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Thursday, February 11, 2021

So ...This Happened

I have a low tolerance for stupidity, for stupidity masked as an attempt at humor, and zero tolerance for racism, and today I endured them both.

A female co-worker and I were discussing the girl who used Gorilla Glue Spray Adhesive instead of hair spray on her head and had to seek medical attention to have her problem solved. I was stunned that anyone would think something called Gorilla Glue, or even spray adhesive, should be used on your hair, and said, as I did at the beginning of this post, that I have a low tolerance for stupidity. But then another co-worker, a male, came up and joined the conversation and said to the two of us:

"Well, come on, she looks like a gorilla."

Head.Snap. I turned to him and said:

"Do you understand what a racist thing that is to say?"

"Why is that racist?"

"Why? WHY? Go up to [another female-co-worker who is black] and call her a gorilla,. and then go find [a white female co-worker] and call her a gorilla and see the difference in their  reactions. And if you think I need to explain why calling any Black person a gorilla is one of the most offensive things to say, you and I need to have a whole other conversation about ignorance."

"I was trying to be funny."

"And there it is; you think racism is funny? Even if you had no idea about how offensive what you said is, the fact that you think calling anybody, especially a woman, a gorilla, is funny is the height of ignorance."

“Well, I didn’t know—”

“And now you do.”

The female co-worker looked at me as the male co-worker scurried away, and before she could say a word, I said:

“Speak up. Shut it down. If he didn’t know better, now he does and hopefully he’ll do better.”

2012, y’all, and this kinda bull shit still goes on. We have so far to go.

16 comments:

  1. PUNCH THAT NAZI CO-WORKER! thank you for speaking up, bob.

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  2. Gobsmacked. 2021. I assume you don't work at a strip club, a sweat shop, or a coal mine.

    Good for you, Bob. *pat, pat, pat.

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  3. People will say all sorts of shit if they think they can get away it.

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  4. Thats right Bob take him to the cleaners!!!!

    But did someone really use Gorilla Glue in their hair?!?!?! Surely it was not intentional I hope? Could some really be that dumb? Hell Aqua Net holds like Tammy Baker hard!!!!

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  5. The TV show Blackish had an interesting episode last week about racism in the workplace. While the incident you describe was pretty clear, the episode showed more nuanced situations. We are all learning.

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  6. Thank you! Just Thank You!

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  7. I had a similar experience with a customer a few years ago. He thought he was being funny, but it was racist and I called him on it. I don't know if it made an impression on him, but I hope now he thinks before he speaks.

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  8. @AM
    I just couldn't believe someone would say that... out loud!!

    @uptonking
    It felt like I worked in 1955.

    @TDM
    I'm so over it.

    @Debra
    And that's why you call them out, because of you say nothing, they think you agree with them.

    @MM
    Sadly, the girl did use it in her hair ... it was a spray.

    @Dave
    Yup.

    @Frank
    The closet racists, I call the ones who subtly speak hate,

    @Boots
    No thanks needed. I'm done with that shiz.

    @Sadie
    I hope this guy thinks before he speaks and doesn't just think I was being a jerk. Hell, who cares of he thinks I'm a jerk. Watch your damned mouth!

    @Six
    xoxo

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  9. Wow. Hopefully he will do better.

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  10. It might be a bad idea to spray that stuff on your hair. I had a friend who mistook her contact lens drops for superglue. Similar little bottles. Emergency room visit and the eye never recovered. She can shave her hair and grow a new better self.
    The guy with the comments is not worth the trouble.

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  11. @MrShife
    I'm hoping so ...

    @Richard
    I disagree. If I had said nothing he would have assumed I agreed with him and I do not and I never will and these kinds of people will know that about me.

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  12. Amen! Unbelievable that anyone could be THAT ignorant of what that comment meant.

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  13. Good for you for standing up against racism and misogyny

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Say anything, but keep it civil .......