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.

Those trying to label me as racist for mentioning her nationality are really pathetic.

Sure, Jan.

I'd definitely report any blatantly racist remarks,
but I'd just challenge those I thought borderline racist or unintentionally racist - unless she kept repeating and justifying them like some pp

It's not "snitching" to report racist, disablism or sexist harassment, or religious hate

• if the remarks are severe enough to lose someone their job, then that is entirely their own fault, just as for other serious infringements of the rules, e.g. stealing from the employer

Reporting racism certainly isn't "like the Gestapo" 🤦🏻‍♀️

• history lesson: the Gestapo were the racists who participated in a 6 million holocaust of those the Nazis claimed were an "inferior" race

But the OP has made "racist" observations about the "racist" - labelling all Eastern Europeans as blunt so not knowing what they do/say. Either the person's a racist or they're not.

I agree: if it's a bit of casual racism personally challenge the speaker - and I think the Coronavirus qualifies here. No one's saying all Chinese people are this/that/the other, they're expressing disquiet about catching something carried from a particular geographical area . If someone is constantly spouting racist stuff or has been racist towards another member of staff/customers/patients then that is an entirely different matter and should be reported.

Ffs, when did calling out racism become woke? When did it become snitching, or so acceptable that you’re compared with Nazis for questioning it. This is fucking scary

^^This.

I work in childcare and these comments about Chinese people are deemed utterly unacceptable and would warrant disciplinary action. Also, my family is from the far East, and whilst not Chinese we've been subjected to comments, looks and people stepping away from us. One group of children even started coughing next to us and laughing "Coronavirus!". We can take it - we're adults, we know people are scared. But try explaining to three young children why all of a sudden people are behaving like this towards them.

The OP is just as racist as the colleague and she doesn’t realise it either

That is very unfortunate.

However, I have a Chinese friend who told me she was not going to be going to any restaurants in Soho for a while...

The Coronavirus situation is a funny one. Obviously making a rude comment to someone you know who happens to be Chinese is wrong, but is it wrong to be a bit wary of a tour party of Chinese people.... who have come from China? My cousin works in a major hotel and they have been given training on what to do about ill guests from China. Is that racist or is it pragmatic under the circumstances? The hotel has a duty of care to its staff and all guests.

And my Chinese colleagues in HK used to criticise my eating habits by saying white people don’t care about getting fat (and I am not fat fwiw). I didn’t think it racist but I did think it was rude and stupid.

well that is racist as well as rude and stupid. They are applying a characteristic to white people based on their skin colour. Pretty straightfoward.

Most of the Chinese and Korean people i know are slim because they eat mostly their national food which is healthy - i do know a couple of incredibly fat Chinese guys because since the country opened up somewhat they have fully embraced fast food as a way of life. So i get that they might say that "in their experience of the white people they have met/observed seem not to care if they're fat" is fairly racist but observable and probably true.

Racism is a tricky one as the OP showed. On the one hand spotting casual racism and reporting it. On the other hand displaying casual racism (probably, it's a tough one) by drawing attention to where the colleague came from and the implication one can draw from that is that the sentence would carry on "and EE are well known for their racism".

As for the virus: the advice is clear - wash your hands properly and often, don't touch things and then touch your face, sneeze into your elbow and stay away from people who have just returned from China. As i mentioned before, in November i was a "just returned from China" but you can't tell that from how i look. Chinese friends of mine have also said they're staying away from Chinatown - it's hard to get worked up about that since there does seem to have been a window where people were returning from affected areas without self-imposing quarantine. Although by now they should have been displaying symptoms if they were infected and as time goes on it's less likely that you'll catch something.

It's depressing how many people think "Oh ffs, leave it, she's not racist, Gestapo etc" - I presume you want free rein to say what you like without any thought for the effects on individuals or on society.

Tough shit, I hope you can see that many people categorise this as at least unwittingly racist, if not actually meant violently. And they'll speak up. You aren't safe. Keep it in your heads.

People you carry on about not being able to say anything in case they offend people always make me wonder what they think they are being prevented from saying.

ilovesooty no one is saying we should yell insults at each other all day, but there's no way to avoid offending people as a lot of people think holding a different opinion is offensive.

I've just been told that admitting I don't believe in heaven is upsetting to people who do.
And we all know that saying a woman is an adult female human is officially offensive now.

A lot of people think that for voicing different opinions which some find offensive, people should get HR records, go on disciplinary and lose their jobs. That's scary.

In the OP example, the real consequences on the EE person is - potentially getting an HR record, losing jobs, losing their livelihood.

The real consequences of the EE's words on Chinese people or any specific Chinese person are?

But certainly the consequences of the EE's words is to enrage the SJW within the OP. And OP sees fit that the EE should now lose their job, with complete conviction of their moral righteousness.

It's madness and scary.

I genuinely do not understand how its is so hard to not be racist ?? Reading some pp's here I am absolutely amazed by some peoples ignorance.

Right it's really simple. Just because people are born in some specific area that hundreds of years ago long dead people drew lines around they do not automatically conform to every stereo type you have read about generalizing making assumptions or derogatory comments about where someone happened to be born is racist. That's it. Done.

No it's not ok if you have to justify it, yes you almost definitely were being racist. I come from a Welsh family , I dont speak welsh , I do drink, and yes I like daffodils but in indifferent to sheep both in the field and in my plate. Do you know why? Because I am a fucking individual.

Not every person in China has coronavirus and why would you assume every person you think is Chinese (I'd bet my life you are 90% incorrect in that as well , years ago I saw this happen and the group of people referenced were in fact , Korean , Chinese and one confused English gentlemen who when asked where he came from said "Reading")

Yes there are some cultural behaviours but it is plain stupidity to assume all people behave the same. Are some PP aware that cultural differences vary massively between countries....I mean you are aware of how many different countries are classified as eastern European right ? Do you assume someone from Romania is as abrupt as someone from Latvia? Were you aware Russian history and culture has a stronger impact on some Latvian cultural norms than it does in Romania?

OP yes this woman was racist (good grief to people debating this...seriously?.?) I'm not a fan of reporting rather than saying something but then I dont have to work with her and I've seen many jobs where you dont have the power to comment straight away on the moment, so report away.

I did put someone on a final warning when they were caught on camera ignoring a colleague making racist statements to an underage girl. I fired the colleague immediately for gross misconduct , and the only reason the onlooker hot a final warning is that they instantly put their hands up , knew they should have reported it , learnt their lesson and explained properly why they hadn't.

I cannot believe in 2020 it still has to be explained that an accident of birth geography does not specify who you are as a person. Thankfully for that as if I went by stereotype I would be drunk all the time , having too much contact with sheep and eating cheese on toast all day. Does that sound ridiculous ?of course it does...get it ?

How would people like it if they lose their job because of a ‘racist’ comment they were overheard making was deemed racist by some, but not others?

Losing your livelihood, with no recourse for come back, because of course, it’s a clear cut case of ‘racism’.

@BolloxtoGender well, they should stop being racist then. It’s not rocket science. Don’t be racist —> don’t lose your job.

I would expect to have disciplinary action against me for racist or homophobic speech in the workplace -

How would people like it if they lose their job because of a ‘racist’ comment they were overheard making was deemed racist by some

Er, don't be racist? Simples.

Ok. so, as an example, just so we’re clear, would it be racist to say ‘Asian Grooming Gangs’?

@BolloxtoGender yes.

Not every person in China has coronavirus

No but most people that have caught coronavirus have been Chinese, so ....

Bigger problem is people do not understand risk. There are a billion+ Chinese people and obviously the vast majority do not have it. Most Chinese people you might see day-to-day outside tourist sites are not even Chinese nationals so have almost same risk factors as the rest of us unless they have visiting family.

In fact the average Brit would be more at risk from a travelling businessman as happened at that ski resort.

Most mainland Chinese ime are very health conscious so they would likely avoid Chinese places and cook at home so that’s why Chinatowns are emptier than usual. And flights have pretty much stopped from the Mainland so much less people going back and forth as previously. It must be killing their economy...

Also, it’s a fact that being an ESL speaker makes one seem more blunt. Additionally Slavic cultures are in general culturally more blunt and don’t seem to care if they appear racist.

This is rather the point though isn't it ? Exactly what I said , it may make someone seem more blunt but again why are you generalizing. That doesnt mean that everyone you meet who is ESL or slavic is going to be blunt.

I've run large teams with a huge diversity , and I guarantee you , some are blunt because they are ESL and their language hasn't developed in the second or third language to include cultural shifts , some who are incredibly polite , overly so because they are trying to compensate and others who are blunt and rude because they are unpleasant people.

Your post tonally seems to be trying to debunk but in all honesty you have simply proved my point.

With the best will in the world it is not a "fact" that all ESL speakers or slavic seem blunt. That's just simply not true. Some do , some dont. I currently have a colleague who is blunt not because she is ESL as everyone originally thought , but in fact because shes struggling with the role and is panicking. That distinction is important as one meant she needed her colleagues to step on and help. This is the reason people need to not make generalisations. Frankly again it is just stupid to assume you know why someone speaks or behaves the way they do.

With the best will in the world it is not a "fact" that all ESL speakers or slavic seem blunt

ESL speakers do not get the nuances of the language so yes, they say things in a way that’s direct and straightforward, not knowing the standard way to say a thing or blithely using words that have negative connotations. You have to be a little more understanding of that fact when working with ppl with ESL. That you know some ESL speakers that are overly polite doesn’t change this.

And yes. I stand by my assertion that Eastern Europeans and Russians are less concerned about appearing racist and speak in a manner that can surprise British people. Cultural difference is a thing you know. The standard is different.

We were speaking in generalities after all?

Ah but MangoFeverDream different cultures are no longer allowed to be in any way different from each other in any meaningful way. The woke left will not stop until they are satisfied that we are all one big bland homogenous mass sharing one hive mind. Unfortunately for them it won’t quite work like that because the rest of us know and appreciate that cultural difference really is, as you say, “a thing”.

twitter.com/ashleyafrawley/status/1229732791186853888?s=21

A crucial element of ‘cancel culture’ has been left out. Insults are not enough. Prosecution is not enough. Often, simple disagreements are not enough. People must be destroyed. Today’s weapon of choice: your job.

Wtf is wrong with MN today? Is this the effect of Brexit?

Or the kids being off for half-term?

I like how people think posting twitter links to far right people and quoting them, is an example of anything profound other ignorance supporting ignorance. If you aren't racist, you have no fear of losing your job over racist comments. Plain, clear and simple.