ISSUES IN THE WORKPLACE: Having Whites Interpret Basic Information For You
For a Black employee, this is one of the most offensive occurrences in the workplace…
a White coworker or manager decides they must interpret information for you because they assume you do not understand the English that has been spoken in your presence or clearly written on a piece of paper.
Blacks don’t even have to sit around with a look of confusion or furrowed eyebrows or display any behavior that suggests we are—like the characters on the hit, ABC TV show—LOST!! Some Whites will just take it upon themselves to define words, restate plain language or insult their Black coworkers in a variety of other ways.
Managers and coworkers sometimes assume that a Black coworker doesn’t understand “big words” or standard industry jargon. So, after a departmental meeting, a manager may single a Black worker out to say, “All of that was a fancy way of saying…” Or, the White manager might say, “A computer interface is just a technical way to refer to the way we interact with…” Or, the White manager might say, “What you should have taken away from all that was…”
YEAH?
WELL, NO SH*T, SHERLOCK!! And, who the hell asked you anyway?
While it can be quite useful to be able to observe that someone is having trouble understanding a topic, whether through communication that was spoken or written, it’s not useful to make blanket assumptions about an entire race or other classification of people. So, while working with the poor, it might be tempting (and stereotypical) to assume a high level of low-literacy, but that doesn’t mean you should treat all impoverish people like potential dunces.
Anyone who makes an assumption of stupidity, not based on actions, but based on their own preconceived beliefs, is an outright racist. If your only reason for “breaking down” your verbal and written language is because you think the person’s race makes them so innately incapable of understanding the spoken or written word, you have serious issues, which do not belong in the workplace.
I’ll never forget a conversation I had with a coworker, who was Peruvian. She said, “My father came to New York to practice law, but he has a really thick accent that makes it hard for most Americans to understand him. He’s been really upset. Back in Peru, he was a respected lawyer, but he’s having a hard time picking up English. He hasn’t been able to get work, so he’s driving a cab until he learns the language well. I caught him crying because he says a lot of the White passengers speak to him like he’s an idiot and treat him with absolutely no respect. Because his accent is really thick, they think he’s stupid. They don’t realize, he’s probably smarter than most of them.”
And, that’s the heart of this matter. You can’t and shouldn’t judge people on a superficial level. There are all sorts of smarts (book smarts, common sense, street smarts, hands-on experience, etc.), which determine an overall smartness factor. But, Black workers often don’t get credit for any of our smarts. With or without a degree, we are often treated like everything is rocket science that we just can’t mentally grasp. And, when we try to clarify that we don’t need things spelled out for us, no matter how nicely and professionally we do this, we get the label of having a bad attitude. I’ve written it before…it’s a catch-22!
This is just another issue for Blacks in the workplace. The Black Factor will examine other issues in future posts.
a White coworker or manager decides they must interpret information for you because they assume you do not understand the English that has been spoken in your presence or clearly written on a piece of paper.
Blacks don’t even have to sit around with a look of confusion or furrowed eyebrows or display any behavior that suggests we are—like the characters on the hit, ABC TV show—LOST!! Some Whites will just take it upon themselves to define words, restate plain language or insult their Black coworkers in a variety of other ways.
Managers and coworkers sometimes assume that a Black coworker doesn’t understand “big words” or standard industry jargon. So, after a departmental meeting, a manager may single a Black worker out to say, “All of that was a fancy way of saying…” Or, the White manager might say, “A computer interface is just a technical way to refer to the way we interact with…” Or, the White manager might say, “What you should have taken away from all that was…”
YEAH?
WELL, NO SH*T, SHERLOCK!! And, who the hell asked you anyway?
While it can be quite useful to be able to observe that someone is having trouble understanding a topic, whether through communication that was spoken or written, it’s not useful to make blanket assumptions about an entire race or other classification of people. So, while working with the poor, it might be tempting (and stereotypical) to assume a high level of low-literacy, but that doesn’t mean you should treat all impoverish people like potential dunces.
Anyone who makes an assumption of stupidity, not based on actions, but based on their own preconceived beliefs, is an outright racist. If your only reason for “breaking down” your verbal and written language is because you think the person’s race makes them so innately incapable of understanding the spoken or written word, you have serious issues, which do not belong in the workplace.
I’ll never forget a conversation I had with a coworker, who was Peruvian. She said, “My father came to New York to practice law, but he has a really thick accent that makes it hard for most Americans to understand him. He’s been really upset. Back in Peru, he was a respected lawyer, but he’s having a hard time picking up English. He hasn’t been able to get work, so he’s driving a cab until he learns the language well. I caught him crying because he says a lot of the White passengers speak to him like he’s an idiot and treat him with absolutely no respect. Because his accent is really thick, they think he’s stupid. They don’t realize, he’s probably smarter than most of them.”
And, that’s the heart of this matter. You can’t and shouldn’t judge people on a superficial level. There are all sorts of smarts (book smarts, common sense, street smarts, hands-on experience, etc.), which determine an overall smartness factor. But, Black workers often don’t get credit for any of our smarts. With or without a degree, we are often treated like everything is rocket science that we just can’t mentally grasp. And, when we try to clarify that we don’t need things spelled out for us, no matter how nicely and professionally we do this, we get the label of having a bad attitude. I’ve written it before…it’s a catch-22!
This is just another issue for Blacks in the workplace. The Black Factor will examine other issues in future posts.
posted by S. Mary Wills at 8:35 AM
1 Comments:
OMG! This is so true. My manager is always asking me if I got something or not. Like I'm too stupid to understand.
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