is it discrimination??

[D_Percival Puddleford Pukehorn]

Ok, since it seems some of you on here are experts on discrimination i have a question. This past week my little group at my job had a meeting with the vice president of the company. You see I currently work for this company where we have to call low income families to set up appointments so they can use their insurance carriers funded by the government and such. Point is that on the lists given to me by them, i have blacks, hispanics, russians, and even whites! So I guess we could safely say all are low income families.
The VP decided instead of being general to use only one group as an example and she decided to refer to the latin culture. She implied that the latinos are the ones who are in their low income situation because they don't bother to better themselves. They go and have 8 children and don't bother to take care of them. She even went as far as saying they're ignorant. I swear! My co-worker who is also latin looked at me and i was like to myself did she say what i think she said?!? then later in private i had a mini meeting with an upper manager and AGAIN she used latinos as an example of how ignorant they are and don't know how to properly care for their children.
I had to sit there and wonder if perhaps i'm being a little too defensive. But i don't think i am. The vp thought she was being cute by making all these comments. Not that it should matter but her and the upper manager are both white ladies.
my co-worker later told me that's discrimination!

Now i could understand between friends it would OKAY to loosen up and say whatever BUT in a professional work environment i feel that was uncalled for.

no?


I think i'm quitting this job this week although i have moments of sticking it out and proving to that VP that not all latinos are ignorant!

 

[D_Chaumbrelayne_Copprehead]

Thanks for the lesson that blanket statements about different ethnic groups are just not OK in the workplace these days.

It's definitely discrimination. Is it something you can claim is discrimination against YOU? I don't know. However, I think you can send a memo to your supervisor quoting the things that the VP said, and say, very matter-of-factly, "Can I get your assurance that these attitudes about Latinos won't be used against me if I apply for a promotion or ask for a raise here?"

If you're going, anyway, it might be a lot of fun to see what happens if you do that.

 

[B_VinylBoy]

I agree with krispdx here. The VP's comments were absolutely discriminating in nature. As a related question... does anyone know people who consciously make these outrageous comments without even being aware of their racial & inflammatory content? I'm running into many people who make these statements (some on this very board), then when called on it throw a hissy fit because they claim that they didn't mean it that way. Kinda like Riley Freeman from the Boondocks calling a girl a bitch, and then saying that he didn't mean it in a "disrespectful way" as if that's supposed to make it better. Thoughts?

 

[Industrialsize]

Your VP's comments are shameful and If I were you I'd report them to her superiors.

 

[D_Rawkesbye Deadheade]

Sounds almost as if she holds a personal grudge against the Hispanic community.

If you're resigning anyway, would you consider reporting her abusive behaviour to her superior?

 

[D_Dick_Dock_Doe]

Pretty much agree with everyone here. I'm sorry you had to listen to that bullshit.

 

[D_Chaumbrelayne_Copprehead]

V-Boy, I know exactly what you mean about people who say insensitive things to people they don't know well.

I have had a really good black friend and a really good latino friend, and we were able to make fun of our own and each others' ethnic groups ... goodnaturedly, as part of our friendship.

When you take jokes or comments like that OUT of the relationship and assume that other people won't take offense, you take a big risk! And when you're in a management role at work, holy crap, you better keep it really safe!

Assuming that a woman is not going to be incredibly offended by the B-word is just stupid. And, back to the OP, assuming that your Latino employees will go along with your observations about their ethnic group is just asking for trouble.

 

[D_Percival Puddleford Pukehorn]

When you take jokes or comments like that OUT of the relationship and assume that other people won't take offense, you take a big risk! And when you're in a management role at work, holy crap, you better keep it really safe!

.

exactly!

My brother just gave me an interesting take on all this. He said that I'm being a little too over sensitive about this. He told me that statistics show that latino people are the fastest growing culture in this country and they can't even read and write in their OWN language. So he feels that perhaps she felt the need to single them out because technically that is the case.

 

[D_Percival Puddleford Pukehorn]

If you're resigning anyway, would you consider reporting her abusive behaviour to her superior?

don't know.

 

[atlas23]

That is bs man!!! That boss of urs is discriminating latinos! I think she has to wake up and see that every culture has different kinds of people and that, yes, there is poor and ignorant people of any ethnic and cultural background. As well as educated people of any background.

 

[Sergeant_Torpedo]

Your vp is not being discrimiatory, She is though drawing attention to her own ignorance and moral turpitude. Americans often crow to us Europeans that they have a classless society, but it is the most class ridden culture on the planet. Class to Europeans means education, ethical living (yes, respectability if you want to be superior) and degrees of fairness. In the US class means money. You treat hard working people on low incomes like shit - and I don't believe you who defend this are all descended from people who were on the Mayflower.
If you are an honest and courageous man then challenge her - but don't play by her rules. However, like most of her ilk she will be impervious to any intelligent critique of her deeply flawed personality.

 

[dolfette]

actually...
if she's insulting your race in front of you,
if it makes you feel uncomfortable,
if you feel like you want to quit because of it,
i'd say you have grounds for a complaint.

 

[D_Relentless Original]

I would question her value base.Inform her she is an ignorant person and tell her she is a bad role model.
Report her to HR services with an official complaint.

 

[D_Relentless Original]

A further thought...

At the point where she exclaimed them to be ignorant, I would have quite happily had myself fired for saying "Not as ignorant as you appear to be, you stuck up old bitch" :tongue:

Now now Kotch, never stoop to their level!.

Just punch her in the tits :tongue:

 

[JustAsking]

Marluc,
Every wave of immigrants that came to the USA seeking opportunity were coming from generations of lack of opportunity. When they got here, Americans saw them as poor and ignorant, and perhaps blamed them for their own poverty. So consequently, they were discriminated against for quite a while until they could shake their stigma.

After a while, they worked their way up into the middle class and beyond and now people have forgotten that they used to discriminate against the Irish, the Italians, the Polish, etc.

All of this proves that history repeats itself, however. Latinos are the fastest growing segment of the population and will soon be the majority in the USA. They, too, will rise up through the middle class and beyond and ultimately be considered part of mainstream American culture.

Your boss is an idiot and should be reported to someone. What she said was definitely discriminatory.

 

[B_Monster]

I agree, shes a pig....wait,is that discrimation?

Your VP's comments are shameful and If I were you I'd report them to her superiors.

 

[D_Mansworthy Meatwrench III]

You know.....not everyone wants to be flooded with "immigrants".

You seem to not remember what happened to every single empire on the face of the earth throughout history, especially when it comes to assimilating foreigners into the culture.

While some will (and do) say that bringing in fresh meat to society keeps it thriving, when overdone (like it is now), always causes lash-backs from the society who is already established. Growth is not a problem, and never is.

HOWEVER....the problems begin in the empire when the foreigners refuse to assimilate.
They instead take AWAY from the society already established, and remake it in THEIR image of THEIR home countries.

That is a no-no. It is a very, VERY good way of collapsing out a country ASAP.
Especially when it comes time to fight.....and no one wants too, because they are no longer "American", because "America" has become a melting pot that is beginning to mirror everything EXCEPT the basic society it was founded on.

In other words, the society was already in place, and Irish, etc, not only adapted to it, but also made it adapt.

We don't have that option, as more and more immigrants that come here have decided to do to us, what was done to Rome, Egypt, and more recently, the UK. (Though, as far as the UK goes, I only know a handful of people near Essex, so I cannot comment thoroughly on it). The problem being: It is becoming LESS British, and MORE "Wordly".

At the loss of everything that already existed.

Remember that please, when you say, "Immigrants are fine".
They are. But just like drug dealers, and criminals, they are FORCIBLY changing and refusing to assimilate now. They do not want America as it IS, they want America as THEY want it.

This is only one part of MANY parts that collapsed the Roman Empire. And the British Empire as well (in her "expansionist phase" that is).

One undeniable proof is that more and more immigrants are defining themselves as something OTHER than American, and yet crying loudly for the same exact rights and priviliges AS Americans. Ask Spartacus how that turned out, or the Vandals and Huns.

They won, as...."foreigners", with loyalties to OTHER than the Empire. And they won indeed, at the cost of the Empire.

It is sure sign of the impending, unstoppable and undeniable collapse of America "the old" when you allow such things, and stop nothing.

Finally, I have never been impressed with with the "poor immigrant" or "foreigner looking for a better life". They are not the best their home country has to offer.....

Otherwise, they would be fighting to save, and change their OWN society, for all of their benefit. Instead.....well, you know. They run here, and change OUR society, because they are too weak to change their own. After all, THEIR home countries won't ALLOW that to happen.

"Hiding in plain sight"....in large groups.

Oldest trick in the book.
And the absolute surest way to watch America collapse and not be America anymore.

 

[modest123]

It's discriminatory and not suitable for the workplace - however, this does not mean her statements are false either. I attended a diversity seminar (required of course) and, after the instructor got finished explaining to us how we're all the same but our differences make us stronger and how it's wrong to generalize, he gave us some handouts that spelled out --- GENERALITIES about different ethnic groups. Some of us murmured that there seemed to be a contradiction here. Are there cultural differences between Hispanics and Anglos? Well duh. Of course there are. Is it not possible that some of those differences might impact overall income and prosperity? Well... come to think of it, almost all Spanish speaking countries are poor while most English speaking countries are wealthy. Might culture have SOMETHING to do with it? Not too much of a stretch here to say "yes". Having said all that, I should add that there is a great difference between making a statement of fact and being intentionally insulting. If I say "Spics are lazy", that's insulting. But, if I say "Peurto Rican culture tends to emphasize the here and now rather than the future" that may be a fair and accurate statement.

 

[hud01]

Your vp is not being discrimiatory, She is though drawing attention to her own ignorance and moral turpitude. Americans often crow to us Europeans that they have a classless society, but it is the most class ridden culture on the planet. Class to Europeans means education, ethical living (yes, respectability if you want to be superior) and degrees of fairness. In the US class means money. You treat hard working people on low incomes like shit - and I don't believe you who defend this are all descended from people who were on the Mayflower.
If you are an honest and courageous man then challenge her - but don't play by her rules. However, like most of her ilk she will be impervious to any intelligent critique of her deeply flawed personality.

Class to Europeans means education, ethical living....etc. Do you really expect anyone with half an education to believe that crap? Ever visit India????

 

[hud01]

Ok, since it seems some of you on here are experts on discrimination i have a question. This past week my little group at my job had a meeting with the vice president of the company. You see I currently work for this company where we have to call low income families to set up appointments so they can use their insurance carriers funded by the government and such. Point is that on the lists given to me by them, i have blacks, hispanics, russians, and even whites! So I guess we could safely say all are low income families.

You need to post this to some blog about worst companies to work for. Didn't you start a post a few weeks ago about being hit on by a married straight man at the same office? You also started a thread about latino men and that you are latino.

Then there was the one about gay comments in your office. Oh yeah, you asked about starting a relationship at the office.

This was posted in 2006

So like at one of my jobs I now am convinced my boss is hitting on me! At first i wasn't sure but now i know! I've been there for like a year and he's always winking at me and at times when he asks me to go to his office to chat about the work he leans back on his chair so i can get a good view of his package and it's pretty damn good to tell you the truth. He's middle eastern mixed with israeli of all things LOL
Anyways, I honestly believed it was all in my head at first but i swear he keeps doing it and that can't be a coincidence!
And he honestly cares what i think of him when with others he doesn't. AND he always asks me if i have a girlfriend.....ugggh.
I honestly feel a bit uncomfortable to be alone with him and that says a lot! When it comes to work i don't flaunt my sexuality....i guess people at work kind of figured it out. What I'm trying to say is that i haven't done anything to give him the impression of who i am behind closed doors sort of speak. By no means am i ashamed BUT i feel in certain places like your job you don't need to flaunt it. If people ask in a serious manner i'll be honest but otherwise i don't need to be wearing a banner everywhere i go.

Come to think of it, he was probably hot when he was younger but still u know.

Then this is what you posted 2 weeks ago.

OK, I need your guidance please.

I just got a new job in an office for a dental insurance company and you could say that this is pretty much my first real office job. Yep, I got my own cubicle with my own desk and chair. I've always been a true professional in all my past jobs no matter how meaningless and small they were. So you can imagine how professional i am with this new one.

anyways, my supervisor who interviewed me for the position is a Latin guy with caramel skin and with a husky type of built. During the interview, i noticed that he was intrigued by me but I wasn't like 100% sure. So whatever! i didn't fret about that and eventually I got the job.
During the first couple of weeks, i noticed the little special attention he's been giving me. And this is where i need your advice to let me know whether I'm reading too much into it because this is random office etiquette or are my suspicions simply correct that he may have interest in me.
He always smiles at me even once he winked at me and it wasn't just a whatever wink. i mean it was one of THOSE winks OK! :wink:
I have caught him several times staring at me.
He always needs to have conversations next to my cubicle with his co-workers when there is lots of room elsewhere. Even one of the girls noticed and said to me once "OMG you must be soooo sick of out conversations!" and i said nothing. It seems like he likes to show off because his conversations range from body building to other things that i find too private for a supervisor to speak so openly in front of his employee! He even calls on me in the middle of his conversations with the others for no reason really. Oh and yes he is married and his wife works in the same office. i saw her once and noticed how uncomfortable he felt with her around me for some strange reason. I'm basing that on his body language. he also didn't look happy when i found out in front of him that he even had a wife! Also Everytime he walks by my desk he always needs to grab my shoulder or tap my desk to make sure i guess for me to know that he's there. I always thought perhaps it's like a big brother kind of thing and he's just looking out for me. Well until today....
Ok but the big one i think is today which is why i'm making this post. today i ask him to help me out on a dental appointment and he stands behind me right. instead of just standing there or putting his hand on my shoulder or on the chair i'm sitting on, he puts his hand on my shoulder slight scratching it continously while he's showing what to do. Please note that he stopping when he could've at any moment. he just kept on doing it.

So what's ur verdict??

That I'm a moron as usual?!?

I will admit that i'm somewhat intrigued by him. Physically he isn't my type but i like the fact that in his personality he is both sensitive and assertivehttp://www.sheikspeak.com/forum/images/smiles/icon_eek.gif

This is getting to be too much.

So it seems at every turn you are being discriminated against.