Is this racist??

[LogicalPreference]

Colleague has the day off and it's his birthday so I'm decorating his desk (my assigned task). He's a good friend and is obsessed with Bob Marley.

I wanted to make it more personal so was going to turn his desk into like a tropical warm theme with bamboo etc

A colleague just said to me that it's really racist.

Is it racist?

@ Eyeliner

this thread has really amused me!!!

agree get jamaican flag and leave it at that

bamboo!!! surely thats china no??

Bamboo in a Jamaican theme would be like serving sauerkraut at a French themed dinner. Stupid but not racist.

That said, ,most people probably wouldnt notice.

Sugar canes look a bit like bamboo

and a big fat spliff on his keyboard

I'm still hung up on the desk decorating, to be honest. Is this a thing in offices?

This^ I work in a pretty touchy-feely-group-hug-socialise-together office and we don't do that. Although I'm sure people would given the opportunity.

I don't have enough information to decide if you YABU or not. But "it's racist" isn't a helpful comment in this context. Does your non-birthday colleague mean "you are playing on racial stereotypes"?

Actually Bob Marley was mixed race.

I agree with the other posters who think you should go for red, gold and green. And use some of his quotes i.e. "One good thing about music is when it hits you, you feel no pain". Is the hot country theme really necessary?

That's where your colleague might think you're being a bit "racist", by defining Bob as a black man from a hot country, and any hot country will do.

yy Nigella

we have done shit like this at my office (also touchy feely) but we tend to stick to baloons really

In the case that you have assigned Bob Marley into a category of "exotic" because he's black and comes.from.some.where hot and foreign, just like bamboo etc. you are being ignorant if well meaning. It's like hanging a huge sign over his desk saying, "Not From Round Here." I know you mean well and have no ill feeling towards anyone in doing so but I hope you can perceive the problem with that.

I think some people are taking the "bamboo" comment and running with it. I'm guessing you might mean tropical Beach Bar with that bambooey stuff they have which may or may not actually be raffia.

Anyway, tropical beach theme is pretty generic and if it manages to upset any of your co-workers sensitivities you should maybe move your desk a few inches further away from them.

The admin staff in my old office used to do this. Nobody else did though. Actually my friends did print out and cut out loads of pictures of spiders once and stuck them all over my pc, scattered them liberally over the desk, chair, inside my drawers etc. I don't remember why exactly but it was definitely more of a prank than a birthday celebration!

Yy, it's not racist but is causally reproducing racist stereotypes.

outself really?

As long as you use the correct species of bamboo then it's probably not racist
www.guaduabamboo.com/blog/bamboo-species-of-the-caribbean-and-west-indies

I'd love someone to make me a beach bar to lounge about in all day, drinking rum and smoking a fat one relaxing

But think it might get on my tits at work, can you not just buy a plastic banner saying 'happy birthday' and drape from the ceiling so it annoys the fuck out everyone as it flaps in the air con it round his chair?

I have Jamaican ancestry.

If I ever get offended by bamboo, fucking shoot me.

I love this place.

Been to Jamaica 3 times, there is definitely bamboo growing wild all over the Blue mountains

I don't think it's racist, and sounds wonderful but some people are really uptight easily offended, so I agree play safe.

H is 3/4 Jamaican (mixed raced dad, Jamaican mum), I have just asked him and he said that he doesnt think it is racist but for laughs you should just go with buying shit loads of doughnuts as mentioned above! :o

Fgs. No it's not racist. Making a tora bora mountain themed desk with hand grenades and other WMDs would be racist.

Stick to the doughnuts.

Surely all you people saying bamboo means China are being much more racist? Its like saying potatoes equals Irish.

Bloody ignorant.

yes you are culturally stereotyping bamboo!!
hang your heads in shame.