BLACKS SHOULD AVOID: PROVIDING NEGATIVE QUOTES ON BLACK MEDIA TARGETS

Try to avoid using the workplace as a venue to bad mouth African Americans who are being tried and convicted in the media, whether falsely or accurately (e.g., O.J. Simpson). I know it may be tempting to use current events or pop culture to show that you have similar opinions as your White coworkers; however, that is not what they will take away from the conversation (that you are like them). All that will be heard is that a Black coworker confirmed their negative suspicions or beliefs about a prominent Black figure in politics, entertainment, sports, etc. And, the stain you put on that Black person is often a stain that is placed on you and your Black coworkers…although that is probably not your intent.

So, every time you are tempted to call someone stupid, angry, a crook/a criminal, a race baiter, etc., you should consider how much power your words may have in validating existing stereotypes that Blacks are fighting to this day.

You should avoid going out of your way to make negative, stereotypical, and non-constructive comments about your Black coworkers. But, you should also hold that philosophy when discussing Blacks in general. Even if you are speaking about a specific public figure/individual, you should not assume that your White coworkers are capable of separating their possible personal baggage (generalizing/stereotyping) from the discussion.

Therefore, no matter how much your coworkers try to bait you into conversations about Black public figures, do everything you can to avoid these discussions. Your coworkers are often simply looking for a quote that substantiates their existing negative thoughts about a Black person or Black people, as a whole. And, when your White coworker goes home they’ll say, “My black coworker, Donna, said that the Jesse Jackson is a race baiter and an idiot.” Yes, your quote will likely be attributed to you by your race, first, and then, maybe, by your name. The fact that you are Black makes you and your negative opinion, about another Black person, correct. A White coworker may never agree with you (or quote you) under any other circumstance, but will suddenly agree with you (and quote you) because you have trashed another Black person.

That doesn’t mean that you can’t have negative views of Black public figures or individuals who are prominent in the media. It just means that you should be careful about what you say to your coworkers, who may be accustomed to stereotyping people.

Another reason to avoid these discussions is because you could potentially piss off any White person that feels you have defended someone that they have a very negative opinion of. Again, I will use O.J. Simpson as an example. Saying you don’t think O.J. Simpson murdered his wife and her associate could make you enemies on the job…even to this day. The O.J. Simpson trial was an awkward time for many of us who were old enough to be in the workforce during that trial. In fact, I had a friend tell me a story about how the Whites on her job suddenly “disappeared” from their normal work areas, while the jury was deliberating for the O.J. trial. She was trying to track someone down and came across her Whites coworkers in a conference room…doors closed. They (only the Whites) had gathered to watch the O.J. Simpson verdict come down. They did not want any Black coworkers in the room with them, likely because of the nature of the conversation they were having at the time. When they left the conference room, they were not in the mood to be verbal with their Black coworkers. You can imagine how awkward conversations were, when these Whites were simply looking for every Black coworker to condemn O.J. Simpson. The case of Rodney King is another example of how race discussions, based on media events, can sour a workplace.

You should be careful about what you say because you can shape opinions, reinforce stereotypes, and create enemies based on non-work related discussions.