Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I work for state government. Every month during our small team meeting we chit chat about non-work things for a good 15 minutes before starting the actual meeting. I seem to work with a bunch of extroverts, and people like to chat so that's fine.

But two of them are small farmers with chickens, ducks, rabbits etc that they raise for meat. And the topic of conversation is frequently the gruesome details of butchering animals. I'm a vegetarian and it turns my stomach to hear it. I don't have anything at all against other people raising and eating meat, especially since they raise their animals ethically. But I'm at the end of my tolerance to hear about it.

I think I'm within my rights to ask my supervisor to say something to put a stop to it. Or to say something myself during the meeting. Here's my question - do you think this type of request is going to start us on a slippery slope? Meaning, the farmers will demand maybe we shouldn't talk about this other topic or that other topic? Would a request to stop talking about a certain topic in your office be well-received?

Grow a tougher constitution. Being a vegetarian isn’t a protected class. Grow up.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:get up and go to the bathroom. Why do you think you have the right to control speech?

I don’t think op was suggesting any changes to the constitution.

Anonymous wrote:I work for state government. Every month during our small team meeting we chit chat about non-work things for a good 15 minutes before starting the actual meeting. I seem to work with a bunch of extroverts, and people like to chat so that's fine.

But two of them are small farmers with chickens, ducks, rabbits etc that they raise for meat. And the topic of conversation is frequently the gruesome details of butchering animals. I'm a vegetarian and it turns my stomach to hear it. I don't have anything at all against other people raising and eating meat, especially since they raise their animals ethically. But I'm at the end of my tolerance to hear about it.

I think I'm within my rights to ask my supervisor to say something to put a stop to it. Or to say something myself during the meeting. Here's my question - do you think this type of request is going to start us on a slippery slope? Meaning, the farmers will demand maybe we shouldn't talk about this other topic or that other topic? Would a request to stop talking about a certain topic in your office be well-received?

Anonymous wrote:I would just say, “guys, this is a little bit more blood and entrails than I am prepared for today. Mind if we shift topics?” in a lighthearted way. It has nothing to do with being vegetarian. It’s just kind of gross to talk about in a meeting.

Anonymous wrote:I would just say, “guys, this is a little bit more blood and entrails than I am prepared for today. Mind if we shift topics?” in a lighthearted way. It has nothing to do with being vegetarian. It’s just kind of gross to talk about in a meeting.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:get up and go to the bathroom. Why do you think you have the right to control speech?

I don’t think op was suggesting any changes to the constitution.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is this in person or online? Is this during the meeting itself or before it starts? If it’s while people are talking to each other, find someone else and talk about something else. Start your own chit chat conversation. If I were your manager and it was happening in my meeting, I wouldn’t mind being pulled aside and told “that line of conversation makes me queasy” and I’d go talk to the others, but please don’t get up in my face with a rant on the evils of meat eating. Online, just turn down the volume until the actual work talk starts.

But I do recommend using your words, but in a pleasant way - like mentioned above or “Bob, Dave, please - there are ladies present!” or something like that, with a laugh. Find your own common ground with your coworkers.

Don't do the ladies thing. I am a woman and I've dissected plenty of bodies. Woman can be farmers, and of course they do what needs to be done. But yes, talk to these people, OP.

You have missed the point. I’m the PP, female, and my family owns butcher shops. But these two dudes talk about this kind of stuff and you want them to shut up so you give them a code most men will understand to mean shut up. Not a lecture on vegetarianism and feminism in the same breath.

OP’s farmers are women. Hilarious.

Anonymous wrote:get up and go to the bathroom. Why do you think you have the right to control speech?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is this in person or online? Is this during the meeting itself or before it starts? If it’s while people are talking to each other, find someone else and talk about something else. Start your own chit chat conversation. If I were your manager and it was happening in my meeting, I wouldn’t mind being pulled aside and told “that line of conversation makes me queasy” and I’d go talk to the others, but please don’t get up in my face with a rant on the evils of meat eating. Online, just turn down the volume until the actual work talk starts.

But I do recommend using your words, but in a pleasant way - like mentioned above or “Bob, Dave, please - there are ladies present!” or something like that, with a laugh. Find your own common ground with your coworkers.

Don't do the ladies thing. I am a woman and I've dissected plenty of bodies. Woman can be farmers, and of course they do what needs to be done. But yes, talk to these people, OP.

You have missed the point. I’m the PP, female, and my family owns butcher shops. But these two dudes talk about this kind of stuff and you want them to shut up so you give them a code most men will understand to mean shut up. Not a lecture on vegetarianism and feminism in the same breath.