SC offers to share his racist thoughts about "those people" with me (longish post)

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

We get the racial slurs and stereotypes around by me too. The redneck subculture is pretty big in my neck of the woods, and I went to high school with a lot of them. They'd try to bait minority students into fights, and lose more often than not.

I'm with Jester. I don't say anything about it when I hear people bandy about such language. I believe in giving people enough rope so they can hang themselves.

[Kusanagi]

If he's going to throw around racial insults, he might as well get them right. "Gook" has always refered to the Vietnamese and Koreans.

If he was really that old, in his late fifties/early sixties, then it *might* be understandable (but still not acceptable) if he fought in Korea or Vietnam. People like that are not going to change so you can just write them off.

The boss's attitude, though, is in no way excusable.

[HowMayIHelpMe?]

I want to thank every one of you who weighed in on this for me. You've all given me much to think about. I'm grateful for all of your kind words and advice.

[Arachne]

I agree that this isn't something that should really surprise you, but nevertheless, for those of us raised by parents and around peers where such words were beyond taboo, it's very surprising. My parents never blinked when I, as a teenager, acquired a vocabulary that'd make a sailor blush, but if I'd used ONE racial slur ever, I think my father might have broken his no spanking rule. I would have been in really, really deep trouble.

I'm in a position at work where I could get away with berating customers, if I did so gently, about something like racial slurs. At the least, I could shut them down very effectively. But whenever one of my customers busts out with a racist comment (I think I've mentioned the woman who thought that she'd gotten moths from some yarn she bought from us because it was Peruvian wool, and you know how dirty THOSE PEOPLE are. ) I'm always so shocked that I can't even speak. My brain flat out refuses to admit that it's happening.

There's no excuse for people behaving like that -- the customer, or your boss.

[Andara Bledin]

I'm the type of person who would start talking about those "other people" ... you know... "those people who are so narrow-minded they don't have the brain power required to see beyond where somebody's ancestors happened to be born."

^-.-^

[draftermatt]

I'm going to go the unpopular route and agree with Jester. There are numerous people out there that say racist things and have racist views. You are never going to change their views, arguing with them is pointless. They won't "see the light" unless they want to. Most people do not change.

The same thing goes for your boss. Unless your boss is waving a swastika or showing up in a white hood I doubt people are going to look down on you for working for him. Have you ever heard him say something deragatory? It may not even be that he is that way, just that he knows people are like that and if you go into the other room everytime you hear someone say it it will affect job performance.

I could write a book on the things I hear where I am. But I never join in the conversations, I ignore them, and I call them small minded idiots behind their backs. Quitting a job everytime you end up working for someone (or with someone) who you don't agree with (no matter how small minded and/or petty they are) will hurt you in the long run because people will think you don't want to stay anywhere for long.