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squishy


Coach

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racist or not?
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some background: i work in a university lab, and first year phd students/candidates rotate into labs of interest. they stay for 10-12 weeks, and move out. if they like the lab, they can choose to remain permanently, but they have to do at least 2 rotations.


so this dude P came into the lab this june (overzealous bastard.. most kids start in september). he seemed like of wonky... he's kind of pretentious and pedantic, has atrocious teeth and is over-chatty, almost borderline-socially-awkward. he's also a personal trainer and entered into body building contests while he was an undergrad (i googled him. i'm creepy like that). he's not beefy like our wonderful california governer, but wiry and has rippling, veiny gross muscles. and he shaves everywhere. and since he only wears sleeveless shirts, i know that he even shaves his pits.  he's a michael kors shade of orange and has sideburns.


not that this is relevant, but i'm feeling gossipy.


so a few days ago, we were talking about holidays, and how we were coming in on labor day to work. he went on to talk about the lab he worked at as an undergrad, and explained that his old lab PI (head of the lab) was a workaholic and expected people to show up on most holidays, including columbus day, labor day..


and mlk. apparently, the PI took on an african american postdoc, and the others in the lab thought there might be trouble.  here, i'm going to go verbatim b/c i need your opinions.


P: yea, but he was an enlightened man, so he understood and, you know, there wasn't any fight.


enlightened?!  so african americans are usually un-enlightened?


and then today, he was talking about how there's some california legislation to allow scholarships to be awarded to illegal immigrants and their children. he was almost-ranting about "damn affirmative action quotas."


i'm not sure if i'm being overly sensitive, but is this guy racist? or just ignorant (or is that the same thing)? or is my unfavorable view of him coloring this?



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FashionPrincess


Hermes

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I don't know if that is enough information to deem whether or not he is racist.  But I get where he's coming from as far as affirmative action goes, I don't think someone should get something just because of their race/nationality but also I don't think someone should not get something just becuase of their race either, make sense?  Maybe that is what he was trying to say.

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lovelygirl


Kenneth Cole

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I think he sounds like kind of a jerk, and not just because I don't agree with his political views (that's a whole other thread). But he just shouldn't be ranting about his political views (whatever they are) at the lab. Just not the place, in my opinion. It makes people uncomfortable and it's totally unnecessary.

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NCshopper


Hermes

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lovelygirl wrote:

But he just shouldn't be ranting about his political views (whatever they are) at the lab. Just not the place, in my opinion. It makes people uncomfortable and it's totally unnecessary.


I completely agree.  It wasn't necessary at all for him to go into detail about how they had to work on MLK day and that they thought there would be trouble over it.  The whole story is just totally irrelevant.


Maybe if he ever makes comments like that again, you could just totally interrupt him with really irrelevant questions, like why does he shave his armpits? 



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Farrah


Marc Jacobs

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He just sounds like an ignorant moron to me.  If he keeps making the comments though I would inform your Supervisor.  It is best to nip those situations in the bud before feelings get hurt or (way worse) someone slaps a lawsuit on your employer.

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kittenheels


Coach

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That sounds unpleasant.  I would let your supervisor know that his language has made you uncomfortable.  Does your company have an anti-harassment policy?

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shopgirl


Kenneth Cole

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from your description, he sounds ignorant. If someone were to say Ghandi was enlightened that doesn't mean all other people from India are unenlightened. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

If he says things that make you uncomfortable, I'd suggest talking him about it. Also, what was the context when he started talking about affirmative action? next time, perhaps explain the history of affirmative action.

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squishy


Coach

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NCshopper wrote:


Maybe if he ever makes comments like that again, you could just totally interrupt him with really irrelevant questions, like why does he shave his armpits? 




hee!  i'm afraid that he would misinterpret that as me being interested in him (and his shaved armpits).


yea, i think he's just condescending, and his condescension knows no racial bounds.  he was obnoxious towards a latino undergrad this summer, but the kid was admittedly inept.


ETA: we do have a harrassment policy, but he'll be gone in 2-3 weeks.  yay!



-- Edited by squishy at 13:09, 2006-09-07

-- Edited by squishy at 13:10, 2006-09-07

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Dizzy


Marc Jacobs

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Hahahahaha - I don't know how he escaped from my midwestern law school, but he sounds EXACTLY like, oh, at least 20 percent of the male population. Another 60 percent have the horrid teeth, disordered social skills andbackwards-ass political views, but not the muscles. Welcome to my world Squishy babe - oh, and I vote for racist, uneducated AND ignorant.

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