White Workers Should Not Complain That They Are Being Forced Into Political Correctness

I was speaking to someone, who mentioned a conversation she had with a White, male coworker. He was complaining about political correctness and saying that he thought some people used it as a crutch to play the victim because they were overly sensitive and wanted to control everyone by being part of the so-called “word police.”

Here’s my take on political correctness (especially at work)…

You can’t say what the f*ck you want to say!

Period! This goes for the workplace or anywhere else. There are consequences for running your mouth a certain way and offending people, such as getting your a** kicked, getting written up at work, hiding from your neighbors (so you don’t get your a** kicked), losing respect from people you were friendly with, losing your job, etc.

Yes, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but everyone doesn’t have the right to go around saying the most offensive things to any and everyone and then getting upset, when the person tells them off, confronts them about their language or makes a formal complaint about what they’ve said.

We live in a country, where Blacks were called “ni**er,” “boy,” “coon,” “spade,” and anything under the sun by Whites. This was in and out of the workplace. So, now, that people can’t be as fast and footloose as they want with demeaning language, racial innuendo, and flat out bad manners, they want to complain that people are policing them and violating their right to insult others.

This whole political correctness thing came out of the fact that Blacks, gays, women, the physically and mentally challenged, etc. were all being very vocal about what they would and would not tolerate regarding language and labels. Everyone was fed up! It was part of an attempt to censor those, who obviously cannot censor themselves.

You should not have to be told that you can’t say certain things to or in front of certain people. If you had any fair portion of a decent upbringing, you wouldn’t even have to be told that you have to watch your mouth. We all know people say all sorts of things in private conversations. But, once you leave your home and, particularly in the workplace (representing someone else and receiving money for your skills), you do not have a right to show every inch of your ignorance.

Blacks and others are tired of hearing people defend bigots and other miscreants with arguments that we so-called misunderstood what they said or meant or that we are taking it the wrong way or that they didn’t know any better or that they didn’t mean it that way, etc. Everyone in the workplace needs to stop defending people who repeatedly say things that would fall into the category of being politically incorrect.

If you say it more than once, regardless of how you may change the words up a bit, then you meant it. It’s not about political correctness. It’s not about so-called joking around. Watch your mouth!

As far as management in the workplace, everyone must be held to the same standard. I guarantee you that a Black person being politically incorrect and calling a White coworker or manager a “cracka” or “ofay” or something else would quickly escalate into the Black person being written up, suspended, terminated, etc. So, we need to see that kind of vigilance in dealing with foul and offensive language on both sides.

If someone finds it hard to work 4, 8 or however many hours they work per day without saying something that isn’t politically correct, that person has a real problem! They are sick. It should not take any effort to be respectful of everyone around you. If you are having issues, that is on you and has nothing to do with anyone being sensitive, hypersensitive or ultrasensitive.

It takes a lot of nerve to get angry because you’re used to saying what the f*ck you want and now you can’t do it. Just be glad you got away with it for as long as you did and call it a day. Get your stuff together and behave like a decent human being. Give everyone the respect they deserve and that you would demand and you will never have to worry about being politically correct. You will never cross that line!!!

IN THE NEWS: Mr. Watson, Your Slip is Showing...Blacks May Not Be Intellectually Equal to Whites!

An American scientist, James Watson, has issued an apology, stating, "I am mortified about what has happened…more importantly, I cannot understand how I could have said what I am quoted as having said… To all those who have drawn the inference from my words that Africa, as a continent, is somehow genetically inferior, I can only apologize unreservedly. That is not what I meant. More importantly from my point of view, there is no scientific basis for such a belief."

Well, what did Mr. Watson say?

The trouble began after the Sunday Times Magazine of London quoted Mr. Watson, a molecular biologist, as saying that he's "inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa" because "all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours — whereas all the testing says not really."

While he hopes everyone is equal, Mr. Watson also says, "people who have to deal with black employees find this is not true."

Oh, really?!

Mr. Watson, 79, is chancellor of the prestigious Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York. In other words, he specializes in DNA. Late Thursday, the lab's board said it had suspended Watson's administrative responsibilities pending further deliberation.

Mr. Watson was overseas promoting his new book, but has since had to return home because of the furor over his remarks. Mr. Watson is not a stranger to controversy. According to a British article, he once claimed that sex drive was connected to skin color, hence, Blacks have a higher libido.

Way to go feeding stereotypes! Anyway, Mr. Watson had to come back to the US in shame because his interview caused outrage in Britain.

David Lammy, the government's skills minister, said "It is a shame that a man with a record of scientific distinction should see his work overshadowed by his own irrational prejudices," Lammy said. "It is no surprise to me that the scientific community has condemned this outburst, and I think people will recognize these comments for what they are."

Mr. Watson’s comments about the people who have to deal with black employees supposedly knowing that Blacks may be intellectually inferior reminds me of the White woman, who said that White workers have to release an anti-stress hormone in order to cope with Black coworkers.

It must be nice to live in fantasy land by imagining that your race is genetically superior to others AND so much so that they are routinely frustrated and stressed out to the point where they must release special hormones in order to deal with the dregs of the global society. Whatever gets you through the day, huh?

Sources: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071019/ap_on_sc/britain_controversial_scientist and http://iht.com/articles/ap/2007/10/18/europe/EU-GEN-Britain-US-Scientist-Racism.php

Noose Hung in Long Island, NY Police Station

Looks like the dreaded noose is on a roll. The latest noose incident involves a noose that was found hanging in a Long Island, NY police station. The police station is one of the most diverse police departments in the state, prompting claims that such a despicable act is “out of character” for the community.

No one is sure why the noose was hung. However, there are two theories. The first theory is that the noose was hung in response to a Black man being recently promoted to deputy chief. The second theory is that someone is angry about a push to recruit more minorities to the force. Whatever the reason, the noose was found hanging in the men’s locker room. Only police officers have access to the room.

So, a member of law enforcement, responsible for protecting those in his community (including many Blacks), is bold enough to commit a hate crime at his place of work. No word of what—if any—evidence was collected at the scene of the noose hanging.

Source: NY Daily News

Bill O'Reilly: "Taken Out of Context"

Fox News Channel commentator, Bill O'Reilly, is using a spin-off of one of the most common defenses used in the workplace by Whites, who’ve said something that they’ve been told is racist, offensive, stereotypical, demeaning, etc.

Discussing his recent dinner with Rev. Al Sharpton at the Harlem restaurant Sylvia's, Bill O'Reilly said that he "couldn't get over the fact that there was no difference between Sylvia's restaurant and any other restaurant in New York City. I mean, it was exactly the same, even though it's run by blacks, [and has a] primarily black patronship."

O'Reilly added: "There wasn't one person in Sylvia's who was screaming, 'M-Fer, I want more iced tea.'" He also said that going to Sylvia’s was like going to an Italian restaurant in White suburban America.

Based on those remarks, it’s obvious what mindset Bill O’Reilly had and has about Blacks. He obviously questions our level of civility, table etiquette, social skills and upbringing.

HOW EXACTLY DID BILL O’REILLY EXPECT BLACKS TO ACT, WHILE THEY WERE OUT AT DINNER? Were the patrons supposed to eat, while swinging from vines? Were patrons supposed to eat with their fingers…all while dancing to rap music?

What’s scary is that Bill O’Reilly’s comments can’t be excused as isolated comments or as the comments of a crazy right-wing conservative commentator, who loves to be provocative (see yesterday’s post on that issue).

The fact of the matter is, I’ve had coworkers—plenty of them—make comments that are just as ignorant and racist as Bill O’Reilly’s comments. I’ve heard some say his comments were “passively racist” or “casually racist.” However, racist is racist and ignorance is ignorance. If a person can marvel at the fact that they went to a “Black restaurant” (and not just a restaurant) and no one SCREAMED for motherf*cking Iced tea, that person is a racist. Point blank! Just as a coworker making similar comments is a racist.

Mr. O’Reilly has since claimed that his comments were “taken out of context.” In the workplace, you don’t hear so much that comments were “taken out of context” because the preferred excuses are:

-- “I didn’t mean it that way.”
--“That’s not what I meant to say.”
--“I’m not like that.”
--“You misunderstood me.”
--“It was miscommunication.”
--“I misspoke.”

For Bill O’Reilly it’s just “taken out of context.” Bill O’Reilly says he just wanted White people to know that all Blacks don’t subscribe to the gangsta mentality, when it comes to behavior, dress, and speech. That defense is racist. If what he is saying is true, most Whites expect most Blacks to ask for motherf*cking iced tea, when they go out to eat. Thinking most Whites believe that is racist. And, if most Whites do believe that, it is racist!

But, the fact that someone (claiming to be educated) can believe that these comments are positive of Blacks, just goes to show how warped many American minds are, when it comes to acknowledging racist and stereotypical perceptions.

I’ll say it again…people who think this way are always someone’s coworker, boss, etc. And, they think that this sort of so-called “passive racism” is really okay and they think it’s defensible. And, these types of people usually won’t apologize, when confronted about their comments. They’re too busy defending why the comments aren’t racist, when they should be responding to the damage and offense they’ve caused.

Blacks are asked (and even forced) to apologize to Whites all the time. I’ve worked at a number of jobs, where Blacks were forced to apologize to Whites and I’ve had demands made of me in attempts to get me to apologize to White coworkers. I worked at one job, where an outside investigator—checking into complaints of race-based harassment and retaliation at our company—noted that members of authority at our company always required Blacks to apologize for incidents and couldn’t find one instance of a White person being required to apologize to Black workers.

Here’s a tip…if you’ve said something offensive and you’ve been called on it…just apologize. Hopefully the apology is sincere. If not, it’s not worth a damn. Bill O’Reilly would rather make himself the victim of a witch hunt, than apologize for what he said. Similarly, Whites in the workplace will often turn themselves into the victim of a hypersensitive Black coworker or will say they are the victims of political correctness gone wrong.

The anti-harassment policy at my former employer stated that the intent of the person causing offense was unimportant…what mattered was the impact on the victim. The comments made by Bill O’Reilly were offensive and racist—casually or not. That is why they are receiving attention.

By the way, Mr. O’Reilly also said that he went to a concert at a Radio City Music Hall and noticed that the Black concert-goers were “neatly dressed.” Again, the proof is in the pudding.

TELL US ABOUT IT: What do you think about Bill O’Reilly’s comments? Do you think they are outright racist or passively/casually racist? Do you make a distinction and why? Or, do you believe that Bill O’Reilly was really just defending Blacks, as he claims?

Source: www.mediamatters.org

ISSUES IN THE WORKPLACE: Racial Provocateurs Can Cause Tension and Future Problems in the Office

Outright racists can cause a lot of problems in the workplace. But, there are other types of people that can initiate race-based problems in the workplace. And, these individuals sometimes present more of a challenge, when it comes to proving allegations of race-based misconduct/bias. I’m referring to racial provocateurs in the workplace.

The problem, as I’ve witnessed it, is that far too many people don’t think about what they are saying in the workplace. The problem also includes far too many people who are intentionally provocative and going out of their way to push race-related hot buttons at work. There are a lot of so-called “innocent” comments made that cause a whole lot of race-related tensions to jump off in the office.

I’m not sure how often White workers really give deep thought to the racially loaded things they say to their Black coworkers, as well as the racially loaded questions they ask. And, don’t get me started on racially-laced comments that some Whites will openly make about their Black coworkers. I have often been amazed at how freely some Whites will make comments in the workplace, which have racial overtones. Their comments can be very provocative (a.k.a. insulting, incendiary, confrontational, etc.)

Racial provocateurs are the types of individuals, who while they haven’t done anything blatantly racist, may have said certain things that tap dance along the line of what is racist and what is not. These individuals continuously say things that are slightly or moderately troublesome to Black workers, but that won’t raise any suspicions among Whites. As a result, these are the types of White coworkers, supervisors/managers or executives that will prompt the defensive response, “Oh, I don’t think he/she is like that” following a complaint from a Black worker.

The reality is that some Whites know how to work and manipulate that borderline better than others. While some outrights racists are so full of loathing for Blacks that they don’t take any precautions in trying to hide their motivation for denying a promotion, recommending a suspension, etc., others are more savvy and covert. In fact, they can even throw off many of their Black coworkers. The racial provocateur is often artful at dodging the label of an outright racist.

Nevertheless, these individuals are capable of initiating a chain of events that quickly take on a prominent race-based tone and that can spiral into a race-based issue that impacts one staffer, an entire segment of a department or even larger numbers of employees.

When Black workers must have a continued relationship with Whites who REPEATEDLY make racially incendiary comments, tension often builds and an environment of suspicion can begin to develop. The Black worker rightly or wrongly may perceive this person as a closet racist and the person very may well be. However, there isn’t any explicit proof that will be acted upon by an HR department or supervisor because many of their comments will be explained away or the Black worker will be labeled as hypersensitive and overreacting to their White coworker. And, often, the White worker presents a reasonable pretext to explain away any racial intent or harm caused by their words or actions.

Here are real examples that I’ve seen or heard about causing tensions to rise between Black and White coworkers or within a department:

-- A white mid-level manager walks into a room, where only Black low-level workers are present, and says, “I came to crack the whip.” The White manager even flicks her wrist and makes a cracking noise after she makes the comment. She then laughs. When Blacks complain, the White manager says that it’s just an “expression.” There’s an attempt to downplay the historical context and to downplay that everyone in the room was Black. However, after hearing of the complaint from Black staff, this same White manager CONTINUES to make this remark solely to the same Black workers—and never to Whites (although it is supposedly one of her common expressions). Why? What is the purpose of repeating something that has negatively impacted your coworkers? Repeating remarks, which you don’t feel are offensive, but have been told are offensive is a very provocative action.

-- A white coworker walks up to a Black coworker, who wears dreadlocs, and reaches out (without permission) and grabs one of the locs, sneers her face, and asks, “Eww! What is this? Can you wash it?” The “Eww!” and “What is this?” are clearly an offensive way of reacting to an ethnic hairstyle. The Black worker is almost forced into a defensive reaction regarding the hairstyle. Following the exchange, the White worker makes it a point to openly stare and frown at the hairstyle and to stand an exaggerated distance away from the Black worker—as if she is too disgusted by her to dare go any closer. The comment and behavior after the exchange are very incendiary and will have served the point of creating the perception that this White person has issues with Black culture, and, therefore, Black people. The comment about hair combined with the negative reaction will serve as a piece of background noise in future exchanges between these individuals.


-- When Black workers complain about the manner in which they are given an assignment, a White mid-level manager comments that she doesn’t understand the problem because the Black workers are only doing “monkey work.” Obviously, this remark doesn’t go over well to a group of Black people. Blacks have lived with the comparison to apes, monkeys, and other primates. Go and look at the early depictions of Blacks in cartoons and other visual mediums. Blacks have long had their intelligence questioned by Whites with a superiority complex. So, any monkey remark is going to bring appearance and intellect into question—regardless of the so-called intent of the person making the comment. To compare work solely being done by Blacks as “monkey work” is not cool and is likely going to cause problems in future interactions between the people involved.

In each of these examples, the individuals involved began to have issues working together and the issues often escalated in nature. The White worker never apologized and often became defensive about the implication that they made a racist or insensitive remark. They wouldn’t take ownership of the issue and actually began to behave in a very indignant manner. The Black workers often figured they had the White person begged as a closet racist and began to see and hear racist actions and comments with more and more frequency. One thoughtless comment and a reaction that adds fuel to the fire or marginalizes any damage caused by careless remarks can send everyone down the path of future race-based confrontations.

That's why employers must be vigilant in policing their workforce and they must be truly vigilant, when listening to and addressing complaints from employees. Something that sounds "petty" can spark a much bigger problem in the future. Racially insenstive remarks aren't usually forgotten--at least by Black workers. Employers must not marginalize racially-loaded language. They must reinforce that they do not tolerate racist behavior or comments and must take action if someone persists in being racially provocative.

Unfortunately, dealing with racially provocative comments from intentionally and unintentionally ignorant coworkers is just one more issue—and distraction—that Blacks must deal with in the workplace.

TELL US ABOUT IT: Has a White coworker made a comment with racial overtones that derailed your relationship or caused you to be suspicious of this person’s perceptions and attitudes towards Blacks? If so, tell us about it. Post a comment or send an email to blackonthejob@yahoo.com.

The "Jena 6" - How Race-Related Harassment Sprials Out of Control with an Inadequate Response

The “Jena 6” of Jena, Louisiana. You’ve probably heard of them by now. The “Jena 6” are six Black, male teens (all football players) who were arrested for beating up one of their fellow high school students—White. The catalyst to all of the racial tension at Jena High School developed, when Black students asked to sit under a tree that apparently was reserved for their White counterparts. The next day, when Blacks sat under the tree, they found nooses hanging from the branches.

Three White students were accused of hanging the nooses and were suspended. However, the attitude of the top school officials was that the actions of the White students amounted to nothing more than a prank. They also implied that the noose might not have had anything to do with race, but might have been a way to tease the school’s opponents at a football game. After the nooses were hung, there were continued racial skirmishes between Black and White students. When Whites instigated the fights…nothing was done to them. But, then Black students beat up a White student…and the next thing you know…six Black students are arrested. The alleged Black “ringleader,” Mychal Bell, was charged as an adult and was charged with attempted murder. All of the students face serious charges.

In the past week, Mychal Bell’s conviction was thrown out by an appeals court, which said that Mychal Bell should have been dealt with in juvenile court. However, Mychal Bell is still rotting in jail right now. There’s been no rationale provided for keeping him incarcerated. The treatment of the six Black teens has reminded many Blacks of old-school southern justice—one sets of laws and rules for Blacks and one set of laws and rules for Whites. Regardless of which rule applies, southern justice assured that Blacks would come out on the losing end of any issues with Whites. In fact, comments by Jena’s District Attorney have fed fuel to the fire. He’s made remarks saying he could destroy the lives of the Black students with the stroke of his pen. And, then we got the heavy-handed criminal charges.

Today, thousands of Blacks flooded Jena, Louisiana to protest the arrest of the six students and to demand the release of Mychal Bell. Now, here’s what I want to address in this blog…

The way the school administration handled the noose issue is an example of how an insufficient response to a very serious issue can allow racial tensions and problems to spiral out of control. I have had posts on this site about Black workers finding nooses hanging in their lockers, etc. I even had one post that described how a Black male worker (at a warehouse) had a White coworker attempt to lasso him with a noose. This White coworker was so intent on putting this Black man in a noose that he perched himself high up on some boxes to give himself a good trajectory form which to hang this Black man.

In Jena, by saying that the Whites were engaged in a “prank” the school administrators were silently issuing a statement—to Whites and Blacks—that they didn’t consider the noose issue to be of any real significance. It was just kids being kids. They didn’t get the significance of what they’d done. But, to believe that…you’d have to believe the three White students to be stupid—which is a possibility. However, even the stupid in this country know full well what a noose symbolizes to Blacks and they know the threat and intimidation that is conveyed. Of all the things they could have hung in that tree, it is no accident that they choose nooses.

Just as it wasn’t an accident in Jena, it’s not an accident when nooses are hung in the workplace.

Federal courts have already rendered decisions, which state that images of or actual nooses and burning crosses are two examples of ISOLATED INCIDENTS that are so egregious that they rise to the level of Civil Rights violations. Historically, the noose and burning cross have been used as part of domestic terrorism against Blacks. That is why one instance of using these visual symbols of racism, terrorism, harassment/hostility, intimidation, and physical threats can bring huge liability issues against an employer.

The visual power of a noose and its impact on Blacks of any age is a fact that isn’t lost on anyone, including the White students of Jena. The response to the hanging nooses should have been as extreme as the act of intentionally harassing and terrorizing fellow students in a race and hate-filled manner.

The question in all of this is…why weren’t any charges brought up against the White students? Why didnt the White D.A. use his pen against "his own"?

I will be writing more about this issue in future posts.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE “JENA 6”? Do you think protesters should have descended on the town of Jena, Louisiana?

Republican's Arrest Caused by Fear of Black Men!

Here’s a story about a White elected official willing to put his racist foot squarely in his racist mouth. This is a clear case of someone pandering to stereotypes and willing to exploit an innocent Black person the same way some Whites in the workplace will scapegoat a Black coworker or subordinate.

Here’s the story…Republican Rep. Bob Allen of Merritt Island (Florida) was arrested for soliciting a male undercover police officer for sex in a Titusville park restroom. According to police, Allen was acting suspiciously as he entered and exited the men's room three times. Moments later, he approached the plainclothes officer (Black) and offered to perform oral sex for $20. Allen now faces second degree misdemeanor charges. Police said they realized Allen was a public figure after the arrest. But, that’s no where the story ends…

After the bust, Allen told police that he wasn’t paying for sex but just playing along with the undercover officer. He said, “I certainly wasn't there to have sex with anybody and certainly wasn't there to exchange money for it. This was a pretty stocky black guy, and there was nothing but other black guys around in the park.” Allen said he feared he "was about to be a statistic.”

So, Allen basically said he was willing to do whatever it took to save his life, which “explains” his offer of oral sex—a general fear of Black men. So, this elected official decided to duck responsibility for his actions in favor of blaming the nearest Black person. And, it didn’t matter that he was making false accusations against a Black cop.

He’s a White man, who believes that other White people (and the system) will accept—or seriously consider—his fear of Black men as justification for attempting to engage in a sex act in a public bathroom. It’s important to note that Allen didn’t say there were “shady” characters or criminals in the park. No! He went right for the jugular. He said there were “black guys” and he knew how America would take those seemingly innocent words.

“Black guys.” Why didn’t he just say…

“I was afraid of the ni**ers.” We all know what he meant.

Far too many White people are willing to revert to playing the race card, which they often accuse Blacks of doing. We’re supposed to be race-baiters, but the instant many Whites get into a problem and a Black person is involved, it’s amazing how quickly the situation deteriorates into a “the ni**er did it” line of defense. It’s a strategy often used in the workplace.

This officer was doing his job and was rewarded with character assassination. His badge was devalued to the point where he was supposed to be a so-called common thug and criminal. The sad part is, someone out there…someone White…will be willing to give Rep. Allen the benefit of the doubt with his ridiculous argument. “Oh, I can see how he would have been afraid.” And, that will be that. The officer will never get an apology and everyone will act as though the remarks were no big deal.

However, the remarks represent were we stand as a nation. Some Whites will automatically go for an appeal to the underbelly of American society—racism—when dealing with issues involving Blacks. This is an intentional strategy and a battle we must continue to fight. Keep up the struggle.

Source: www.airamerica.com

"Hot Ghetto Mess" is About to Become Water Cooler Chatter!

Coming soon, the water cooler conversation on your job might be about the show “Hot Ghetto Mess,” which will air on BET. Hot Ghetto Mess is a show hosted by comedian Charlie Murphy and is based on a web site of the same name, which displays photos and web videos of Black people in all manner of portraying “real” stereotypes. Images of pimps, people dressed like pimps (and hos), children with liquor, “ghetto” fashion, “ghetto” weddings, “ghetto” beach wear, etc. are all on heavy display.

The BET show will air the photos and clips from the web site. Supposedly the point of the web site and the show is to spark dialogue and debate in the Black community and to encourage Blacks to stop behaving in a “ghetto” fashion.

Bullsh*t!!

The point of the site and the show is to exploit Blacks for monetary gain, to perpetuate stereotypical images of Blacks to the global community, and to poke fun at those perceived by many to be on the lower echelon of the American totem pole.

I don’t care if the web site was created by someone Black. I don’t care if there’s a Black host. You can find a Black person who’s willing to exploiting coonish behavior just as quickly as you can find someone White seeking to exploit it! Point blank! But, Viacom, owner of BET, thinks it’s okay to air the show because they have a Black web site creator and a Black host involved. I don’t think so!

Home Depot and Statefarm Insurance have already pulled their ads from the show, after hearing of the controversy and reviewing a copy of the as-yet-to-air program.

There’s an online petition to stop “Hot Ghetto Mess” before it airs on BET. The link is included at the end of this post. I encourage you to sign the petition and to contact BET.

It is 2007, people. We need to stop disseminating such negative, offensive, and disgusting images of Blacks, the so-called universal Black lifestyle, and Black culture. We are all painted with the same brush as those in the photos and videos. It’s not a laughing matter. Are you a cartoon or a person? Do you mind that Viacom is putting out this show? Do you see how shows like this create problems for all Blacks?

Don’t wait for one of your White coworkers to see this show and ask you an offensive question about something they saw before you decide the show needs to be taken off the air.

If you would like to sign the online petition, you can go to the following link to sign and post a comment.

www.petitiononline.com/stpghtto

Please pass the link on to your friends and family. What do you think about the web site and the show, “Hot Ghetto Mess”? Post a comment!

The NAACP Funeral for the N-Word

The NAACP is symbolically holding a funeral for the n-word today. According to Julian Bond, the Chairman of the NAACP, the initiative is being spearheaded by “seven young people” on the board of directors and is not an action being prompted by older members of the organization.

The symbolic burial will be part of the 98th annual NAACP convention, which kicked off yesterday in Detroit. During the “burial” supporters will march from the Detroit convention center to a downtown plaza. At that time, they’ll read a eulogy for the n-word.

In addition to burying the n-word, the NAACP has been in discussions with rappers and other entertainers to discuss removing the word from their music.

To read more about the n-word funeral, click on the following link: http://www.naacp.org/events/convention/98th/funeral/index.htm.

Where do you stand on the issue of the n-word? Do you use it? Are you offended by it? Is it ever okay to use the word? Under what specific circumstances? Let us know what you think! Post a comment.

The N-Word and the Workplace

Every Black person has to decide whether or not—and how—they will incorporate the n-word into their life. Ignore it as much as possible? Embrace it as a term of endearment? Attack those that would dare utter the word? What to do? That’s a decision we each make in our personal lives.

But, I’ll tell you… I can’t stand to hear Black workers throwing around the n-word in the WORKPLACE. Why? It bothers me because there is no reason to utter that word on your job. Even if you say the n-word in private situations, there isn’t a single excuse for using it at work. Period! Only an absolutely ignorant and self-loathing Black person would toss around such a word in front of their White coworkers and members of management.

Unfortunately, nearly every time I’ve heard a Black person LOUDLY using the n-word in the workplace or referring to someone LOUDLY as their “ni**a,” the person was always under 30 years of age. And, every time the word was uttered it was clearly for show. It’s a very unfortunate way to try to get attention.

Yet, after a Black person says that word, you can just see how they are hoping to recieve a positive reaction from their coworkers. It’s almost as if flinging around the n-word makes them believe they will be seen as so-called keeping it real, being down-to-earth or being so-called “cool.”

When I’ve watched how Blacks respond to another Black person using the n-word, the reaction seems to be split between shock and eye-rolling at the person’s ignorance or maniacal laughing that the person was bold enough to say such a thing at work, especially in the presence of Whites—if that was the case.

When I’ve watched how Whites respond to a Black person using the n-word at work, the reaction has been split between seeing the person become visibly uncomfortable, changing the subject or pretending they didn’t hear the comment at all or maniacally laughing at the Black person making the comment. I state laughing “at” the Black person because a White person cannot laugh “with” a Black person, when the n-word is involved.

For those of us using the n-word at work, how do you think this behavior makes you appear to your White and other non-Black coworkers? Do you think it increases the level of respect they have for you and other members of your race? Do you think they will want to invite you to work on their projects because you uttered the word? Do you think you’ll be next in line for a promotion or pay raise? Do you care what others think about you flagrantly throwing around a word that is loaded with such historical venom as to be one of the most powerfully hurtful words in existence?

I MUST KNOW…what in God’s name do you think can be gained by using such an offensive word among your White coworkers? If someone is willing to admit to this behavior, please post a comment and let us all know why you choose to use the n-word at your place of employment?

Anyone with general thoughts on using the n-word at work, please post a comment.

Life's a Beach!

Many White people act as though Blacks are always crying wolf about unequal treatment (read: experiencing racism in our day-to-day lives). Yet, there is always evidence that racism is as prevalent today as it has been in the past.

From shopping in stores (and being followed by security), to trying to catch a cab (and having the cab driver pretend to be off-duty and ignoring your waving hand), to moving into a predominately White neighborhood (and having your neighbors make it perfectly clear that you supposedly don’t belong), Blacks have to deal with racism in many aspects of our lives.

Now, let’s add going to the beach to that list.

Yes, going to the beach.

Snooty White homeowners near Brooklyn’s Manhattan Beach are trying to have the beach privatized in order to stop “thugs” (read: minorities) from going to the beach. How do they plan to do this? They plan on making it very difficult and unpleasant to come to the beach by:

-- charging people a fee to enter the beach area;
-- closing the beach at a moment’s notice, whenever “thugs” start to arrive;
-- creating a single entrance to the beach and having metal detectors there; and
-- by adding more cops and surveillance cameras.

The issue is that many minority high-school and college students like to go to Manhattan Beach and the homeowners don’t like it. So, they’ve gone as far as fabricating a shooting incident to justify the changes they want to make. People on the beach said there wasn’t a single serious incident at the beach. When pushed on the subject, one of the homeowners had to admit that there wasn’t a shooting incident (read: it was a lie). But, the homeowners thought everyone would accept the lie because everyone knew they were referring to minorities, when they spoke about alleged shootings.

Why am I writing about this? Because people like this work somewhere! So, I ask…

How do you think they perceive the Blacks they work with, if they don’t find Blacks (and other minorities) worthy of going to “their” beach?

You see, this open-minded society we live in is nothing more than a fabrication. There is still more to strive for regarding the dream Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke of. We must stop pretending we are all one big happy family and that racism has gone the way of the dinosaurs.

Again, these people—who are bold and stupid enough to be obvious bigots—are someone’s employer, supervisor or coworker.

Can they give fair performance evaluations? Can they decide a Black, Hispanic or Asian employee has earned a promotion? Will they sign off on the training classes that will help a minority employee gain valuable knowledge and skills that will make them more competitive with other coworkers (read: White coworkers)?

The answer is…You can’t turn racism on and off! These stories are directly linked to racists in the workplace. The people that engage in this behavior off the work site will also engage in the behavior on the work site.

Being "Fair" and/or "Forgiving" Are Incompatible With Fighting On-The-Job Racism!

I don’t know what it is about some of us Black folks, but we have this amazing ability to forgive people that have done absolutely horrible things to us. I don’t just mean in recent history. I am also talking about historically. I am often still amazed at how Blacks—today—have been able to find a way to get along with the descendants of their enslavers—many of whom still share abhorrently racist views and attitudes about the capacity and basic humanity of our race. But, many Blacks still often manage to cope and overcome the institution and legacy of slavery and racism in America.

Perhaps at the root of our ability to be a fair and to forgive is that our people have gone through such extreme suffering on the plantations of America. Maybe that extreme suffering has translated into an almost hyper-compassion for anyone that we perceive as also suffering. Perhaps our ability to be fair and to forgive egregious horrors is due to experience with retaliation from the White majority. Post-slavery retaliation against Blacks, for fighting for and demanding basic human/civil rights still occurs today. It just happens more covertly.

Regardless of the reason for the Black ability be fair and to forgive, fairness and can ultimately lead to our continued battles against racism in the workplace. Sometimes, Blacks are too willing to let someone take back a racial slur or repeated racial slurs that happen on the job. Sometimes, Blacks are too willing to walk away from someone making racist comments and promoting stereotyping on the job. Sometimes, Blacks are too willing to ignore the actions of a racist coworker or supervisor—even when those actions are destroying our careers, promotion opportunities, and salary increases.

Here’s a scenario: A White, female worker makes a very racist comment to a Black female coworker about Black culture. This isn’t the first time the White worker has made this kind of negative comment. Well, the Black worker has finally had enough and confronts the White worker. The Black worker says she’s not going to tolerate the remarks anymore and that she’s going to management. So, the White worker begins crying and says that she didn’t realize the Black worker took the comments “like that.” She stresses that she was only joking and, when she wasn’t joking, she was truly just trying to get a better understanding of Black people. She swears that she’ll never make that kind of remark again. And…

Lo and behold…

The Black worker starts to soften. After all, the White worker is crying and she looks sincere enough. She seems truly apologetic. So, the Black worker lets things slide. She says she won’t go to management about the issue. She decides that she’s going to be fair. As a matter of fact, she’s going to be a true Christian. She’s going to give the White worker another chance. That would be fair. And…

Lo and behold…

The same white worker makes a similar comment to the Black woman—2 months later. It took some time. But, she went right back to old habits and her true nature.

Many Blacks like to pat ourselves on the backs and praise ourselves for being fair and for overlooking the negative behavior of the racists we work with. We’ll say, “Girl, I just ignore her. I don’t pay her any mind. That’s how she is.”

Some Black workers can be racially attacked on the job and then sit there and worry about complaining about the White worker because they don’t want to see anyone lose their job/be fired. Because far too many Black workers are often too busy thinking about being fair and extending an olive branch to someone to worry about their own career. I’ve heard people say, “I’d feel guilty, if she got fired!” Are you kidding me? If someone’s behavior warrants termination, let them have at it! Let them get the result they worked so hard for. Who are you to deny them their just reward? Who are you to condemn other Blacks to continue to work with an abomination?

But, no. Many Blacks will say we’re going to be the bigger person or a “Christian.” But, the reality is that the same White person that you extend forgiveness to after they “jokingly” calling you a monkey is the same White person that will make the comment again in the future. It’s the same White person that will feel they can escalate their offensive language.

The same White person that you extend forgiveness to and try to be fair with after they lie about your work ethic and job performance to your supervisor—strictly based on their racist instincts and not fact—is the same White person that will engage in this behavior in the future. If they don’t target YOU again…they will target another Black person or other minority.

The same White person that you extend forgiveness to and try to be fair with after they deny you a promotion—without basis and based on your race and not your job performance—is the same White person that will refuse to promote you next year. This same White person will also refuse to promote other Blacks or minorities.

Yet, far too many Blacks will continue to use the word “fair” to describe why we ignore racist behavior and actions in the workplace—even those that truly impact our careers in a negative manner.

When you extend forgiveness, you would and should expect that you are dealing with a person that is grateful to have received the opportunity to be forgiven. However, in the workplace, gratitude isn’t often the end result of letting someone remain unaccountable for their racist words and/or actions. Most people don’t learn a life lesson on the first try. Many people have to repeat their mistakes before they finally get it and make a behavioral change.

So, here are some questions about being fair with others in the workplace:

--How is it fair to continually overlook behavior that is hurting you, while it empowers your attacker?

--How is it fair to allow someone to engage in behavior that demoralizes you and makes you hate being in their company or going to work?

--What exactly are Blacks in the workplace seeking, when they are claiming they are only trying to be “fair” or “a bigger person” or a “Christian,” when they ignore or accept the fake apologies of on-the-job racists?

--Is the label “fair” simply a way to shirk the responsibility of following through with putting a stop to racist behavior at work?

--Is the label “fair” designed to avoid retaliation from the White worker in question or Whites at the company—as a whole?

--Is it fair to have false critiques placed in your employee review, simply because of your race? Is it fair to be denied a promotion simply because of your race? Etc.

Last, but not least…

When is it less important to be fair and more important to hang someone with the same rope they laid out for you?! The racist often takes advantage of a Black worker attempting to seek the higher ground. The racist often counts on not being confronted or challenged about their behavior. The racist is calculating. A racist will think about their chances of getting away with their behavior. That’s why they will often use covert language or tactics. I had a post, last year, where a White manager used a code word around a Black worker to refer to her a ni**er. So, yes, a lot of thought often goes into getting away with racism at work.

At some point, Black workers need to stop trying to be so damn fair and forgiving and need to start going on the offensive. Only by having a zero tolerance attitude for racist comments and behavior that creates a hostile or offensive work environment or negatively impacts our careers (e.g., promotions, etc.) will Blacks be able to confront racism and to truly provoke continued change in the our workplaces around the country.

By the way, you can be a Christian, while reporting a racist supervisor to Human Resources. Don’t let anyone ever tell you differently! You can forgive and fight for your human/workplace rights at the same time.

Reader Comments: Defamation by Conduct

Here’s some information that was sent to me by a reader. I’ve concealed the identities of those involved, but this is still a powerful example of how a person can have their reputation destroyed by colleagues and managers. It’s also an example of how defamation/slander, etc. can cost a person their job!

The Reader wrote...

Employers either don’t realize, don’t care, or don’t see it as a serious of issue, but slander, libel and defamation of character are illegal and the employer can be penalized. Here's what happened to me:

Coworker X knew the accusations she made against me were lies, yet she repeated them to Coworker Y, Coworker Z, and Manager A; Manager A then “confirmed” Coworker X’s statements through Coworker Y and Coworker Z, who admitted to Manager A that they were only repeating what they had heard from Coworker X. Neither Manager A nor HR had proof of the accusations, they didn’t make an attempt to find the truth, and based on HR’s comments, HR only judged me guilty because one person made the accusations but the accusations were “confirmed” by “many/several” people. Manager A judged me guilty because according to her “many/several people said the exact same thing and they couldn’t all be wrong.” Uh yeah, and she’s actually a member of management. Go figure.

Coworker X knew she was making false statements against me therefore, her actions were defamatory; Manager A/the company’s actions may show defamation by conduct as their actions showed a “reckless disregard for the truth.”

I was suspended based on these lies! The stipulations in a Final Written Notice I received was that if any employee construed or perceived me to have violated the terms of the suspension or the Final Written Notice, it was grounds for my immediate termination. Well, how and why would any employee be privy to the terms of my disciplinary action? Did Manager A tell staff that if I rolled my eyes to come tell her? Or if they heard me talking about her (as was reported by Coworker X on March 8) or if I didn’t greet them or gesticulated excessively, to inform her? Obviously, the way that Manager A drafted my Final Written Notice which was approved by HR, and the language used regarding grounds for immediate termination implies that staff were privy to information that was not their business and may prove that Manager A/my employer informed my coworkers of my disciplinary action although my coworkers didn’t have a legitimate right to know. This is illegal and grounds for a lawsuit.

If an employee knowingly makes and then spreads false statements about a person/people in the workplace, and the statements negatively impact this person/people, i.e., staff no longer associate with them, advancement/job opportunities are lost, the employer can be accused of defamation by conduct.

Manager A and my employer are guilty of defamation by conduct by “publishing” the Final Written Notice included in my personnel file. The Final Written Notice automatically prevents me from being rehired at my employer because the accusations against me violate their code of ethics. But the accusations aren’t true and that should prove detrimental to my employer’s argument that they did “everything by the book” regarding the actions they took against me.

I was subjected to a reduction in force action/laid off due to my job being designated as no longer necessary. But, I was told that I could reapply for a job at the same company. I pointed out to HR that the language of the Final Written Notice was slanderous and extremely harsh and that my chances of being rehired at my employer were null. She said the Final Written Notice would not be removed – well that was fine with me since it proves my defamation claim. My employer’s conduct in relation to their “investigation” and the Final Written Notice is questionable because the “evidence” they used to judge me guilty were the statements made by Coworker X and confirmed by Coworker Y and Coworker Z – but Coworker Y and Coworker Z admitted to HR and Manager A that they were only repeating what they heard from Coworker X.

Something that may prove detrimental to my employer – Manager A informed some staff that some of us were being laid off (and she named us) before notifying the laid-off coworkers. And, she informed them that we were being let go but new staff were being hired. So how did she justify letting us go?

And, when I called the Director of Labor, Employee Relations and Compliance and informed him of: Coworker X’s actions; another baseless accusation being made against me in an effort to defame my character; and that I continue to question the motivations of Coworker X and Manager A (and I used this exact language), he had the opportunity to investigate the situation right then and there. But he did absolutely nothing. My phone call put him on notice that I was being slandered and maligned yet again, and he did nothing. I am pursuing action in this matter!

What happened to me may also serve as defamation by conduct and courts are starting to take this very seriously. Here are some links that may be helpful:

http://library.findlaw.com/1999/Sep/1/127684.html

http://www.uslaw.com/library/article/carel8DefamatoryAction.html?area_id=43

Thanks, reader, for sharing your horror story!

DO YOU HAVE ANY EXAMPLES OF WORKPLACE DEFAMATION, ETC. THAT YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE? POST A COMMENT OR SEND AN EMAIL TO BLACKONTHEJOB@YAHOO.COM!

Don't Let Whites In The Workplace Tell You How You Should Feel!

In the workplace, some Whites feel it is their moral obligation to tell Black coworkers how they should feel about to certain incidents, comments or actions.

This isn’t about opinion. No, this is about White workers literally telling a Black person they should or shouldn’t feel a certain way about racially insensitive comments, actions, etc. For instance, let’s say a White worker makes a racist and insensitive comment. Black workers complain and are told by Whites that they, “…shouldn’t feel that way (or take it that way).” Or, they may be told outright, to “not be so sensitive.” This completely disregards the feelings of the Black workers and actually marginalizes the workers with the assumption that they aren’t even smart enough to interpret routine day-to-day communication, standard English (normally their first language), and racist insults or actions.

I’ve experienced this myself—more than once. For instance, I’ve been told (by an HR rep and 2 supervisors) that the only reason I took racist actions “that way” was because I was an emotional person and that I was overreacting to the situation based on my “state.” I was also told that I had a high level of stress. I was told that my stress—and not the actions—were causing problems for EVERYONE at work.

So, not only was I being told that I couldn’t I understand how I felt, but I was told my feelings were faulty from the get go! Not only that, but my feelings were causing issues for Whites throughout the company! I even received the lowest ratings on my performance evaluation for upsetting the chain of command with my alleged hysterics.

Well, that trick only works on the weak minded. I know how I feel. I know that I’m not a sensitive person. I know that I wasn’t jumping to any conclusions. And, I know that an initial probe of my allegations, by an outside State agency, revealed at least 2 incidents of illegal misconduct against me. The investigation is still currently ongoing.

So, my advice to every Black reader is to remember that YOU KNOW WHEN YOU ARE EXPERIENCING RACISM! So, don’t let other people tell you how you should feel about:

--being called by a racial slur;
--being compared to a jungle beast or some other creature;
--being on the receiving end of racially insensitive remarks or comments;
--being disrespected, demeaned and ignored or marginalized based on race or race-based stereotypes;
--receiving extra scrutiny and criticism because of your race; or
-- having someone White using employment actions to harass you and to create a hostile work environment because of your race.

Some people come right out and say what's on their minds--no matter how negative or offensive the comments are. But, others are more covert. Nevertheless, your powers of observation, your listening skills, and your life experiences let you know when a person is behaving a certain way—universally (regardless of race)—and when they only behave a certain way, when dealing with Black workers. For instance, there may be a White worker that is only extremely rude and demeaning, when they must work with Blacks. Any other time, this person is the post card version of a socially acceptable and professional employee.

Or, you have a manager that goes out of their way to get training opportunities for White subordinates, to fight for great assignments for White subordinates, to fight for promotions for White subordinates, and to fight for big salary increases for White subordinates. The only problem is that this same White manager will do NONE of those things for their Black subordinates. In fact, this manager may go out of his/her way to criticize their Black subordinates, to keep them performing the same work at the same responsibility level, etc. The only employees this White manager champions for are those that are the same race as him/her! And, in this example, that’s all you would need to know to see there’s an issue on your job.

And, that gets back to my point. You know how a comment or action makes you feel, how it has changed your work environment, how it has impacted your career, salary, etc. So, don’t let people impose a false reality on you. Don’t allow someone to tell you what you must think or must feel about something. Your feelings may be dead on and this person may be simply trying to protect themselves, a coworker, a person in authority or the company—as a whole.

Everyone thinks in lawsuit terms these days. Unfortunately, many White workers will defend a White perpetrator, will say they don’t know anything about an incident to avoid involvement, may lie to protect the company or engage in other behavior that serves to protect their own interests. People have families. They are usually not going to lay down their careers for someone, especially someone of another race. That can be said about many of us!

I just want to drill home the point that a White coworker could have any number of motives for trying to dictate how you should feel about a race-based incident (company loyalty, sympathizing with the perpetrator, seeking reward/benefit for their actions, etc.)

When a White person is telling you how you should feel, what is it really based on? They haven’t experienced the trials and tribulations of being Black in America. They can relate to you as a person, with certain general and shared experiences, but they can’t relate to you on race. So, how can a White person dictate to you how you should feel or respond to a race-based incident? They can’t!! Whether they agree with your position about racism at work or not isn’t the issue. They can empathize with you, but a White person can never cry your tears or feel your pain because of race-based trauma caused at work.

So, don’t enable a White person to potentially talk you out of pursuing a race-based issue at work. I don’t care how cool this White person seems to be, I don’t care if they date Blacks or other minorities, I don’t care if they have Black adopted siblings, if they seem to have your best interests at heart/seem sincere, etc. You shouldn’t be getting input on how you should feel about a race-based issue—one way or another—from someone White! But, if you do have that conversation, keep it in proper perspective.

Don’t let someone cover up possibly illegal behavior. If you want to ignore an incident or comment or personnel action, that’s up to you. Just don’t pretend it’s not what it is!

You’re an adult. You’ve been Black all your life. Your red flags will go up, when you’re dealing with suspected race-based issues. Don’t ignore the cues. Racists at work only continue with their behavior because so many Black workers will allow some White worker or manager to talk us out of our legitimate feelings, will tell us we’re overreacting, will tell us we are sensitive, will convince us to ignore warning signs or will tell us they’ll deal with an issue “behind the scenes” or will speak to the racist individual “privately.”

You know how you feel. But, you should also know the guidelines in the personnel manual for employee conduct and for preventing and correcting problem behavior—active racism being one of them. You should also stay informed about Federal laws regarding misconduct, discrimination, harassment, etc. Only by knowing your rights will you know whether your feelings are signs of a much bigger issue at work!

Who Can Say (or ask) What in the Workplace?

Ever since the Don Imus incident, White people are acting like they’re completely clueless, when it comes to knowing what is and isn’t okay to say to and about Black people.

Articles and news segments featured titles like, Who Can Say What? As if there was some possible scenario by which Don Imus and company could call Black women Jiggaboos, nappy-headed hos, and hardcore hos. Let me be perfectly clear, there was never such a scenario. And, all of this feigned desired to really understand what’s okay to say to and about Black people is starting to really get on my nerves.

It’s almost as if the issue is about Blacks being so-called ultra-sensitive and not about the crude remarks that were made. People are acting like Blacks blew the racist comments out of proportion. Oh, can’t you people take a joke?

But, isn’t that one of our age-old stereotypes? Yes, Blacks have long been painted as hypersensitive. On top of that, we’ve also been painted as child-like and intellectually inferior. Therefore, when you combine that nasty triad of stereotypes, you can see how some White people are convinced that Blacks—and not Don Imus and his cronies—are the issue to be addressed.

And, so we now have this huge focus on rap music. However, the natural offshoot of the Don Imus incident would have been to target other radio personalities like Rush Limbaugh, etc. No, Whites weren’t going to have another White person fall on their sword, like Don Imus. So, they did the bait and switch and Blacks fell for it. Whether rap music deserves to be cleaned up or not—and I think it does—that was not the logical discussion to have following the Don Imus incident. The logical discussion was to continue to discuss these so-called shock-jocks and to clean up that “business” FIRST!!

I’ve said it before, Don Imus WAS AT WORK, when he made his comments. He had a job. He wasn’t just sitting on the airwaves completely freelancing. Don Imus had an employer. Too many Whites are acting like he was a rogue personality with no responsibilities to anyone else—or to society, as a whole.

I believe 100% that the termination of Don Imus is being greeted with this passive aggressive retaliation from many Whites. It’s like their attitude is “You took down one of ours, now we’re going to take down some of yours!” Rap music is the new target of Whites and the excuse is that rap music is misogynistic and degrades Black women. Oh, that’s what really has Whites riled up, huh? Degrading Black women in rap music, which led to Don Imus being terminated? Really? At least 80% of rap/hip-hop is purchased by Whites, but now that Don Imus is temporarily out of job, it’s a problem!

But, that’s how some Whites deal with racism in the workplace—and that’s where it happened with Don Imus. Some Whites will come up with any defense, when another White person (or some other non-Black person) is accused of making racially insensitive comments, using racial epithets or engaging in discriminatory or other race-based illegal behavior.

Who can say what?

Well, there’s a recent news story in New York where several NYPD sergeants and police officers called 4 Black female cops “nappy-headed hos” and told them to “stand up hos” at the police roll call. This is after Don Imus and his crew made the comments and after the subsequent fallout. So, I ask…is there really a question as to who can say what? REALLY?

Is the issue possibly that people sometimes WANT to say racist, demeaning, degrading, and other nasty things in the workplace, simply because they CHOOSE to and not because they so-called thought it was funny? That’s how people try to get away with offensive comments. They think if they pretend it was a joke, the person the joke was on is somehow supposed to be at fault for finding no humor in the remark. It’s an old technique, but it’s still used in the workplace. “I didn’t mean it that way!” “She’s/he’s just sensitive.” “She/he can’t take a joke.”

Can anyone be that stupid? No! Most times these aren’t harmless remarks. People know exactly what they are saying. They may be shocked that a person challenges their remarks and confronts them about exactly what they meant, but the person making racist or degrading comments knows full well the intent of their remarks. But, some people in the workplace continue to pretend that the issue is just sensitive Black folks.

Who can say what? Let me break down the workplace answer for White folks…

Blacks don’t come to work just dying to deal with your race-based jokes and ignorant race-based questions and comments. We’re not chomping at the bit waiting for you to ask us about Kwanzaa, Malcolm X, the “ghetto,” single parenthood, welfare, hair texture, pig feet and “soul food,” hair grease, teen pregnancy rates, etc.

If all you can do is approach Blacks with race-based commentary, please recognize your issue. Why can’t you speak to us like the humans that we are? Why do some White coworkers have to make everything about our race? We don’t come to work for that bulls*it! And, we don’t come as the spokespersons for all Black people. We have different viewpoints and opinions.

Who can say what or ask what? Not even dealing with discriminatory actions and just speech, here are some common sense tips:

-- Don’t express extreme shock, when your Black coworkers don’t fall into your ignorant stereotypes! Don’t marvel at a Black coworker being articulate or writing well or having a college degree, etc. There is no reason for your amazement at these things!

-- Don’t force your stereotypical beliefs onto Black coworkers. Don’t automatically go for racially-loaded language—that you wouldn’t use to describe a White coworker showing the same behavior or making the same comments as Black coworkers. Don’t be in a rush to call a Black worker lazy, angry, defensive, rude, mean, stupid, etc. Blacks have not cornered the market on any of that. If you mainly use reserve your nastiest remarks for Black coworkers, you have issues.

-- Don’t sing rap or R&B songs ONLY when you are approaching a Black coworker or are working in their office. We are not going to think you are “cool” because you know the words to “Black music.” If you don’t do this to White coworkers, don’t do it to us.

--Don’t ask ignorant questions! You know what’s ignorant. Don’t pretend to be stupid. Why do you have to ask Black coworkers if their silk is real silk, if their leather is real leather, if they can get a tan, if they’ve been shot at, if they know any rappers, etc?

-- Don’t walk into an office or conference room predominated by Blacks and say that you “came to crack the whip!” And, don’t make the actual whip-cracking sound.

-- Don’t ask Black coworkers if they’ve ever seen someone get shot, killed or if they were ever caught in a drive-by shooting!

-- Don’t ask Black coworkers if they have a father. Doesn’t everyone?

-- Don’t ask Black coworkers if they “live in a nice neighborhood.” Clearly, you’d be making negative assumptions!

-- Don’t ask Black coworkers to denounce Black public figures, leaders or celebrities. We don’t have to tell you what we think about O.J. Simpson or anyone else!

-- Don’t ask Black coworkers why Blacks “can’t get over slavery.” What a dumb question. And, it’s a completely inappropriate discussion for the workplace.

The list of who go on and on! But, let’s see what you have to say. Post your comments.

What do you think about “Who Can Say What?” and what do you think is off-limits in the workplace regarding race-based conversations, etc.?

ISSUES IN THE WORKPLACE: COLOR-BASED ATTACKS STILL OCCUR

Yes, I am beating the Don Imus horse to death! But, there is one more thing I have to say about the issue. We all focus on race-based discrimination, but there is also color based discrimination and prejudice. Don Imus talked about specific Black women in a vile and vicious way. And, if you look at the women on the basketball team, the color issue is very obvious to see.

I’ve heard that Don Imus one laughed, when one of his cronies said that Serena and Venus Williams should be in National Geographic. Again, look at the color issue. These darker Black women were mocked as reminiscent of some sort of jungle creatures. That’s what the fool meant! The comments made about the Rutgers basketball team were said with the same sentiment!

Don Imus and his crew didn’t attack girls that looked like Alicia Keyes. No, Don Imus and his cronies attacked specific Black women of specific complexions. They didn't attack Black celebrities that are considered to be acceptable and pretty and/or beautiful according to White standards!

Color was under attack. Color was what was ugly. Color was used by the code word “nappy-headed!” Color was used by the code word “Jiggaboo.” Color is what made these girls look “exactly like the Toronto Raptors.” This was a race and color based attack through and through! Is it any wonder that little Black girls still like to play with White dolls? Even the children get it!

Color is still a major issue in the workplace. At my job, EVERY Black woman that was ever told that she had “a bad attitude” or that she was “angry” or “defensive” or “snooty” or “moody,” etc. was a brown-skin or dark-skin woman—without exception. Every race-based issue at my job involved a White person (always a White woman) and a Black woman with “distinctly” African American features and color.

And, in every case, the prevailing White mentality was to side with the White person making the complaint. It didn’t matter that examples of the alleged negative behaviors of the Black women often couldn’t be provided or that, when they were, you never heard about the “White half” of the conversations. The White women always left out what they said and how they said it.

People need to think about something…sometimes you get a rude response from a person because you’ve been rude yourself. The person isn’t just being “angry” for the sake of being angry. If you are being demeaning, disrespectful, sarcastic, bullying, rude, etc., then you may receive an in-kind response. Some people will give back the energy they receive, regardless of color.

But, at my job, the onus for any work-related issues always fell on the darker Black women. The White women were always victims, not the instigators that the White women I WORKED WITH often were. My workplace tolerated racial intolerance, discrimination, etc. And, this mindset was manifested in the behaviors and actions of some staff. They had a license to kill or to act like they owned certain people and they ran with it!

Black women at my former company were subjected to Whites making remarks about our complexions, asking us offensive questions about our hair, and making wild accusations about our behavior—accusations that were easily attributable to their overactive and racist imaginations.

That’s the way it is in some workplaces. Race can be an issue. But, color can be another issue that we often overlook. In my case, I worked with a racist VP that was perfectly fine working with a light-skinned Black coworker and her light-skinned Black secretary, but she hated me—only after seeing me in person (She worked in another state.) A senior executive at the company told his secretary that her problem with me was “this.” When he said “this,” he ran his hand across his cheek to reference my skin tone.

The level of obvious Blackness can be a catalyst that sparks an outright or closet racist to engage in discriminatory or harassing behavior. This is just another issue for Blacks to contend with in the workplace—and in life, as Don Imus showed us all!

If you are dealing with race-based issues in the workplace, don’t forget to examine color as a potential issue in your case. If you believe color is an issue, it should be argued in your internal or external complaint.

Whites are Always Supposed to Keep Their Jobs in Race-Related Matters, huh?

This whole Don Imus issue is really interesting for me because I see a lot of parallels with the arguments being used to defend his comments and the tactics used in the workplace. But, the most interesting part for me is how feverishly some Whites are willing to defend a man, who’s admitted (for whatever reasons) that HE WAS WRONG! But, that doesn’t matter. Many Whites, and some Blacks, do not feel that Don Imus deserved the ultimate punishment—termination.

These people seem to be forgetting one major point. Don Imus was not a freelancer. Don Imus worked for someone. The “someone” was CBS and NBC. He had an employer. There are standards that govern the workplace—shock jock or not! Don Imus ultimately answered to his employers. I don't care why they finally decided to fire him. They fired him! Any anger should be directed at Don Imus, for starting the whole thing with his big mouth, and/or at his employers, for getting rid of him. You don't blame the victims. And, you don't begin to attack the culture, lifestyles, etc. of the racial group categorized with the victims--African Americans.

If you listen to some White people, who are defending Don Imus, he seems to be perceived as having some sort of God given right to employment at CBS and NBC. Some Whites are out-of-control with anger that another White man (Remember Al Campanis and Jimmy the Greek?) lost his job for criticizing Blacks. In fact, the anger is so palpable that some Imus Morning Show fans have sent hate mail and/or death threats to the Rutgers women’s basketball team. Rev. Al Sharpton has also received several serious death threats.

So, to the White people, who are sending this hate mail and these death threats, here are a few words to consider: The very fact that you can only defend Don Imus by threatening someone’s life or by sending mail as vicious and hateful as the comments that were originally made just goes to show that you are a complete and utter loser. Period! A death threat and hate mail just prove the point that Don Imus should have been fired. So, the “support” you’re showing for the man just continues to reflect badly on his already soured public image. Even Don Imus had the good sense to pretend to be contrite. But, on to another point…

I am shocked at how the White bandwagon defense of Don Imus and his crew has blossomed into a national debate on rap music! You can hardly turn on a TV program or radio program and not hear a White person, commentator, or guest continue to defend Don Imus’s comments by comparing his comments to the lyrics of rappers. In fact, a major NY publication had a 2 page spread, this weekend, containing the pictures and lyrics of some of the most offensive rappers—as far as sexually explicit lyrics, “ho” references, etc.

None of that has anything to do with 3 White men calling a group of Black students “whores,” “Jiggaboos,” and saying they looked like the men playing for the Toronto Raptors. There isn’t a single link whatsoever. Are we to believe that Don Imus and company were taking their cues from rap music because they were such devoted followers of the music? Please! For this defense to be credible, damn near every White person, that has heard any amount rap music, should be walking around calling random Black people “my ni**a!” But, they don’t because most White people realize they’ll be knocked out cold by the time the words spill from their lips!

But, it’s a rap thing, right? No, it’s not. There’s an issue of “hypocrisy,” right? Only from White people, who are always trying to hold someone to accountability—until one of their own gets caught in a race-related typhoon of controversy. Former Virginia Senator George Allen called an Indian-American “macaca” a Turkish reference to a “monkey” or a term used for those from the so-called ghetto. And, he had defenders that tried to antagonize the young man he made the vicious comment about. No White person is supposed to be liable for degrading, demeaning, marginalizing, etc. any Black person or person of color. When Whites are put in a position (read: forced into a position) where they must penalize one of their own, they will likely engage in a tit-for-tat with Blacks. That’s otherwise known as retaliation.

And, that takes us back to the workplace. The people using the rap defense and talking about Black hypocrisy are tying to hide two true issues. And, it’s the same two true issues that creep up in the workplace, whenever any racial issue crops up on the job…(drum roll)

ISSUE #1: White people don’t like to have a White person criticized by someone Black or by Blacks as a whole. I don’t care what that White person did or said, there will often be some more White people that will rally around that person. And, in the Don Imus case, he just said something about some ugly ni**ers, right? He said something vile, but rappers say the same thing, right? Rappers are the new standard for socially acceptable behavior, right?

Many White people in the workplace don’t want anyone Black saying sh*t about them or one of their own, but they feel they can say darn near anything they want about Black people, Black culture, etc.—in the workplace. No question is too offensive.

Whites will make offensive comments or ask crazy questions about Black people’s skin tone, hair texture, music, culture, food, political leaders, religious leaders, etc. And, then they will often act like the Black coworker is “sensitive” for calling them out on it!

ISSUE #2: White people don’t like to punish each other based on an incident involving a Black person. I guess it feels like being a race traitor or something. I can’t explain it. All I know is I’ve witnessed a number of incidents in the workplace that were race-related—some of which led to outside investigations and legal action.

And, in every case, not a single White person was punished by White management or ostracized by White employees for what they were known to have done to someone Black or to a group of Black employees. In fact, the Blacks became the pariahs at work and had to carry the burden of shame. And, in 3 incidents I can think of off the top of my head, the Black workers were the victims of constructive termination. They were forced to resign. Meanwhile, the Whites remained gainfully employed and some were even promoted.

So, the whole Don Imus incident is really putting a microscope to the dynamics about how people justify racially insensitive behavior and outright racist actions. A defense can be applied to any comment or action, no matter how disgusting and blatantly racist the comment or action is. Whites can criticize another White person in one breath, but—in the next breath—turn around and make the Black person or people seem to have brought the issue on themselves.

In my race-based incident at work, I was told that I was a great employee in one breath. But, when a White manager went after me, I was told her racist attack against me was wrong. But, I was also told a “business decision” was going to have to be made to decide what was best for the company. And, as an afterthought, “what is best for you.” I was told that the incident was horrible, but that “no one is going to be fired for this.” After that, I had White people coming out of the woodwork to make up lies about me to force me out of my job. It’s the piling on defense. If everyone says it, that makes it true.

I don’t care how many White people say that Don Imus should have been given leeway because he supposedly said something that is said by rappers. That does not make it true. Not today and not tomorrow. Why anyone would choose to defend Don Imus is beyond me. However, I can imagine a scenario where someone would question the penalty—his termination. But, the real argument isn’t being focused on whether or not Don Imus should have been fired. The real issue has morphed into the so-called rap music connection and into questions of why the incident was being “blown out of proportion” by Blacks.

Suddenly, Rev. Sharpton and Rev. Jackson are the issues and not Don Imus, Brian McGuirk or Sid Rosenberg. Even reasonable White people are allowing themselves to focus on Who Can Say What? That’s the upcoming headline of national weekly news magazine. Who Can Say What? The question is asked as if there is a shred of plausibility in the argument that Don Imus could have and should have been allowed to get away with his remarks. So, let me clarify this point for anyone that still doesn’t get it…

DON IMUS HAD NO RIGHT TO MAKE THOSE COMMENTS.

BRIAN MCGUIRK HAD NO RIGHT TO MAKE THOSE COMMENTS.

SID ROSENBERG HAD NO RIGHT TO MAKE THOSE COMMENTS.

Don Imus has bragged that he will be back bigger and better AND WITH MORE MONEY! Don’t cry for him, America!

Don Imus and the Rap Music Defense

Well, NBC and CBS actually canned Don Imus. On Wednesday night, Don Imus was fired from NBC/MSNBC and on Thursday morning, CBS followed suit.

I’m shocked AND AMAZED at the ridiculous argument being presented by many Whites…that Don Imus “only” used the same language frequently used by rappers to describe Black women, the word “ho.”

Well, that just makes it okay, huh?

Is that the best defense of Don Imus that some Whites can come up with? Well, it’s similar to the workplace tactics that some Whites use to defend other Whites that have made racist remarks or denied Blacks promotions without merit or have engaged in some other discriminatory action. It becomes a bait and switch issue. Whites in the workplace will often bait Blacks into a new “discussion”—on some topic other than race—which allows them to effectively switch from addressing race-related problems, often permanently.

So, Blacks can go into a meeting expecting to have a serious discussion about a race-related complaint they’ve made, but end up discussing or defending an entirely different issue—usually directly at them, the victim! For instance, I attended a meeting to talk about race-based discrimination and retaliation by my supervisor, only to be told that EVERY MANAGER I worked with was suddenly making complaints about my availability to support their projects. This was a total lie and everyone making the claim knew that it was. But, it was the bait and switch. I was lured into a “conversation” about a serious issue, only to have White management switch the topic and to attack me with falsehoods.

The false “rap defense” of Don Imus is ludicrous and I’m not referring to the rapper. Don Imus is now suddenly akin to members of the rap and hip hop communities? Don Imus has some of the heaviest hitters in U.S. politics appearing on or calling into his radio show.

So, my question is…when did 50 Cent sit down for a chat with a Senator or member of the House of Representatives to discuss issues that are important in America, such as the war in Iraq or healthcare or immigration?

When any reasonable person listens to the totality of comments made on the Don Imus Morning Show about the Rutgers University basketball team, it becomes quite clear that this wasn’t a “rap-related” incident. You can’t isolate one word in order to defend the entire point being made by Imus and his cronies. The point they were making was that the Black women on the Rutgers basketball team were UGLY, MAN-LIKE WHORES! Their words were easy to understand.

Don Imus, his producer, Brian McGuirk, and guest commentator and raging idiot, Sid Rosenberg, called these young women:

-- “nappy-headed hos”;
-- “hardcore hos”;
-- “Jiggaboos”; and
-- stated that the women (THE BLACK WOMEN ON THE TEAM) looked “exactly like the Toronto Raptors.”

Do you know what these comments reflected? They reflected an attack on these players simply based on the COLOR OF THEIR SKIN!

Some White people are trying to isolate the “ho” comments as a way to make a connection to rap music and hip hop culture, but this argument only goes to show how indefensible Don Imus and his team are. Don Imus and his team were talking about specific Black women—the Black young ladies playing for Rutgers.

Don Imus and his team were calling THOSE YOUNG LADIES ugly whores! They were called Jiggaboos! They might as well have been called darkies!

So, here are some questions that any White person can answer for me (post in comments section or email blackonthejob@yahoo.com)

1) How is it reasonable that the Black basketball players went from playing in a national championship basketball game to being called ugly whores? That is exactly what Don Imus meant, when he used the word “nappy-headed.” That was his way of calling them ugly—from the hair down! Where is the natural progression from playing in a game to being called an ugly whore? Where did the comment come from? There had to be an inherent belief that these young ladies fit that description! It was completely left-field.

2) Did you notice that all of the Black players on the team were brown-skin to dark-skin in complexion? Are you comfortable with these women being called “nappy-headed hos”?

3) Why exactly is it and was it okay for Don Imus and his team to call these women out with racially insensitive names and sexist remarks? Answer without bringing up rap music or hip hop culture!

4) Did you know that most rap and hip hop music is purchased by White youths? Well, if you don’t know, now you know! So, all of the pondering about why Blacks aren’t fired, losing recording contracts, etc. for promoting certain stereotypes, misogyny, etc. in music can be boomeranged right back to White folks. Why don’t you stop your sons and daughters from purchasing this music? The real purchasing power is coming from your people! Why not boycott the music? Don’t talk out of both sides of your neck about the horrible rap and hip hop music, all while defending a White man whose saying the same thing that many of you or your children are buying on a regular basis.

5) Did you ever stop to think about the legacy of slavery with these comments by Don Imus and company? Why not? During slavery, White men were using Black women for their sexual pleasure for hundreds of years and then had the gall to saddle us with the lasting stereotype that we are sexually promiscuous. They couldn’t keep theirs hands off of us! Do you know how many Black families can trace White blood in their heritage thanks to the rape culture of American slavery? Taken in that prism, can you get why the “nappy-headed hos” comment touched raw nerves, especially because the comments were coming from White men?

6) Is it or would it be okay for me to call your daughters, sisters, etc. “White hos”? Or, “Cracka hos”? Didn’t think so!

In an interesting note, on his radio show yesterday (his last CBS broadcast), Don Imus blasted Former Rep. Harold Ford, Jr. for not “supporting him.” According to Mr. Imus, “I received death threats for supporting his campaign.”

So, he had one Negro to call out on his farewell show. It’s all Harold Ford, Jr.’s fault. If he had just spoken up…

TIP OF THE DAY: DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE!

Some of my Black readers may have already experienced this…

a White coworker, who you’ve never or have rarely worked with, suddenly swoops into your office and DEMANDS that you perform some task for them.

You look at the person and think to yourself, “No this b*tch or b*stard didn’t just come in here barking orders at me!”

I can remember a really funny incident, where a fresh out of college, young, White woman came into my office on her second or third day of work. I’d already been with the company for about 6 years. She had some papers in her hand as she walked into my office and told me what she “needed me to do.”

So, I just let her talk and talk and talk and talk. And, then I asked…

“Who are you?”

And, her face went blank.

I was introduced to her the day before, which she remembered, so she was pissed. But, I continued to pretend that I simply couldn’t remember her. She had no choice but to reintroduce herself. When she finished, I asked…

“And, what do you need?”

I’d already let her explain it to me at length, when she came into my office. But, I made her start again…from scratch. She was mad about repeating herself, but that was fine with me. There were quick lessons I needed to teach her about professionalism and courtesy. The next step in the lesson was informing her, “I can’t help you. That work is performed by the administrative assistant. This is how the process works. You need to see [Name] to get that paperwork started or you can pick up the paperwork yourself in the copy room over to the left. Once you get that filled out and signed by a manager, you send it over to Accounting for processing. It will not be processed today and maybe not even tomorrow. You need to discuss the timing with Accounting.”

And, I looked down and went right back to what I was doing. As far as I was concerned, she could stand there all day and all night watching me ignore her.

Why did I behave this way?

Because this little White chick (yes, that’s what I’m going to call her) thought that a Black person—senior to her—should be filling out her paperwork. She was junior to me and if anything would be filling out MY paperwork—not the other way around. I can tell you right now that NO ONE in the office told her that I did the administrative tasks for our department. Yet, she walked right past the White Administrative Assistant’s office to ask me to fill out her forms.

I can tell you what happened. When she was introduced to me, she didn’t think it was important to remember who I was and what work I performed. So, when someone pointed her over to the administrative assistant’s office, she made the wrong judgment that I was the A.A. You see, the A.A. and I sat right next to each other in interior offices. Hallways ran parallel to both of our offices. So, we were the only two employees sitting in that section. So, when the little White chick was told to see the A.A., the little White chick guessed wrong! Yes, I recreated the scene of the crime. And, I found out that she was directed to the A.A., but ended up trying to order me around. Just as an FYI, the little White chick was always extremely polite and professional with me after that time. She would knock on my door and smile and ask if I had a moment to speak to her, etc. That is professional behavior!

But, her previous behavior and attitude with me is not uncommon for some Whites in the workplace. You will have some White staff knowingly and unknowingly attempt to puff out their chests and order Black workers around. These people can be senior, counterparts or junior staff. It doesn’t matter. For some reason, when some White people have the opportunity to WORK WITH Black employees, they take it as an opportunity to BULLY or ABUSE or to be RUDE to Black employees.

So, here are some tips for dealing with someone making sudden demands of you, without your supervisor having first told you that you would be working with this individual:

Tip #1: Ask the worker to tell you who they and what department they work in! Some White people will walk into your office and start demanding you do things for them—all with the assumption that you know who they hell they are! To use some broken English, more than half the White folks acting this way at work “ain’t nobody!” And, you heard it here! If you don’t know the person from Jack, ask questions!

Tip #2: Ask the worker if they’ve spoken to your supervisor and received approval for you to work WITH THEM (not for them)! Some people will bypass a supervisor and just start barking orders. Don’t accept this. Make sure the person has followed office protocol and gotten supervisor approval.

Tip #3: Don’t believe a word they said! Ask your supervisor if the assignment/task was approved.

Tip #4: Also find out—from your supervisor—what you are SPECIFICALLY supposed to do. People will make stuff up and will ask others to do more work than they have been authorized to perform. It’s called pawning off your tasks on other staff, especially those viewed/perceived as inferior. So, always find out what you should and should not be doing, as well as what authority this individual will have over you—if any! Are you supposed to jump, when they say “Jump!”?

Just because someone approaches you with an air of authority doesn’t mean they have any authority within the company or, more importantly, OVER YOU!! Don’t assume that a person is authorized to give you orders simply because they’re White! Unfortunately, some Whites don’t like to have their authority or so-called authority or perceived authority questioned or challenged by someone Black. But, that’s their issue. So, don’t make it yours.

It’s your job to follow protocol and to know that you are performing pre-approved assignments. Don’t just go running around based on a request that your supervisor may have declined or may not know about. Ultimately, you will take the blame. Do you really think the person that demanded you to work for them will accept responsibilities for any issues that come up? Don’t assume they will.

Cover you a$%, ask questions, and get approval.

But, more importantly, demand the respect you deserve as a human being and employee. It’s always okay to tell someone that you work better, faster, and more productively—when you’re not being yelled at or demeaned. As long as you convey this message in a professional manner, how the person responds is up to them! But, you’ve stated that you won’t be bullied or degraded. You can always follow that up with a formal complaint, if you have to!

Don Imus Will Be Off the Air for 2 Weeks!

Starting April 16th, The Don Imus Morning Show will be off the air for 2 weeks. The suspension comes nearly 5 days after Don Imus, his producer, and a guest commentator made racially derogatory remarks about the nearly all Black Rutgers University basketball players. The delay in the suspension is to accommodate a prescheduled radiothon charity event on the program.

Yesterday, Rev. Al Sharpton tore Mr. Imus a new behind, when Mr. Imus appeared on Rev. Sharpton’s radio program and tried to defend his ignorant remarks. Rev. Sharpton is still seeking the ultimate penalty, termination, for Don Imus. The National Association of Black Journalists is still seeking termination, as well. In addition, sponsors and high-profile guests will be pressured by Rev. Sharpton, the NABJ, and the Rev. Jesse Jackson to stop making appearances on the Don Imus Morning Show.

Former Rep. Harold Ford of Tennessee (Black), a frequent guest on the radio show, will hopefully discontinue appearing on the show. But, there are many others that need to stop making appearances on the Don Imus show, including credible journalists like as Tim Russert, Chris Matthews, etc.

Boycotts are also being threatened, if Mr. Imus is not terminated.

I would urge everyone to continue to write CBS radio/WFAN, MSNBC, and the Don Imus Morning show to air their feelings and to request strict conditions and penalties (read: not tolerating this behavior in the future), should Mr. Imus continue his employment with their networks. See the links in the initial post on the Don Imus comments.