work comment I didn't know how to handle..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chip on shoulder. End of story.

By the way, those of you who are correcting "black" to "African American" are free to refer to those of us whom you usually call "white" as "European American."

Of course I'm not serious. And of course I'm referring to you as "black." Get over it. You're just as bad as Angry Older Worker Woman.

You aren't too bright.

?? What part of the above post seemed unintelligent? Or could you just not think of an appropriate comeback?

The entire thing. For one, your reading comprehension is lacking. The PP who corrected another PP by saying the correct term was African American was correcting someone who referred to blacks/African Americans as "afro people" and "afro woman." That's not being PC or picky.

[Anonymous]

Yes, these things happen and I appreciate the struggle of African Americans and the continuing struggle in so many areas. I teach my white daughter each day to love people for what is on the inside, not the color of their skin. She has several black friends in school and I adore them all. My daughter does not know "race".

On the other hand, as a white woman I worked for the DC Government for a short time in a public service/customer service role there. Several times a customer asked if they could have the black representative instead when I said "May I help you?" This was in addition to comments made to me by other black professionals on my level that wouldn't be acceptable if I had said these things to them. Yep, I'm a honky from the 'burbs, what can I say? I also like to give people a chance: if you are nice to me and accepting of me, I will show you the same. I never responded to any of these remarks, because I was afraid of the consequences. I felt beaten and unable to bark back, so to speak. Too much trouble so I always remained quiet and did my work.

Then, I went to the Federal Government. Oh my lord. I have had such comments handed to me over my 20 year career in an agency. Things like "what were you and your husband doing in such and such neighborhood (a black one), come live in my shoes, and other rude, racist comments. We have had active EEO offices that run programs, etc. on being accepting of all in the workplace and I appreciate those. I have also seen many African Americans promoted in my agencies..some who earned it and some who were poor workers and did not.

I am babbling, but the comments I have received over the years frustrate me, personally. I remain quiet when an African American says something stupid to me because I am too afraid to bark back lest I be viewed as racist. Very fiustrating

[Anonymous]

It's called reverse racism. Apparently some of the African Americans on this thread have never heard of it.

[Anonymous]

God forbid a Caucasian should speak up in defense. So sick of it here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's called reverse racism. Apparently some of the African Americans on this thread have never heard of it.

You don't know what you are talking about. Reverse discrimination doesn't exist. Discrimination is discrimination regardless if it's white on black, black on white or people of the same race.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's called reverse racism. Apparently some of the African Americans on this thread have never heard of it.

You don't know what you are talking about. Reverse discrimination doesn't exist. Discrimination is discrimination regardless if it's white on black, black on white or people of the same race.

Look up the definition of reverse racism. It exists. If you want to call it discrimination, so be it. We're on the same page here-racism is wrong no matter who the perp is. However, it is alive and prevalent in this country between many races and cultures and if you don't acknowledge that, you're living in a fantasy world. And the PP who defended the black co-worker(s) by saying they were concerned about white co-worker's safety were full of so much horseshit it smelled on the internet. Just as much as it smells when some white person says some of their best friends are black. While we all don't harbor active hostility, again, stereotypes and racial profiling exist within all of us. We just don't say it out loud anymore; not PC.

[Anonymous]

I am Caucasian. She said to me "You will do well here and you will be left alone because you are white".

Racsit and ugly remark. At least she gave you fair warning -- she is TROUBLE. Keep your distance.

[Anonymous]

Yup..she isn't worth the trouble

[Anonymous]

07:07 Great response. OP, this happened to me the first week after graduating college at an internship. Even when our boss was african american! We were both supposed to work on some tedious long term project all summer, but it was being held up in legal, so I went around the office asking if anyone had work for me while she stayed put in her office. I even offered to have her help with the new work which she refused. Turned out I did do much better and got a job offer but it wasn't because of our skin color. At least she became friendlier toward the end and we parted as friends. Sometimes I think it's just the way people are brought up and they carry this into the workplace. Maybe she was just raised to distrust white people and in my case just didn't understand that sometimes you have to go looking for your own work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a relatively new employee in a small unit in a government agency. Thing afternoon, I was discussing work issues with two other women. One of my new colleagues, who is African American, was disclosing that she had been passed over for promotions. She has been there quite awhile apparently and she is African American.

I am Caucasian. She said to me "You will do well here and you will be left alone because you are white".

I felt so bad and didn't know where to look. I just said "I'm so sorry" and put my head down and went back to work.

What should I have said? I didn't know what to say.

I would have just put a "wow" expression on my face, made a noncommittal sound like, "Mmmmm," and excused myself with something like, "I have to go to the ladies', do you know where it is on this floor?". Something that ended the conversation without participating at all. I never participate in these kinds of complaining situations, and I don't like to give people the idea that it's a subject they can open up with me. I've found that I have one of those faces or something, people LOVE to tell me their sob stories. Whether they are true or not, I don't entertain that kind of conversation in my professional life.

Not saying I don't think the lady isn't right or that I don't feel sympathy, just consider it to be inappropriate.

[Anonymous]

In college I had an internship at a museum, my colleague was another student. I am white, she was black. without going into detail, she was at times quite defensive or hostile to me, and I wasn't really sure why at the time and couldn't understand what I was doing to offend her. But since then I've reflected a lot on that experience, in part because it was one of the first experiences I had with someone really not liking me (I am a people pleaser too....). With wisdom and experience, I've come to see that she had travelled a much different road than i had. I was (seemingly) the daughter of privilege, in an ivy school, she came from a neighborhood where if you did get to college, you didnt study art or art history. She faced many more hurdles than I did, and was operating in a very "white" environment where she was subject to all kinds of assumptions that I was not subject to (and sadly the institutionalized art world has not changed much). Now I work for a federal agency and while I would like to believe it is color and gender blind, it most defenitely is not. Half our employees are AA, more than half are women, but EVERY executive officer and most department heads are white men. I find it hard to believe that is mere coincidence, or the lack of qualified applicants. It is a racism that is subconscious on the part of so many--people tend to work with, encourage, promote those they feel "comfortable" with--which leads to the perpetuation of the elite.

as for the comment, it was probably inappropriate, but I have heard much worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In college I had an internship at a museum, my colleague was another student. I am white, she was black. without going into detail, she was at times quite defensive or hostile to me, and I wasn't really sure why at the time and couldn't understand what I was doing to offend her. But since then I've reflected a lot on that experience, in part because it was one of the first experiences I had with someone really not liking me (I am a people pleaser too....). With wisdom and experience, I've come to see that she had travelled a much different road than i had. I was (seemingly) the daughter of privilege, in an ivy school, she came from a neighborhood where if you did get to college, you didnt study art or art history. She faced many more hurdles than I did, and was operating in a very "white" environment where she was subject to all kinds of assumptions that I was not subject to (and sadly the institutionalized art world has not changed much). Now I work for a federal agency and while I would like to believe it is color and gender blind, it most defenitely is not. Half our employees are AA, more than half are women, but EVERY executive officer and most department heads are white men. I find it hard to believe that is mere coincidence, or the lack of qualified applicants. It is a racism that is subconscious on the part of so many--people tend to work with, encourage, promote those they feel "comfortable" with--which leads to the perpetuation of the elite.

as for the comment, it was probably inappropriate, but I have heard much worse.

A friend of mine works for an agency that requires particular, difficult college degrees. The majority of the workforce is made up of asians. The majority of the executive officers are white.