How to deal with racists?

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Replies

  • dwtouch4
    dwtouch4 Posts: 98
    You'll never convince someone not to be racist but you can at least say "That kind of talk is not ok with me and I don't want to hear it anymore." Usually racist people open their mouth because they think they have a friendly ear. Once they realize they don't they have much less incentive to continue that is unless they do it because they enjoy upsetting people. Most racists are cowards who are afraid to express their views to those who would be hostile to them.
  • TDGee
    TDGee Posts: 2,209 Member
    I live in a redneck town where if you are brown you are automatically mexican, and if you are "yellow" you are autimatically chinese. It's full of extreme conservatives who feel like since they are white and christian, they can say anything about anyone they feel is beneath them,
    so i told him since hes white he must play his banjo in his trailor white the cousin he married is in the kitchen making possum suprise..so yeah, i need a WAY more tactful way of handeling the situation.

    IRONY! Get yours while it's hot and fresh! That is not how to do it.
  • dumb_blondes_rock
    dumb_blondes_rock Posts: 1,568 Member
    ok sorry if you aren't sensing my sarcasm....i know jesus is was a jew, and hung out with samaritans and people that no one would imagine to.....i was TOTALLY being sarcastic with that comment......sorry if anyone thought otherwise./....and i know i handled myself wrong in the situation, thus the reason i was asking advice for a more tactful approach
  • mallory3411
    mallory3411 Posts: 839 Member
    If your co-workers are making those comments at work than that can be cause for dismissal under any harassment policy your company has.

    A guy got fired from my work (also customer service) for making racist comments.
  • Myslissa
    Myslissa Posts: 760 Member
    Tell them. "I dont ask who you take to your bedroom, so please stay out of mine." "if you dont have anything nice to say, keep it to yourself."

    I love all people and do not tolerate ignorance on the matter.
  • bikermike5094
    bikermike5094 Posts: 1,752 Member
    I dont have people for their race, but i do hate people from another state....North Dakota. There is only one TRUE Dakota... and thats South Dakota!!!

    Does that count as racist?

    I'm kidding of course for all you nodakers out there... :drinker:
  • dport7
    dport7 Posts: 123 Member
    Some guy told me in a few choice words about stereotypes of a race, so i told him since hes WHITE he must play his banjo in his trailor white the cousin he married is in the kitchen making possum suprise..so yeah, i need a WAY more tactful way of handeling the situation.

    Sounds racist to me. Two wrongs don't make a right and to choose the lesser of two evils is still evil.
  • megmay2591
    megmay2591 Posts: 621 Member
    Most people who are this ignorant are beyond dealing with. There really isn't much that can be done. When I hear serious comments like this I usually point out how stereotypical it is and how dumb it is to be prejudice.

    I moved from a big city to a small town during high school and found this VERY hard to deal with. I mostly ignored it, but as you are in a situation at work you really should go to a higher authority (supervisor) to tell them about your coworker.

    Ignorance is hard to repair but remember what you believe. These people know nothing beyond their small little world. We are all humans regardless of sexual preference, race, ethnicity, gender identity etc.

    No two people are alike and we should celebrate the uniqueness of our world!
  • cruiseking
    cruiseking Posts: 338 Member
    I'm offended (not really) that you stereotyped "White, Conservatives". I'm white, and conservative, does that make me more apt to be racist, than a black, liberal? Sounds like you live in a place where there is a lot of ignorance. You can't cure stupid.
  • AmberMagdalena
    AmberMagdalena Posts: 461 Member
    I hate to say this, but white people do not hold a monopoly on racism.....nor do rednecks, Christians, college professors, prostitutes, Native Americans, communists, Chinese, McDonald's employees, Nascar drivers, lesbians, cookie monsters, or anyone else!!! Racism comes in all shapes and sizes.... and it affects us ALL.


    ::trips:: Careful with that soapbox!!
  • paigemarie93
    paigemarie93 Posts: 778 Member
    Example: Some guy told me in a few choice words about stereotypes of a race, so i told him since hes white he must play his banjo in his trailor white the cousin he married is in the kitchen making possum suprise..so yeah, i need a WAY more tactful way of handeling the situation.

    That's not the greatest reply to tackle racism when it's derogatory in itself.

    I think she was being sarcastic!!!

    Hard to tell when she said it as an example in the context that she had actually said it.
    It's still extremely insulting to someone who is from the background that the "banjo playing, cousin marrying" stereotypical nonsense belongs to.
  • MattGetsMad
    MattGetsMad Posts: 429 Member
    Know what happens to me? People come in my store and I guess I look like a racist, because it doesn't take them very long to start getting into so of the most racist stuff. I mean, I'm talking grandfatherly looking guys, dropping N-bombs left and right. These are customers that I cannot afford to lose! I can't agree with them, but I cannot afford to throw them out of the store or chastise them. I just get put in this strange situation. Happens at least 2x a week.
  • paigemarie93
    paigemarie93 Posts: 778 Member
    I live in a redneck town where if you are brown you are automatically mexican, and if you are "yellow" you are autimatically chinese. It's full of extreme conservatives who feel like since they are white and christian, they can say anything about anyone they feel is beneath them,
    so i told him since hes white he must play his banjo in his trailor white the cousin he married is in the kitchen making possum suprise..so yeah, i need a WAY more tactful way of handeling the situation.

    IRONY! Get yours while it's hot and fresh! That is not how to do it.

    ^ +1 :]
  • soniaa777
    soniaa777 Posts: 126 Member
    why would god create people to hate? Maybe tell them to have empathy for other people. How would they feel if those thing were said about them?
  • Chagama
    Chagama Posts: 543 Member
    If your co-workers are saying those things, you should definitely bring it up with HR. You have a legal right to work in a non-threatening environment. And if it's bothering you, it's probably bothering other people who are just keeping quiet. By speaking up, you are helping those people.

    If it's customers, and you are in customer service, you need to approach your manager and/or HR and ask for direction on how to handle those situations. You probably can't start lecturing the customers without jeopardizing your job, but again, you don't have to listen to racist comments. Your company needs to have a policy on what you do, probably pass them along to a manager.
  • dumb_blondes_rock
    dumb_blondes_rock Posts: 1,568 Member
    I come from a background of banjo playing cousin marrying...my family is full of uneducated people and musically talented people....and i'm white..most my family have southern accents, and for peepsake, my grandmas name is FREDLEE...doesn't get much more hillbilly that that lol
  • dumb_blondes_rock
    dumb_blondes_rock Posts: 1,568 Member
    If your co-workers are saying those things, you should definitely bring it up with HR. You have a legal right to work in a non-threatening environment. And if it's bothering you, it's probably bothering other people who are just keeping quiet. By speaking up, you are helping those people.

    If it's customers, and you are in customer service, you need to approach your manager and/or HR and ask for direction on how to handle those situations. You probably can't start lecturing the customers without jeopardizing your job, but again, you don't have to listen to racist comments. Your company needs to have a policy on what you do, probably pass them along to a manager.

    Well my co-workers rent their booth space....so we don't really have a "BOSS" perse, but the bosses husband IS a racist....and its easy to say find another job, but i do love the people i work with, just hate that every once in a blue moon they voice their opinions on such sensetive matters....
  • AmberMagdalena
    AmberMagdalena Posts: 461 Member
    I live in a redneck town where if you are brown you are automatically mexican, and if you are "yellow" you are autimatically chinese. It's full of extreme conservatives who feel like since they are white and christian, they can say anything about anyone they feel is beneath them,
    so i told him since hes white he must play his banjo in his trailor white the cousin he married is in the kitchen making possum suprise..so yeah, i need a WAY more tactful way of handeling the situation.

    IRONY! Get yours while it's hot and fresh! That is not how to do it.

    ^ +1 :]

    She was trying to show him how silly he sounded saying racial slurs about someone...anyone!. DUH!


    Some people...thick as s***!
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
    If your co-workers are saying those things, you should definitely bring it up with HR. You have a legal right to work in a non-threatening environment. And if it's bothering you, it's probably bothering other people who are just keeping quiet. By speaking up, you are helping those people.

    If it's customers, and you are in customer service, you need to approach your manager and/or HR and ask for direction on how to handle those situations. You probably can't start lecturing the customers without jeopardizing your job, but again, you don't have to listen to racist comments. Your company needs to have a policy on what you do, probably pass them along to a manager.

    ^^^ This.
  • paigemarie93
    paigemarie93 Posts: 778 Member
    I come from a background of banjo playing cousin marrying...my family is full of uneducated people and musically talented people....and i'm white..most my family have southern accents, and for peepsake, my grandmas name is FREDLEE...doesn't get much more hillbilly that that lol

    If you're so against racism, I don't get why you'd poke fun at your own "cultural" background.
    Smells a little hypocritical to me.
  • MattGetsMad
    MattGetsMad Posts: 429 Member
    If your co-workers are saying those things, you should definitely bring it up with HR. You have a legal right to work in a non-threatening environment. And if it's bothering you, it's probably bothering other people who are just keeping quiet. By speaking up, you are helping those people.

    If it's customers, and you are in customer service, you need to approach your manager and/or HR and ask for direction on how to handle those situations. You probably can't start lecturing the customers without jeopardizing your job, but again, you don't have to listen to racist comments. Your company needs to have a policy on what you do, probably pass them along to a manager.

    Dude, I run a storage facility. I am the darn manager!!! These customers are also tenants! Small corporation, our HR/Office Cleaner resigned and was not replaced! I also have a bonus structure based on occupancy. I quite literally cannot afford to lose these ignorant racists! Really is a strange situation. Storage people are a funky bunch.
  • luvnthenewme
    luvnthenewme Posts: 121 Member
    I hate to say this, but white people do not hold a monopoly on racism.....nor do rednecks, Christians, college professors, prostitutes, Native Americans, communists, Chinese, McDonald's employees, Nascar drivers, lesbians, cookie monsters, or anyone else!!! Racism comes in all shapes and sizes.... and it affects us ALL.


    ::trips:: Careful with that soapbox!!

    No worries.... It is a little soapbox, and most people have no trouble walking by and ignoring it.
  • paigemarie93
    paigemarie93 Posts: 778 Member
    I live in a redneck town where if you are brown you are automatically mexican, and if you are "yellow" you are autimatically chinese. It's full of extreme conservatives who feel like since they are white and christian, they can say anything about anyone they feel is beneath them,
    so i told him since hes white he must play his banjo in his trailor white the cousin he married is in the kitchen making possum suprise..so yeah, i need a WAY more tactful way of handeling the situation.

    IRONY! Get yours while it's hot and fresh! That is not how to do it.

    ^ +1 :]

    She was trying to show him how silly he sounded saying racial slurs about someone...anyone!. DUH!


    Some people...thick as s***!

    No need for that! Now waddle off & untwist your knickers, dear.
  • dumb_blondes_rock
    dumb_blondes_rock Posts: 1,568 Member
    Know what happens to me? People come in my store and I guess I look like a racist, because it doesn't take them very long to start getting into so of the most racist stuff. I mean, I'm talking grandfatherly looking guys, dropping N-bombs left and right. These are customers that I cannot afford to lose! I can't agree with them, but I cannot afford to throw them out of the store or chastise them. I just get put in this strange situation. Happens at least 2x a week.

    THATS ME TOO! I have blonde hair and blue eyes, i guess that means i'm a racist for some reason...but i feel awful and that i'm not standing up for the people if i don't say anything at all....usually i just akwardly try to change the situation, but still....
  • MattGetsMad
    MattGetsMad Posts: 429 Member
    If your co-workers are saying those things, you should definitely bring it up with HR. You have a legal right to work in a non-threatening environment. And if it's bothering you, it's probably bothering other people who are just keeping quiet. By speaking up, you are helping those people.

    If it's customers, and you are in customer service, you need to approach your manager and/or HR and ask for direction on how to handle those situations. You probably can't start lecturing the customers without jeopardizing your job, but again, you don't have to listen to racist comments. Your company needs to have a policy on what you do, probably pass them along to a manager.

    This is a one man operation, I do not have any employees that I have to worry about being subjected to this stuff.

    Dude, I run a storage facility. I am the darn manager!!! These customers are also tenants! Small corporation, our HR/Office Cleaner resigned and was not replaced! I also have a bonus structure based on occupancy. I quite literally cannot afford to lose these ignorant racists! Really is a strange situation. Storage people are a funky bunch.
  • dumb_blondes_rock
    dumb_blondes_rock Posts: 1,568 Member
    If your co-workers are saying those things, you should definitely bring it up with HR. You have a legal right to work in a non-threatening environment. And if it's bothering you, it's probably bothering other people who are just keeping quiet. By speaking up, you are helping those people.

    If it's customers, and you are in customer service, you need to approach your manager and/or HR and ask for direction on how to handle those situations. You probably can't start lecturing the customers without jeopardizing your job, but again, you don't have to listen to racist comments. Your company needs to have a policy on what you do, probably pass them along to a manager.

    Dude, I run a storage facility. I am the darn manager!!! These customers are also tenants! Small corporation, our HR/Office Cleaner resigned and was not replaced! I also have a bonus structure based on occupancy. I quite literally cannot afford to lose these ignorant racists! Really is a strange situation. Storage people are a funky bunch.

    You're telling me. i can't watch enough of that storage wars because the characters on there are so quirky
  • becoming_a_new_me
    becoming_a_new_me Posts: 1,860 Member
    I too have worked in customer service and have dealt with the occasional racist. I have a bi-racial daughter who is half Hatian, so I have no tolerance with customers being prejudice. I have politely said "You know, the thing I love about talking to you over the phone is you can't see what color I really am, can you?" The usually stammer and shut up.

    I now work for a conservative Christian company doing nutritional counseling. 99% of our members are very religious, so when I get the occasional comment, I just say "That's not very Christian of you" and they shut up.
  • SofaKingRad
    SofaKingRad Posts: 1,592 Member
    *sighs*
  • SwannySez
    SwannySez Posts: 5,860 Member
    How to deal wioth racists?

    Simple:

    Nail them to a cross and light it on fire. They seem to like burning crosses, so it's win/win really.
  • bobie1978
    bobie1978 Posts: 204 Member
    I hate to say this, but white people do not hold a monopoly on racism.....nor do rednecks, Christians, college professors, prostitutes, Native Americans, communists, Chinese, McDonald's employees, Nascar drivers, lesbians, cookie monsters, or anyone else!!! Racism comes in all shapes and sizes.... and it affects us ALL.

    Agreed!
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