well, i guess we can't use occidental either then!!" defense is the one that got me.

"Next thing you know, you'll be telling me that I can't call any of the Octoroons at work Octoroons anymore because the Mulattos might get upset! Coloreds can't make up their minds sometimes, my grampa always used to say."
 
No one cares if a racists' life is ruined. Why should we?

This is a seriously dangerous mentality to have. People are people. Thieves, racists, liars, drunkards, drug addicts, and any other kind of person with any sort of issue is still a person. There's a lot of inconsistency that some people have. They pick and choose what kind of indecent people should be spared from harsher punishments. The goal in reprimanding them is to correct them above all else, not to just flat out destroy them for wrongdoing.


To use a word born of a time of such hate and violence toward a race shows you still don't give a shit about that race. He is old enough to know better. You are literally using "my best friend is black" excuse,

What an extreme viewpoint. Verbal habits die hard. I still can't stop saying "that's gay" even though I know it upsets people, cause I grew up using the phrase every day. Does it mean I hate gays? Of course not. It means that I have a bad habit and nothing more. It's the same case with my grandpa, and he even acknowledges it and is fully aware of it. There is no "my best friend is black" excuse. It's the simple truth. Seems to bother you for some reason that I don't get, cause you keep labeling it as an "excuse". "No, he doesn't love him, cause he still has old fashioned vernacular!" Weird. I feel like you guys really need to get out more. Northwest/midwest/plains regions of USA in particular are filled with people like my grandpa still. It's simply a generational thing, not a thing of hatred.

When the fuck has anyone, ever, been referred to as "occidental people".

I've used "occidental" time and time again. It's a word. It's meant to be used for a denotative purpose.
 
This is a seriously dangerous mentality to have. People are people. Thieves, racists, liars, drunkards, drug addicts, and any other kind of person with any sort of issue is still a person. There's a lot of inconsistency that some people have. They pick and choose what kind of indecent people should be spared from harsher punishments. The goal in reprimanding them is to correct them above all else, not to just flat out destroy them for wrongdoing.

Thieves, liars, drunkards and drug addicts would all get fired for that type of behavior in a professional work environment. What's your point here?
 
This is a seriously dangerous mentality to have. People are people. Thieves, racists, liars, drunkards, drug addicts, and any other kind of person with any sort of issue is still a person. There's a lot of inconsistency that some people have. They pick and choose what kind of indecent people should be spared from harsher punishments. The goal in reprimanding them is to correct them above all else, not to just flat out destroy them for wrongdoing.

before execution, there must be judgement

if an employee went 10 to 15 years without offense then one day offend... then a written warning must come before a suspension or firing
 
Thieves, liars, drunkards and drug addicts would all get fired for that type of behavior in a professional work environment. What's your point here?

No they wouldn't.

Plenty of people manage to be fully functioning in work, despite being theives, liars, drunks, racists, or alcoholics.
 
This is a seriously dangerous mentality to have. People are people. Thieves, racists, liars, drunkards, drug addicts, and any other kind of person with any sort of issue is still a person. There's a lot of inconsistency that some people have. They pick and choose what kind of indecent people should be spared from harsher punishments. The goal in reprimanding them is to correct them above all else, not to just flat out destroy them for wrongdoing.

you seem to be missing the point that this is a thread about workplace behavior.

Thieves? Are getting fucking fired.
Drug Addicts? Are getting fucking fired.
Liars? Are getting fucking fired.
Openly racist bigots? Are getting fucking fired.

What you do in your own time behind closed doors is your business. the second it reflects poorly on the company, or you negatively impact the work environment you are out the door.

It is not management's job to enroll you in a 12 step program on how not to be an asshole, we'll just hire someone else with common sense.
 
This is a seriously dangerous mentality to have. People are people. Thieves, racists, liars, drunkards, drug addicts, and any other kind of person with any sort of issue is still a person. There's a lot of inconsistency that some people have. They pick and choose what kind of indecent people should be spared from harsher punishments. The goal in reprimanding them is to correct them above all else, not to just flat out destroy them for wrongdoing.

Losing your job for being a racist idiot isn't destroying your life.

Being a racist idiot, though, can and does tend to make the quality of other people's lives lesser.

It's weird how these defenses are so easily boiled down to "Look, just because I diminish the humanity of whole groups of people from time to time doesn't mean it's fair that you diminish my humanity based entirely on my belief structure and my observable actions towards others"

Most racists don't even give people a FIRST fucking chance based on nothing but their skin color, and yet when they get caught in public being an idiot, they're all about getting those third and fourth chances, and trying to lie about how this is their "first offense" and such. I guarantee if you've made it to your third decade on Earth, in the 21st century, and you're still harboring/believing in thoughts as basic and WRONG as "I don't want my daughter marrying no jive-talkin' black" then this is not your "first offense." This is just the first time (out of many) that you've been CAUGHT making life in your circle of influence worse for everyone else.
 
No they wouldn't.

Plenty of people manage to be fully functioning in work, despite being theives, liars, drunks, racists, or alcoholics.

Yes. Yes they would.

Stealing from work will get you fired.

Lying (albeit repetitively) at work will get you fired.

Being drunk at work will get you fired.

Being on drugs at work will get you fired.

Being racist at work will get you fired.

If you want to do those things, do it outside of work and face the different consequences there.
 
This is a seriously dangerous mentality to have. People are people. Thieves, racists, liars, drunkards, drug addicts, and any other kind of person with any sort of issue is still a person. There's a lot of inconsistency that some people have. They pick and choose what kind of indecent people should be spared from harsher punishments. The goal in reprimanding them is to correct them above all else, not to just flat out destroy them for wrongdoing.




What an extreme viewpoint. Verbal habits die hard. I still can't stop saying "that's gay" even though I know it upsets people, cause I grew up using the phrase every day. Does it mean I hate gays? Of course not. It means that I have a bad habit and nothing more. It's the same case with my grandpa, and he even acknowledges it and is fully aware of it. There is no "my best friend is black" excuse. It's the simple truth. Seems to bother you for some reason that I don't get, cause you keep labeling it as an "excuse". "No, he doesn't love him, cause he still has old fashioned vernacular!" Weird. I feel like you guys really need to get out more. Northwest/midwest/plains regions of USA in particular are filled with people like my grandpa still. It's simply a generational thing, not a thing of hatred.



I've used "occidental" time and time again. It's a word. It's meant to be used for a denotative purpose.

You need to really sit down and think about yourself. You sound offensive as hell.
 
Losing your job for being a racist idiot isn't destroying your life.

Being a racist idiot, though, can and does tend to make the quality of other people's lives lesser.

It's weird how these defenses are so easily boiled down to "Look, just because I diminish the humanity of whole groups of people from time to time doesn't mean it's fair that you diminish my humanity based entirely on my belief structure and my observable actions towards others"

Most racists don't even give people a FIRST fucking chance based on nothing but their skin color, and yet when they get caught in public being an idiot, they're all about getting those third and fourth chances, and trying to lie about how this is their "first offense" and such. I guarantee if you've made it to your third decade on Earth, in the 21st century, and you're still harboring/believing in thoughts as basic and WRONG as "I don't want my daughter marrying no jive-talkin' black" then this is not your "first offense." This is just the first time (out of many) that you've been CAUGHT making life in your circle of influence worse for everyone else.

You are my new favorite poster.
 
What about when they are exhibiting this type of behavior on the clock?

It depends on the severity. Take the woman in the OP for example. She initially raised conversation to lighten the mood before a meeting. Her racial tendencies slipped out in this time. Doesn't seem like anything she meant to be harmful. In that case, having worked at HR, I would have pulled her aside and had a stern talk. Tell her why that way of thinking is inappropriate for the workplace. Warn her that if it happens again it will lead to more serious consequences, such as termination.

If someone came into the workplace one day and just said, "Fuck all the niggers!"
Yes, fire them. Their intent is clearly to harass.
 
Yes. Yes they would.

Stealing from work will get you fired.

Lying (albeit repetitively) at work will get you fired.

Being drunk at work will get you fired.

Being on drugs at work will get you fired.

Being racist at work will get you fired.

If you want to do those things, do it outside of work and face the different consequences there.

Ah so if it doesn't happen at work it's ok. Gotcha.
 
"I can't stop saying 'that's gay'"

Yes, you can. It's easy. They're just words.

SHIT. Wait. Sorry. "They're just words" is a phrase that only carries weight when you're defending your right to use them without repercussion even when you know how homophobic/bigoted they are. "They're just words" is a meaningless phrase when its applied to the ability to change your vocabulary and think before you open your fuckin' trap.

She initially raised conversation to lighten the mood before a meeting. Her racial tendencies slipped out in this time. Doesn't seem like anything she meant to be harmful. In that case, having worked at HR,

...the fuck

You are my new favorite poster.

And I will now take this opportunity to publicly apologize for any previous comics-industry based fights we might have had in the past :)
 
It depends on the severity. Take the woman in the OP for example. She initially raised conversation to lighten the mood before a meeting. Her racial tendencies slipped out in this time. Doesn't seem like anything she meant to be harmful. In that case, having worked at HR, I would have pulled her aside and had a stern talk. Tell her why that way of thinking is inappropriate for the workplace. Warn her that if it happens again it will lead to more serious consequences, such as termination.

If someone came into the workplace one day and just said, "Fuck all the niggers!"
Yes, fire them. Their intent is clearly to harass.

I.....I can't even type that word in good conscious. Just reading it makes me cringe. Frankly, I'm not surprised that you can't shake the habit of saying "that's gay."

Ah so if it doesn't happen at work it's ok. Gotcha.

When did I ever say it was ok? I said you'd face different consequences for that conduct outside of work than inside of work.
 
Thieves, liars, drunkards and drug addicts would all get fired for that type of behavior in a professional work environment. What's your point here?

Just be a thief, liar, drunkard, or addict off the clock, I assume is what he was getting at. ...which is a joke. Let me just find the on/off switch for addicts. Oh, wait.
 
They are just words.
I think I should be able to walk anywhere and say whatever I want to say no matter who is around.
Everyone should be able to.

I agree that we as citizens of the united states (for the US gaf members, anyway. I don't mean to assume we are all us citizens here.) should in fact be able to legally say anything that we'd like to, to anyone we want to. But and this is a big "but", I think that we should have to face the consequences for our actions also.

What that means is that while you're free to be racist, a company has every right to fire you for being racist as it is not a public entity,out to help you, you are supposed to help the company, it exists to make money and racism directly impacts that goal. It has every reason to distance itself from anything that will bring negativity. Racism is extremely negative and inhumane.

Now, if this woman were to say this stuff to a random stranger, she shouldn't get arrested for it or anything. She's still an asshole though.
 
It depends on the severity. Take the woman in the OP for example. She initially raised conversation to lighten the mood before a meeting. Her racial tendencies slipped out in this time. Doesn't seem like anything she meant to be harmful. In that case, having worked at HR, I would have pulled her aside and had a stern talk. Tell her why that way of thinking is inappropriate for the workplace. Warn her that if it happens again it will lead to more serious consequences, such as termination.

If someone came into the workplace one day and just said, "Fuck all the niggers!"
Yes, fire them. Their intent is clearly to harass.

Didn't read the OP, did you?

This woman had a racist moment, was confronted and told it was out of line, then doubled down and defended her right to be racist, and did so in front of a supervisor.

At that point, it's crossed the line from "something slipped out" to "fireable offense." There is nothing a "stern talking to" is going to do to fix this behavior. It will simply drive it underground and make the next offenses harder for us to corroborate. Maybe she'll only do it when management isn't around, maybe only around those she knows are sympathetic. It's not an "if" but a "when" and "how." That just makes my job harder, why bother?
 
Didn't read the OP, did you?

This woman had a racist moment, was confronted and told it was out of line, then doubled down and defended her right to be racist, and did so in front of a supervisor.

At that point, it's crossed the line from "something slipped out" to "fireable offense."

Was the OP the supervisor? I thought the supervisor went out of the room to inform the managers. Then the OP--just a coworker--informed her what she did wrong, and she wasn't having any of it. I'm not saying she's right for denying it, but the warning needs to come from proper authority first before a response can be considered "doubled down offense".
 
And the PC police are stopping folks from using "coon". As a black man I long from the good old days of being called a "coon" or "moon cricket".


To use a word born of a time of such hate and violence toward a race shows you still don't give a shit about that race. He is old enough to know better. You are literally using "my best friend is black" excuse,

I know it's racist but if it wasn't Moon Cricket would be an awesome anime character or nickname for someone or something.
 
Was the OP the supervisor? I thought the supervisor went out of the room to inform the managers. Then the OP--just a coworker--informed her what she did wrong, and she wasn't having any of it. I'm not saying she's right for denying it, but the warning needs to come from proper authority first before a response can be considered "doubled down offense".

it most certainly does not. Saying that sort of thing to ANYONE, whether its a supervisor or the janitor is grounds for termination.

doubling down only makes it clear that this isn't an accident or a "one time slip up."
 
Seriously.

In what decade, and in what industry, does a guy who is helpless to change his own vocabulary and eliminate words like "gay" and "occidental," who only JUST THIS PAST WEEK learned "oriental" isn't an accepted term, get a job in HR.

I don't think I've heard anyone under the age of 70 use oriental, or above the age of 13 say "that's gay" in a serious manner.
 
Was the OP the supervisor? I thought the supervisor went out of the room to inform the managers. Then the OP--just a coworker--informed her what she did wrong, and she wasn't having any of it. I'm not saying she's right for denying it, but the warning needs to come from proper authority first before a response can be considered "doubled down offense".

So basically you don't think OP should've snitched on the poor racist.
 
Eh I think I'll stop. I didn't mean to offend anyone with my post.

Guys, I understand that saying things like "that's gay", "coon", "nigger", (and now) "oriental" are offensive. I wasn't trying to say that they aren't. I was trying to argue that we should look at people's intent when they say these things BEFORE we jump on them, label them inhuman, and say they deserve to get their lives ruined for it, because it's very easy to be stuck with old fashioned vernacular. Every single one of us has habits and perspectives based on nothing else other than how we were raised (religion, politics, etc.). I know you all disagree 100% but I felt like arguing anyway. Words are one thing, intent is another. I don't think this woman in the OP meant to seriously harm or slander anyone, I think she was trying to be funny. Continued offense would warrant termination.

So basically you don't think OP should've snitched on the poor racist.

Wow... Way to twist my words... You guys seem to be doing that a lot.
All I said was that her first warning should be coming from proper authority. OP is not a supervisor, manager, or HR from what I can read in the post.
The woman needs to be sit down with an authoritative figure from the company and told how she was wrong, what they expect from her in the future, and warned what the consequences will be next time around.
 
Eh I think I'll stop. I didn't mean to offend anyone with my post.

Guys, I understand that saying things like "that's gay", "coon", "nigger", (and now) "oriental" are offensive. I wasn't trying to say that they aren't. I was trying to argue that we should look at people's intent when they say these things BEFORE we jump on them, label them inhuman, and say they deserve to get their lives ruined for it, because it's very easy to be stuck with old fashioned vernacular. Every single one of us has habits and perspectives based on nothing else other than how we were raised (religion, politics, etc.). I know you all disagree 100% but I felt like arguing anyway. Words are one thing, intent is another. I don't think this woman in the OP meant to seriously harm or slander anyone, I think she was trying to be funny. Continued offense would warrant termination.



Wow... Way to twist my words... You guys seem to be doing that a lot.
All I said was that her first warning should be coming from proper authority. OP is not a supervisor, manager, or HR from what I can read in the post.
The woman needs to be sit down with an authoritative figure from the company and told how she was wrong, what they expect from her in the future, and warned what the consequences will be next time around.
OP didn't do anything, it was a different person. All OP did was verbally reprimand her.
 
Eh I think I'll stop. I didn't mean to offend anyone with my post.

Guys, I understand that saying things like "that's gay", "coon", "nigger", (and now) "oriental" are offensive. I wasn't trying to say that they aren't. I was trying to argue that we should look at people's intent when they say these things BEFORE we jump on them, label them inhuman, and say they deserve to get their lives ruined for it, because it's very easy to be stuck with old fashioned vernacular. Every single one of us has habits and perspectives based on nothing else other than how we were raised (religion, politics, etc.). I know you all disagree 100% but I felt like arguing anyway. Words are one thing, intent is another. I don't think this woman in the OP meant to seriously harm or slander anyone, I think she was trying to be funny. Continued offense would warrant termination.

People wont stop to ask you "Excuse me, when you called me a nigger where you giving me a slur or just calling me ignorant?" when you say that kind of stuff to them, part of being in an adult conversation is aware of the meaning of the words and who might you be saying those things to, you talk about the intent of the speaker, yet cant muster any short of empathy for the listener, you imply that society is sensitive, yet cant stop whining about having to give up a simple word.
 
How did you reach that conclusion from that post? lol

Yes. Yes they would.

Stealing from work will get you fired.

Lying (albeit repetitively) at work will get you fired.

Being drunk at work will get you fired.

Being on drugs at work will get you fired.

Being racist at work will get you fired.

If you want to do those things, do it outside of work and face the different consequences there.

So it's only ok to be self-destructive and racist if it's not at work.

Nobody on GAF except maybe the OP really knows L from their own elbow, but speak moral platitudes as if she's the one that'll make the business fail and Is the single reason why institutionalized racism exists. I don't buy that shit one minute. We're talking about making the workplace less uncomfortable here, not curing racism. To make the workplace less uncomfortable, you have to educate not dismiss or fire.

The OP has indicated one instance where his coworker showed bigotry. In 4 years of working with their company, I'd like to think that's a pretty good track record, because if someone wanted her out, she'd have a track record of saying bigot shit that was documented by HR over 4 years ad Shed be gone a while ago. Going 4 years without a blatant incident is suspect shit. Even racists would be documented More than once for backhand compliments like "you speak well for a Latino" or something like that. Racists can't help but say shit like this.

She's a bigot. But firing her and not disciplining her or teaching her why it's not ok to say those things for the bad comment is not the right move, considering that there are people who do shit like steal from work or embezzle or commit fraud and get away with it.
 
Eh I think I'll stop. I didn't mean to offend anyone with my post.

Guys, I understand that saying things like "that's gay", "coon", "nigger", (and now) "oriental" are offensive. I wasn't trying to say that they aren't. I was trying to argue that we should look at people's intent when they say these things BEFORE we jump on them, label them inhuman, and say they deserve to get their lives ruined for it, because it's very easy to be stuck with old fashioned vernacular. Every single one of us has habits and perspectives based on nothing else other than how we were raised (religion, politics, etc.). I know you all disagree 100% but I felt like arguing anyway. Words are one thing, intent is another. I don't think this woman in the OP meant to seriously harm or slander anyone, I think she was trying to be funny. Continued offense would warrant termination.



Wow... Way to twist my words... You guys seem to be doing that a lot.
All I said was that her first warning should be coming from proper authority. OP is not a supervisor, manager, or HR from what I can read in the post.
The woman needs to be sit down with an authoritative figure from the company and told how she was wrong, what they expect from her in the future, and warned what the consequences will be next time around.

I'm going to leave this article here, because it seems appropriate. It was about adrian peterson, but you should probably give it a read anyway.

The five most destructive words to our village are “That’s how I was raised.”
These words are the triumph of routine over reason, of self-delusion over self-interest, of excuses over evidence. In short, the phrase embodies the kind of muddled thinking that our culture “officially” stands against because doing something just because “that’s how I was raised” is the definition of hive mentality. It’s celebrating the joys of brainwashing over rational decision-making.

http://time.com/3423383/kareem-abdul-jabbar-parenting-spanking-adrian-peterson-nfl/
 
'Don't be racist' is not a moral platitude. She'll have plenty of time to get educated while she looks for new work. The firing would be educational.
 
This girl where I work sent an office wide email that was discriminatory toward Muslims. I live in the south and wouldn't be surprised if I'm the only non Christian that received that email. I wasn't really offended (not because I don't consider myself Muslim) so much as amazed at how stupid she was. Blew my mind how she just assumed the world (or at least the 100+ people that received the email) were Christian or otherwise wouldn't see how what she wrote was fucked up. Wish I could remember what the email said. Iirc it was something about Obama and Muslim influence on something that should be Christian (the sender was black btw).

Anyway, everyone I spoke to all seemed to have the same reaction as me. I expected her to get fired but honestly didn't really care eitherway. She just came across as disabled levels of lack of intelligence rather than being hateful. She was apparently reprimanded.

I think this chick from the OP should get fired though. I don't mind working with someone mentally disabled. This woman seems to have all her faculties and apparently if she was my coworker I'd be a jive talking brother from the east side. What's almost worse is, ok you think all blacks are uneducated thugs, which its understandable you'd want to keep your family away from that element... But what's your fucked up justification against jews? I guess her answer would be "because they're jews" while looking at me amazed I even had to ask.
 
So it's only ok to be self-destructive and racist if it's not at work.

I literally never said that that type of conduct is acceptable or ok. I said that you'd face different consequences.

Being racist outside of work won't get you fired, it'll net you a bad reputation and cost you friendships.

Stealing outside of work won't necessarily get you fired, but it'll cause legal troubles. Etc. etc.

Any of the named conduct at work will certainly get you fired, and in the interest of full disclosure, thievery, lying, being addicted to drugs and/or alcohol and racism are not ok whether at work or not at work. Happy?
 
People wont stop to ask you "Excuse me, when you called me a nigger where you giving me a slur or just calling me ignorant?" when you say that kind of stuff to them, part of being in an adult conversation is aware of the meaning of the words and who might you be saying those things to, you talk about the intent of the speaker, yet cant muster any short of empathy for the listener, you imply that society is sensitive, yet cant stop whining about having to give up a simple word.

You misunderstood me completely. I'm not saying, "Let's have sympathy for the racists, but none for the people offended." All I'm saying is, "Let's not overreact." Intent is very important to me, and I'll always judge something based on that first. I've had multiple people come up to me and say, "You're a Jew, huh?" (I'm actually Jewish.) I'll say yes and they'll start making jokes about being cheap with money, big noses, all of that. Not because they're trying to belittle me or offend me, but because they're trying to make me laugh. It's very apparent to me that's what their goal is, so I'll laugh with them. Others have tried to offend me based on my ethnicity. It's very apparent to know when they're trying to be hateful, and to that I respond in an entirely different manner.

I was only trying to say that I thought the woman in the OP was trying to be funny over being hateful.

I'm going to leave this article here, because it seems appropriate. It was about adrian peterson, but you should probably give it a read anyway.

http://time.com/3423383/kareem-abdul-jabbar-parenting-spanking-adrian-peterson-nfl/

A fair enough point. I won't argue against that, cause as far as I can tell there's nothing but truth in it. Okay? Don't hate me GAF. ;_; I love you guys, and I know I offended a bunch of you just now, but I was only being open and honest.
 
So it's only ok to be self-destructive and racist if it's not at work.

This is a thread about workplace behavior. Whether it's "ok" at home behind closed doors isn't relevant. Being a racist drug addicted asshole isn't a good thing anywhere, but HR isn't going to have a lot to say about something that doesn't reflect on the company or occur on company time.

Nobody on GAF except maybe the OP really knows L from their own elbow, but speak moral platitudes as if she's the one that'll make the business fail and Is the single reason why institutionalized racism exists. I don't buy that shit one minute. We're talking about making the workplace less uncomfortable here, not curing racism. To make the workplace less uncomfortable, you have to educate not dismiss or fire.

In about 50 years we've gone from a society where gays and blacks were openly beaten in the streets at will for looking at someone the wrong way, to one where everyone has the guarantee of a workplace free from discrimination. This change didn't just happen by itself, that change came about because those responsible made sure that in no uncertain terms that shitty racist behavior was unacceptable and had consequences. This is a consequence. Don't like what happens when you're a bigot? then don't be a bigot. THAT'S how you cure racism. by bringing the hammer down when you see it and making it clear to everyone that this shit is not acceptable.

The OP has indicated one instance where his coworker showed bigotry. In 4 years of working with their company, I'd like to think that's a pretty good track record, because if someone wanted her out, she'd have a track record of saying bigot shit that was documented by HR over 4 years ad Shed be gone a while ago. Going 4 years without a blatant incident is suspect shit. Even racists would be documented More than once for backhand compliments like "you speak well for a Latino" or something like that. Racists can't help but say shit like this.

Bullshit. Workplace intimidation is a thing. How many people ACTUALLY stand up to bullies, rather than "keeping quiet" and "not rocking the boat?" how many people are actually aware of what their rights are? or that there are policies in place to protect them? And that's assuming that this woman didn't just usually mouth off to people who thought just like her and encouraged it. "well, she's been there for 4 years" is not a defense.

She's a bigot. But firing her and not disciplining her or teaching her why it's not ok to say those things for the bad comment is not the right move, considering that there are people who do shit like steal from work or embezzle or commit fraud and get away with it.

Firing her is the best way to demonstrate to everyone else that bigotry is unacceptable, and maintain a stable workplace. making excuses and handing out written warnings is how you get an an environment of casual workplace racism and intimidation. "why should I complain? HR won't do anything, she'll just get a warning and then I'm back to working next to her, only this time she knows I ratted her out. I'll just keep my head down."
 
Intent is very important to me, and I'll always judge something based on that first. I've had multiple people come up to me and say, "You're a Jew, huh?" (I'm actually Jewish.) I'll say yes and they'll start making jokes about being cheap with money, big noses, all of that. Not because they're trying to belittle me or offend me, but because they're trying to make me laugh. It's very apparent to me that's what their goal is, so I'll laugh with them. Others have tried to offend me based on my ethnicity. It's very apparent to know when they're trying to be hateful, and to that I respond in an entirely different manner.

I'm Jewish as well and I know *where* you're coming from, but any comment made in a workplace environment is a no-no, and this is a thread about behavior displayed during work.
 
So it's only ok to be self-destructive and racist if it's not at work.

Nobody on GAF except maybe the OP really knows L from their own elbow, but speak moral platitudes as if she's the one that'll make the business fail and Is the single reason why institutionalized racism exists. I don't buy that shit one minute. We're talking about making the workplace less uncomfortable here, not curing racism. To make the workplace less uncomfortable, you have to educate not dismiss or fire.

The OP has indicated one instance where his coworker showed bigotry. In 4 years of working with their company, I'd like to think that's a pretty good track record, because if someone wanted her out, she'd have a track record of saying bigot shit that was documented by HR over 4 years ad Shed be gone a while ago. Going 4 years without a blatant incident is suspect shit. Even racists would be documented More than once for backhand compliments like "you speak well for a Latino" or something like that. Racists can't help but say shit like this.

She's a bigot. But firing her and not disciplining her or teaching her why it's not ok to say those things for the bad comment is not the right move, considering that there are people who do shit like steal from work or embezzle or commit fraud and get away with it.
I don't see how her tenure at the company has anything to do with how she should be given a second chance. She might not have said anything in those four years, but she did now. If someone had, for instance, stolen money from the company after a few years, should they get a second chance? No. This incident will show her that that mentality does not work within a professional context. Sure she will have lost her job, but she's the one who will have to deal with it.
 
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