In a bad mood? come here and rant till you feel better

[Shearaha]

Lance Kisgyr

[TeaDidikai]

Once more into the breach as it were.  

[Fiddlers Green]

Well, my warmest wishes for you, Lance.
Beyound that, try to make some new friends, it can be awkward at first, but it is ultimately rewarding. 3nodding  

[TeaDidikai]

Fiddlers Green

Well, my warmest wishes for you, Lance.
Beyound that, try to make some new friends, it can be awkward at first, but it is ultimately rewarding. 3nodding

There is always kicking around here too. ninja  

[Fiddlers Green]

TeaDidikai

There is always kicking around here too. ninja

I'm not online often enough to suggest that as a valid alternative to loneliness.
It would be like me telling someone to go to the pool, when I only swim once a week, and not on a fixed schedule.
But others might be valid in suggesting it. wink  

[TeaDidikai]

I get to hear the word "Gyped" a few times a day at least.

Today, from guests, I heard it a few dozen times, due to a number of games eating tokens.

I was relaxing in the break room on my Ten when an aquantience from another department strolled in. "Today I took a stand against Dairy Queen!" she smiled triumphantly. Then the smile faded as she looked at her lunch in the small paper carton. "They gyped me! I bet it was because I took a stand!"

I was interested in what stand she took, but when she said that word it made my skin crawl, and I was flooded by the memory of the previous day- in the heat, lighting candles for the names of my family that died, candles for the others as well. Candles for Loved ones I never was able to meet and the pain that twists in my heart every time I think of that Czech butcher of a Doctor and the torture he inflicted upon my aunt, how my niece is considered an "undesirable" under Czech Law.

I pushed it away. I was calm. My tone was even and with only a moment of hesitation I spoke. "Would you please not use that word around me, it's an ethnic slur." I looked up. "How did they short you?"

"It's not a slur in my culture." She replied, a little shorter than I expected.

"Actually, it is..." I looked up to see her lips pursed, she had snatched up her food and was storming off. I glanced around. "Didn't we just take an anti-harassment course?" I stared after her befuddled.

I glanced at the people around her as she complained to others waiting in line to get money from the Cash Office.

I had to stop off and ask my boss a question. We crossed paths as she was leaving the office, having gone in through the back.

"I'm sorry if my request appeared short." I couldn't fathom how tone or language could have implied that, but if she honestly thought I was being rude, it surely wasn't my intention.

"It's just been a rough day." She bustled past me to the counter.

"I know what that is like." I thought of the fact that my teammate for the day had gone home early because he was sick, the fact that someone had triggered my allergies by smoking pot and coming into the arcade and how the other manager wouldn't damage out medicine for me to help me not get ill and have to go home as well... so I paid for it myself. I tried not to think about how many times I heard the term Gyped today.

"It's just a really sensitive issue. Yesterday..."

"My family isn't from Rome." Her voice was curt.

"Ummm..." I was confused. Rome had nothing to do with it. "Not Rome, Rroma."

"I know. We're not from Rome. We're..." I couldn't make it out. It was something that sounded like Caucasian, but didn't at the same time.

"I'm not following. It's just that Gypsy is a slur. Yesterday was the Memorial for the Rroma Holocaust..." I tried to explain.

"I just don't care. It's part of my culture to use the word."

That familiar pattern. I drew in a breath. "Would you call our other manager the N~ word?"

"Of course not. But you over reacted. I just think that most people don't intend it as a slur."

This was fair enough. "I agree, but that doesn't mean it should be used. If you wouldn't call him that, why is it okay to..." She cut me off again.

"I'm not having this conversation with you here. I've talked with other people about your little rant. We're all on the same page." Her lips pursed again and she turned away.

Okay, I thought. "Perhaps we should have it down at HR?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Do you think we need to?" Her tone would be best described as haughty. "I just don't appreciate being accused of racism and this conversation is over."

I was shaking. Physically shaking. I'm used to strangers. I'm used to known racists doing this to my face. I'm used to idiots in person, over the internet and the like. But I am not used to people I respect and care about not only indulging such privilege, but not even having the basic professionalism to say "Oh, sorry, won't use that word around you."

I had to go into the back office. She had alluded to others. I asked one of them. She was more diplomatic. But it occurred to me, that not only had the other person indulged that privilege, but that others who I had requested not to use it around me had sided with her- and lied to my face.  

[IH_Zero]

I'd take it to HR. And take something, anything, indicating how it's an ethnic slur. You made a polite request, and she proceeded to be a complete a** about it, and made the implication that because it's a part of her 'culture' that makes casually using ethnic slurs okay. Unless her culture is being a jerk, she needs to step off, and have some respect.  

[TeaDidikai]

AngryRobotsInc.

I'd take it to HR. And take something, anything, indicating how it's an ethnic slur. You made a polite request, and she proceeded to be a complete a** about it, and made the implication that because it's a part of her 'culture' that makes casually using ethnic slurs okay. Unless her culture is being a jerk, she needs to step off, and have some respect.

I plan to.  

[Kuroiban]

TeaDidikai

(Story)

Yuck. If ignorance is bliss, she was an orgasm with feet.

On a side note; where do you work?  

[IH_Zero]

TeaDidikai

I plan to.

Good, good. Let me know how that goes. I get so mad, and boggled at people like that. I used to use that as a word for being ripped off all the time, and then someone informed me that it was an ethnic slur. And I did my best to completely cut it out of my vocabulary, and have succeeded in that. People who can't muster up that much basic respect for their fellow people just amaze me, in a bad way.  

[TeaDidikai]

Kuroiban

On a side note; where do you work?

That's private, sorry Hun. But I don't wish to have the actions of individuals contaminate the good name of the Company.

AngryRobotsInc.

Good, good. Let me know how that goes. I get so mad, and boggled at people like that. I used to use that as a word for being ripped off all the time, and then someone informed me that it was an ethnic slur. And I did my best to completely cut it out of my vocabulary, and have succeeded in that. People who can't muster up that much basic respect for their fellow people just amaze me, in a bad way.

~cuddles~  

[Kuroiban]

TeaDidikai

Kuroiban

On a side note; where do you work?

That's private, sorry Hun. But I don't wish to have the actions of individuals contaminate the good name of the Company.

That's cool. I was less interested in the company per sae, then the type of business though. Should have been more specific. sweatdrop  

[TeaDidikai]

Celeblin Galadeneryn

Even if I have every intention of using the word elsewhere, if someone I don't hate asks me not to use a word around them, I don't, not because I think it's wrong but because I respect their ability to be comfortable.

Which isn't to say I have every intention of using the word 'gyped' around people, because I don't, but, for instance, I knew someone who didn't like it when you talked about vomiting around her because the thought of vomiting made her feel like she was going to vomit. So I thus didn't talk about vomiting around her.

So nevermind that it's a slur, this is disgusting and disrespectful on a base level, and then when you add that it's dealing with a slur on top of that, that only pushes the offensive level of that action into overdrive.

I really hope something get's done about that. A word being common to you doesn't mean you have to use it to apply to everyone around you.

I'm the same way.

But I'm also in the habit of questioning if I am because the social consequences, or if I'm doing it because it is the right thing to do.

When it comes to perpetuating, silently indulging, or engaging in racist behavior, and you see a schism between how they handle a word that is commonly known to be racist, such as the N~ word, but then notice that they're happy to use other slurs, it really does show someone who is acting within Racism. Privilege doesn't protect someone from being called out on Racism when it comes to the N~ word. It does when it comes to other lesser known ethnic slurs.

And if I had flown off the handle, I can see someone being upset. But for ******** sake, I said please.  

[Chaos Blue]

Incidentally, I hate it when people use random sounds and whistles in an attempt to attract my attention to them as if I were some sort of animal. Don't do that s**t. I have a name. Use it.