I work for pretty large corporation. A global corporation, so they don't fuck around with folks who don't get the 'big picture,' or at least they don't want to have the image of not being Extreme PC.
Their Human Resource department is huge, and some of them don't have anything else to do, but make little handbooks such as 'harassment in the Workplace,' or 'Jokes one Can tell In Our Very Tightassed Work Environment That Won't Get You Fired."
The point is, they don't tolerate any form of racial comments or any conceived of form of harassment. This, of course, is the reality painted in the corporate hand-outs and in no way mirrors reality.
Middle-highish income white folk are the ones running the individual centers, and amazingly a good percentage of them are women. Something I find very interesting. I think this is one of the best things about this company.
Anyway, these mostly white folk in the vanilla range of America are usually pretty racist. Of course, they fall in that category of racism that is most prevalent that includes the 'harmless racist' types. They would never actually wish ill towards a black man, but they wouldn't trust him and they would believe he probably drives in his car waaaayy back like a pimp should.
Which brings me to the assistant manager, Stephanie...One of the nurses came in my office, Margaret (She is a whole 'nother entry...she is wacky) mentioned that the Asian market across the street had called and said they were going to tow a couple of cars that were parked in their lot.
Stephanie said, "I hate Orientals."
Now, just two weeks ago during a management team lunch at The Red Lobster Stephanie said she could never find herself attracted to an 'oriental' because they were all "ugly", and she asked if I agreed.
I told Stephanie, just because I was watching her back, that in the future she might not want to refer to any persons as an 'Oriental,' that 'Oriental' usually was in reference to rugs or vases.
I didn't touch the "they are all ugly" line.
I thought she was a little offended, but maybe just a bit grateful, because making comments like that could probably get her unemployed. That is, if someone called and made a formal complaint, and well, we don't have any Asian employees so I bet no one makes that call.
Well, obviously Stephanie didn't get the clue. She went on to tell about how we ordered 'oriental' for lunch. She ordered the Broccoli and Beef, "a dish you can't mess up." However, her's "tasted like Pee."
"I swear, Jason, every time I took a bite it smelled like pee, Like some oriental guy peed in my food." Yes, she said that.
If some Asian guy did pee in her Broccoli and Beef, now wouldn't that be some hilarious irony?
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