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Never had I been so angry (SC's hate speech)

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  • Never had I been so angry (SC's hate speech)

    This story is one that still bothers me, even after all that happened.

    I need to preface this: I'm proud of my heritage and I understand the sacrifices my grandparents had to endure so my mother would come out ahead. They were Mexicans that came over legally, gained citizenship, and contributed to their community. They worked very hard. They even became completely fluent in English and Spanish in a time when that was more difficult.

    As we all know, most IVR's (Interactive Voice Recording, or the robot person people hear when they call a number) will give an option to speak in Spanish for those who prefer it. I swear, this is a magnet for SC's/bigots.

    While working on the phone once, I get a call from a lady discussing her bill. I get through that problem (her fault, actually. She wasn't watching her daughter enough), when she finally says the words I've come to dread, "Lemme tell you something...."

    It broke down like this:

    CUST: Lemme tell you something, I don't like being asked if I speak Spanish. Everyone should speak English because that's our language.
    ME: (annoyed, but still trying to be polite) Well, I'm sorry you fe-
    CUST: Well you should be. I'm a God-fearing woman and shouldn't be insulted this way. After all, everyone knows those Mexicans don't do a damn bit of work. They're lazy. They just sit around and make babies so they can get more money out of the government.
    ME:(getting very angry) Ma'am, this has-
    CUST: They just sit there and don't do a bit of honest work in their lives. And now because they keep crossing over, we have to cater to them? Hell no!
    ME: (barely keeping voice level) Alright, Ma'am. Anything else I can do for you?
    CUST: No, I-
    ME: Thank you for calling. (release call)
    I take myself out of the queue, stand up very slowly and walk to my supervisor. He sees me and immediately asks what's wrong. I explain the call, still trying to keep a level tone. At the end, I asked, "May I please cancel her account?"
    He smiled and said, "No, but we can make it so she has to write to us if she needs anything." I nodded. That would be acceptable.

    Even to this day, my blood burns when I think about what she said. She didn't know that she was speaking to one of those Mexicans she despised as I never told her. But I get an odd feeling she would have said it anyway.
    I have a...thing. Wanna see it?

  • #2
    I hate it when people do that.
    It's wrong and not nice. Stereotypes hurt.
    1129. I will refrain from casting Dimension Jump and Magnificent Mansion on every police box we pass.
    -----
    http://orchidcolors.livejournal.com (A blog about everything and nothing)

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    • #3
      Quoth RootedPhoenix View Post
      I hate it when people do that.
      It's wrong and not nice. Stereotypes hurt.
      What's worse is when people think that, because of my skin color and name, I automatically speak Spanish. I don't. I won't learn it. I have no desire to. No.

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      • #4
        You handled that much more professionally than I could have. I admire your restraint.

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        • #5
          Nice to hear that the manager has made things a little easier to deal with though, making her write rather than subject the phone reps to her vile rant.
          A PSA, if I may, as well as another.

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          • #6
            I don't know what Mexicans she actually knows. All the ones living my neighborhood are more hardworking and keep their yards nicer than any of the so-called white people.

            This is a big issue where I live and the BBC came here and did a series of reports about the presidential election. Most of the toothless slack jawed inbreds they interviewed went off on a long rant much like that woman. Makes my blood boil that the UK's one impression of my wonderful little town is that a) everyone is too closely related to everyone else and b) everyone is super racist.

            Sorry to thread jack but this illegal immigration racism really pisses me off. I'm large part Native American so I could be saying that to and about the whites that came here from Europe.

            Your supervisor is awesome. Imaging how pissed off she's going to be the next time she tries to call in and get something done about her bill.
            "No, I will not poop a shopping cart out for you." - Irving Patrick Freleigh

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            • #7
              I also had some calls like that. I just ignore them and tell them, "is there anything else i could assist them with" and say my closing statement. They just want to start an argument which they sure as hell are not getting. Same with customers who bitch about our commericals.

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              • #8
                I feel your pain Nurian.
                Not so much on the personal level (not until recently at least)... recently I've had a lot of people say that sense I'm white and live in Utah and must be a Mormon and a homophobe (oh, the irony )
                But, I've been told that I work for terrorists, jihadists, radical muslims, etc (and by proxy must be a terrorist myself... though I did once violate some obscure homeland security law regarding airport terminals... so, I guess they could be technically right ) all because of the owners name displayed on the welcome sign at the front desk (it is a very common Muslim name).
                If you wish to find meaning, listen to the music not the song

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                • #9
                  Moslems and homosexuals in Utah!! I don't believe it! The locals would have stoned them today eons ago...LOL
                  "No, I will not poop a shopping cart out for you." - Irving Patrick Freleigh

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                  • #10
                    I remember my Spanish professor mentioning once that she called a company needing service. I don't recall the specific details, but somehow her accent became a topic of the conversation and the tone of the employee was rather negative. Until my professor mentioned that she was from Spain, that is. Suddenly the associate was very polite and excited about speaking to a European, then had the gall to mention she thought my professor was from Mexico. Unfortunately this employee didn't recognize how biased and ignorant she was sounding.
                    A lion however, will only devour your corpse, whereas an SC is not sated until they have destroyed your soul. (Quote per infinitemonkies)

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                    • #11
                      We have a Mexican girl who works in Customer Service. One day she was down giving a break on UScan and someone came thru and very loudly said, "I don't know why this store has to have damn Mexicans working here!" She was very upset by it but managed to keep her cool til the asshole left.

                      She has recently been working at the Service Desk and was down giving a break. This guy came up to the desk and was giving us a complement about how clean our store was. Great! Then he commented that we were so much cleaner than Wal-Mart...okay. Then he said, "You want to know why you are so much cleaner than they are? You don't have the dirt fallin' off all the Mexicans like they do!" He got mad because I didn't laugh at his little "joke". I told him, "I'm sure the cleaning service would be very interested to hear that, since the ones who keep our store so clean are all Mexican and own their own company!"
                      I told Patty (who was up there doing an audit at the time) that I was glad Diana wasn't up there at the time...she didn't need to have to hear that kind of crap from a bigoted moron.

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                      • #12
                        I hate hate hate the racism towards Mexicans that seems to be so socially acceptable these days. When I worked in a call center my co-workers would constantly bash people that couldn't speak english, or speak it very well and it made my blood boil.

                        I'm glad your boss did something, that is awesome!

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                        • #13
                          My coworker overheard a customer saying he wouldn't go to my register because I didn't speak English. I was all "WTF?! MORON!!!" I may make fun of the stereotypes of my heritage(mexican) but only with my bros. I know several mexican workers who hold down 2 jobs and it's not just one, it's several within one family. I could say more about the ignorance but I'm better than that. Why let the racists win?
                          "Failure is not an option. It comes bundled with your software."

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                          • #14
                            Yeah, i love it when people tell me they are glad at least one of the people selling jewelry at the carnival(meaning me) isn't some "stealing gypsy". Well, i am a gypsy. And i am the only one, the others are israelis or indians. gotta love stupid people.

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                            • #15
                              i dont speak spanish due to personal choice not to learn but i dont get pissed when people cant speak english.
                              Now if they get pissy with me, or someone i knows says i should learn to make my life easier, i say say that to the voting 2006 population and walk away.
                              until the couintry makes it officel i think people like that should get a good old dose of french.
                              englishes isnt technically our language you know

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