Joke at my expense at networking event

[Reubensway]

I am self employed and attend various business/network events, this morning I went to one I hadn’t attended before but had heard positive things about.

There was about 25/30 people there, and it is essentially ‘chaired’ by one man. After I have my presentation about my business, he made a comment about where I am from (Liverpool). He said that anyone with their purses or wallets in front of them on the table should hide them immediately, to some muffled laughter from a few others.

Am I being unreasonable to expect professional standards as opposed to stereotypical jokes? I won’t return to this particular meeting.

Wholly unacceptable. This is not a joke.

You should be able to work and network with your accent triggering unkindness and unprofessional behaviour from another person.

This is NOT okay.

So sorry that happened to you. 💐

How unprofessional of him.

That's not funny at all. Very unprofessional.

I would ask to be taken off the invitation and explain why.

Completely unacceptable

That isn’t funny at all.

People laughing at this should be ashamed of themselves too.

It wasn't acceptable in the 70s and 90s, we should know better now.

Fellow Scouser here, I'd have had to challenge it and then ask what other outdated stereotypes does he hold. After asking him if he honestly thinks I'm a thief. I don't understand why you let it go.

I went on a course last week, the Liverpudlian course leaders (2 gents) actually cracked this exact joke about themselves.

Yanbu but he's a dick and loads of people wouldve agreed. I'd shrug it off and move on, dont make a big deal out of it.

What a twat he is eh, at least youre not his wife!

That stereotype is outdated and is not something a course leader should be saying, regardless of where they are from.

I would’ve said, “Don’t bother, I’ve already been through everyone’s pockets.”

That joke is only acceptable from a Mancunian and the response must be "Don't be fooled by her, she's sayin' that so she can grab them quick on her way out"

Or else that is what all my Scouse mates insist upon. But we are all quite old know the ropes. After the inter Northern bants we settle down and get on with the important business of slagging off "soft southerners"

Obviously I am joking and his behaviour was not ok, but this is genuinely a very very common Scouse/Manc banter ime.

@JacquesHarlow You think that's funny? Only a gobshite would say that to someone publicly humiliated while trying to do their job.

OP. I'm really so sorry, unprofessional as hell.

2 course leaders, together - so in charge and with company in their scouseness, compared to one person giving a presentation and the joke made by the host/chair, is very different.

OP, this was really unprofessional of him and not nice to experience. If you want to complain, you absolutely should. I do understand why you might not have felt able to challenge in the moment: it is as natural to freeze as to fight.

I have a northern accent and have been assumed by RPers to be thick, obviously it’s their mistake, but it can be infuriating, esp if they have some form of power over me.

I lived in Liverpool for a while. It is definitely true that the scousers have an incredible sense of humour, but they don't seem to have the ability to be the butt of the joke gracefully.

FWIW I didn’t say I agreed with it- just highlighting it’s very common. Rightly or wrongly. He didn’t get more than an awkward smile from some.

What’s the saying ‘no place for banter in the workplace’…

Report him. I bet the prick wouldn’t have said it to a man either.

I see my response to an earlier poster has been removed. It is very disappointing that the first post continued the stereotyping.

I apologise for the language I used.

I do not apologise for my sentiment.

I wouldn’t return either and I’d make it very clear why. I wonder how the comment landed with the audience given that they were there for a business networking event? Muffled laughter from a few sounds like it didn’t go down very well. I wonder if he’d have made a joke at your expense if you’d been a man - I very much doubt it.

What a ridiculous assertion. But anyway, why should someone who is giving a professional presentation, accept being the butt of a joke?

We have no information about how happy the OP is to be the butt of a joke down the pub.

This happened down South and the man was definitely not from Liverpool himself or up North for that matter

Why the hell would you go to a work meeting with people you’d never met and be expected to tolerate “being the butt of the joke”?