To report colleague for racist comments

[Redorangesblue]

I don’t want to be classed as a tell tale as I know this never goes down well and I’ve already reported one other person for racist comments before. I feel like I take things too personally and maybe I should put up and shut up and stop rocking the boat.

We work in a healthcare setting and this person has made several racist comments about China and Chinese people and the corona virus and telling a very blatant personal story about how they’ve asked to be move away from Chinese people in a public place.

I feel it’s inappropriate to say these things in a work place. Whatever your personal thoughts about different people, they should not be shared when you’re at work. Just for context this person isn’t English/British. They’re Eastern European.

I wonder how many reports of racist incidents/ allegations etc are made by people who have no connection with the race being targetted, but are doing for the Cause?

@Frothybothie Are you saying that people should only be concerned about racism if it's directed at them?

@Frothybothie
“Doing it for the cause” is EXACTLY what should happen.
We should be calling out racism regardless of whether it is aimed at us personally or not.
Where would the world be if we only complained when something affected us personally? Just everyone turning a blind eye to shitty, derogative behaviour towards others?
If you’re not part of the solution you’re part of the problem

Yes - either call them out directly or report to line manager.

Do it. Everyone needs to challenge racism, we all live in society, it shouldn't be up to Chinese people (in this case) to do it as a pp seems to suggest.

Your colleague is possibly statistically/medically ill-informed but I can't see that this is racist. Presumably she would feel exactly the same about a virus originating in America - or Australia - or wherever.
But glad to see that the thought police are right on the case!

As I assume no actual Chinese person has been offended, are you simply virtue-signalling your more-Pc-than-thou status to management? Must be exhausting being permanently offended on others' behalf.

You have to keep in mind some people are worried and panicked about the Coronavirus.

If the virus was mainly based in Europe and Chinese people wanted to stay away from European looking people would that be classed as racism?

If your colleagues were using derogatory terms to describe Chinese people then yes I’d report.

I do feel a bit offended on behalf of this Eastern European person from whom. you seem to suggest that lower standards must be expected.

Please report them.

Report them and challenge them if they come out with any more of this crap. I work for a university and some of the stuff that’s been said to Chinese students and colleagues is awful - even though they’ve been nowhere near China for months.

Why can't you confront them about this yourself?

Why are so many people's first thoughts on here " let's go and dry snitch on someone "

@Frothybothie - Well I'm not Chinese, I'm also not gay, disabled, Muslim, or homeless - but I will stand up for the rights of those who are. Not for any "Cause" but because some things are just the right thing to do. And some day, you or I might just need others to stand up for us. "in a world where you can be anything - be kind".

OP - your workmates are racist idiots, yes report them.

Did you say something when they said it?

If you did, and they continued to do it, I'd report them. But surely the first step is talking to them about it?

people who live in glasshouses shouldn't throw stones
I have bee saying this or words to this effect for some time
ie
Mad Cow disease
infected eggs
foot & mouth in cattle & sheep
all of these started in the UK -
Bigotry seems to be a very contagious disease along with profound ignorance & needs to be challenged -

To those who think it's not racist

It's presupposing that people of a certain appearance have a disease, based only on their appearance, which is the only thing you can know about them. That they should be shunned and avoided - and only because of their appearance, you have no other information.

It makes no logical sense. Anybody of any ethnicity could have got off a plane from China recently. Anybody of any ethnicity could have spoken to one of those people and caught it. FGS.

Yes, challenge them and report if necessary.
The longer they go unchallenged the more they think everyone agrees with them and undoubtedly carry on vocalising themselves.

It would be reasonable to challenge this directly when you hear it. If you feel you can't or you challenge and are met with hostility or defensiveness you have to report. If you fail to do so you are complicit and lay yourself open to being disciplined yourself if it comes to light that you were aware but took no action.

No. I would challenge them directly. I've met enough people who are unwittingly racist through ignorance or pure hard-of-thinking but who backed down when challenged and didn't make comments like that again. Mainly relating to people making comments to me about immigrants, not realising that I myself am an immigrant. When challenged, their reaction is usually "oh not ones like you..." to which I respond "what do you mean, like me?" and force them to spell it out. I find this is so much more effective and can actually change someone's thinking than having a ticking off from a line manager.

@Xiaoxiong

Exactly this - much better to tell someone in person what you think, but a lot of British folk don't want to do it as they can't take confrontation.

Dry snitching is so prevalent on this forum, it seems to be the go-to option when someone is faced with something they don't like.

Why can't you confront them about this yourself? Why are so many people's first thoughts on here " let's go and dry snitch on someone

Yes, I agree with this. Challenge the views yourself, explain to the colleague why it's offensive but unless they're actively abusing another member of staff I really don't think you should be putting them at risk of losing their job. If then they continue to say offensive things then you can escalate if you wish.

Dry snitching seems a pretty puerile term to me.
Of course challenging in person is preferable but there are circumstances where that isn't easy for people. It's important in my opinion that you do something rather than nothing.

I would tell them they are being an idiot unless they know for a fact that the shivery, sneezing person (of any race) in question has just flown in from Wuhan.

They put themselves at risk of losing their job by making the comments in the first place.

Say something to the offender yourself instead of dry snitching

Please do OP.

I fired someone for making a racist joke about a customer.

Funnily enough, I'd been discussing her performance with her manager a few days earlier and said 'Well, we all know that if we hired someone of an ethnic minority, she'd be gone within a week'.

We all knew and were uncomfortable with her comments, but it was never 'enough'. And when it came to the main event, there was no evidence for me to go on - except, of course, the first racist incident on her record (which was truly shocking and she should have absolutely been fired for).