I work for a pretty well established retail spot that some of you here visit quite frequently as I've watched you make posts about it and the products you favor that we sell.
The narrative of the company is that we have a pretty friendly enviornment and deliver expert above-and-beyond customer service some may find annoying that is unfamiliar with the culture of the company.
...anyhow,
I'm in a portion of the store that sells booze and we are playing some pseudo-trendy music that I often like to make fun of to pass the time. I'm usually dancing with a straight face while processing transactions that fellow co-workers and customers find hilarious. In my nearly 10 years working here I've never encountered a negative response or reaction of such until today.
So while I'm standing beside another Black co-worker,..a female...two middle-aged white women come into the store and one of them sees me dancing and immediately addresses me as a 'jive monkey'.
***record scratch***
I stopped dancing, looked her sternly in the eye and told her that what she just said was very offensive and that she should NEVER call a person of color..let alone a human being for that matter a 'monkey' to any capacity wether or not there is or isn't an adjective inserted before or after it...especially in 2018 within today's climate.
She immediately did the hands over the mouth "O I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offe-.." b.s. wypipo guilt trip thinking it was cool but I shut her down further by turning to my co-worker beside me and telling her that I was gonna head to the breakroom for a few minutes and that she would have to process their transaction after they finished shopping of which she totally understood and agreed to while shaking her head in disbelief of what just occured out of nowhere.
Fast forward, I came back to the store and told a few managers what happened and who was a witness to cover my ass incase she pulled a #epitheteloise on me and try to turn the situation around to get me faux reprimanded or fired due to her own stupidity.
Now the culmination of the situation didn't effect me, but I can't help but wonder why in the fcuk do wypipo find the need for inclusion to be cool or hip with us or get us in trouble so much that they say and do the dumbest shit? continually? time and time again?
What possessed this middle-aged white person to have the audacity and even think that it was ok to call a Black person a ____ monkey and that it could or would not be interpreted as an insult?
I was praised by multiple co-workers and management for not going off on her and holding my sh!t together as I'm known to be that guy both in and out of work when it comes to activism, standing up for what's right, speaking from the heart and always being that voice for the underdog and underrepresented.
I'm just baffled at her level of stupid and still within processing mode.
This is one of the reasons why I meditate DAILY.
That's all folks.
Hope you enjoyed the read.
I could write a book on the craziness I've encountered over the years in all the places I've worked in the few states that I've lived in.
rant over...*exhales*
"The more a country produces..the richer it is...the better it should take care of it's people. - Dr. Aleida Guevara"
legsdiamond Member since May 05th 2011 79587 posts
Thu Jul-19-18 06:18 AM
7. "White women have no chill" In response to Reply # 0
jive monkey?
Never heard that before. Did she have on bell bottoms?
Did see same she was stone cold sorry?
**************** TBH the fact that you're even a mod here fits squarely within Jag's narrative of OK-sanctioned aggression, bullying, and toxicity. *shrug*
32. "It's common in The Bay..." In response to Reply # 20
White parents call their white children "my little monkey" a lot. Not sure when that started, but it's some white folks shit for real. It still ain't the way the address no Black child tho.
legsdiamond Member since May 05th 2011 79587 posts
Wed Jul-25-18 11:48 AM
47. "I just heard a white mother call her kid monkey this morning" In response to Reply # 20
**************** TBH the fact that you're even a mod here fits squarely within Jag's narrative of OK-sanctioned aggression, bullying, and toxicity. *shrug*
51. "I have a white co-worker that often calls other people's kids 'little mo..." In response to Reply # 47
..he does it in a playful manner but didn't understand the full compass of when I tried to explain to him how he has to be very careful using that term so loosely as some parents may get offended having their child deemed as such.
I've seen multiple white folks be totally cool and oblivious to it when he's done so in the past.
"The more a country produces..the richer it is...the better it should take care of it's people. - Dr. Aleida Guevara"
57. "Learn something new every day (posts #32, #47 & #51)" In response to Reply # 51
Never heard anyone refer to their kids as monkeys, or any other animals for that matter. Just nicknames. Haven't been around too many white parents and their kids, so I've been unexposed to that.
11. ""middle age white woman" was all that needed to be said" In response to Reply # 0
but I'm had you had the awareness and dignity to address it instead of acting like it never happened. Too often we're expected to do that.
__________________________________________ CHOP-THESE-BITCHES!!!! ------------------------------------ Garhart Ivanhoe Poppwell Un-OK'd moderator for The Lesson and Make The Music (yes, I do's work up in here, and in your asscrease if you run foul of this
...for a fraction of a second I thought I may have went in on her too hard but then that Brooklyn came out of me real quick and brought me back to my senses.
"The more a country produces..the richer it is...the better it should take care of it's people. - Dr. Aleida Guevara"
33. "LOL it'd have been more than well deserved" In response to Reply # 27
__________________________________________ CHOP-THESE-BITCHES!!!! ------------------------------------ Garhart Ivanhoe Poppwell Un-OK'd moderator for The Lesson and Make The Music (yes, I do's work up in here, and in your asscrease if you run foul of this
12. "Chick-fil-A customers trippin'" In response to Reply # 0
>I work for a pretty well established retail spot that some of >you here visit quite frequently as I've watched you make posts >about it and the products you favor that we sell. > >The narrative of the company is that we have a pretty friendly >enviornment and deliver expert above-and-beyond customer >service some may find annoying that is unfamiliar with the >culture of the company.
25. "lmfao @ chik-fil-a and crown fried chicken though.." In response to Reply # 14
...chik-fil-a is HELLA racist/homophobic/uber white christian.
I could NEVER work for a company like that no matter how good their spicy chicken with provolone cheese, large waffle fries and sweet tea with a spash of lemonade is!
"The more a country produces..the richer it is...the better it should take care of it's people. - Dr. Aleida Guevara"
16. "Not chick fil a because he said they sell booze..." In response to Reply # 12
>>I work for a pretty well established retail spot that some >of >>you here visit quite frequently as I've watched you make >posts >>about it and the products you favor that we sell. >> >>The narrative of the company is that we have a pretty >friendly >>enviornment and deliver expert above-and-beyond customer >>service some may find annoying that is unfamiliar with the >>culture of the company. >
You take the blue pill, the story ends. You wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.
28. "various bells so we never have to use an intercom.." In response to Reply # 26
..one bell...means for more cashiers to bring their ass to the registers as lines are starting to form. ..two bells..means we need an item replaced or assistance to whatever capacity. ..three bells..means a manager's assistance is needed.
So next time you are in line waiting..if you wanna piss some folks off go to an empty register and ring the bell one time.
"The more a country produces..the richer it is...the better it should take care of it's people. - Dr. Aleida Guevara"
22. "white folks really aren’t that smart..." In response to Reply # 0
I mean, they can say the most offensive things and not realize it. Granted some do realize but, when I talk to some of my white friends they are totally clueless...
23. "chick i work with said her supervisor was pre-briefing her" In response to Reply # 22
for a trip to Australia for a meeting. Yo said 'be careful. The Australian's aren't really 'keen on coloreds'
I was like Yo WTF. She hadn't even been on the job a year, she didn't know how to respond. So she didn't.
meanwhile, my client said something about a program with the HBCUs. Dude thinks he knows everything and for some reason had to tell me what the acronym meant (not knowing I graduated from an HBCU). Nigga said "Historically Black and colored universities".. I said 'nah.' corrected his ass quick.
29. "What's so foul is that she had to go OUT of her way to say THAT phrase" In response to Reply # 0
like.. i'm sorry... Jive Turkey is pretty much ubiquitous term. Lightweight offensive....but marginally acceptable in the right circumstances.... but Jive MONKEY isn't even a term...and that's something you could ONLY come up with if you're trying to figure out a way to say some offensive shit on the sly...
40. "I honestly thought about that perspective..." In response to Reply # 38
...and normally I'm more so mocking than anything. I know that while I'm super on-point in where I show that jovial aspect of myself, I'm constantly reminded by situations like the above in having to constantly be aware of my audience.
No matter how long of a duration of tenure with a company, comfortability with co-workers even if they are of the same shade...I HAVE to remain mindful that at they end of the day they just see us as they historically always have.
It definitely hit me in more ways than one after giving it some thought.
Can't even enjoy work and have a good time without the unexpected socially historical racist daggers constantly wedged into our beings on a daily basis.
"The more a country produces..the richer it is...the better it should take care of it's people. - Dr. Aleida Guevara"
...and even our own think we blow things out of proportion or make up what we go through.
Now while there is indeed that level of representation within any demogrpahic, what about those of us that on a daily do what we're "supposed" to be doing through the eyes of society yet still fall victim to what their actions and thoughts convey.
"The more a country produces..the richer it is...the better it should take care of it's people. - Dr. Aleida Guevara"
42. "What if the customer was Black?" In response to Reply # 0 Wed Jul-25-18 06:00 AM by murderbear
The context of the scenario changes slightly, but let's say a middle ages black man or woman approaches you.
Are you still dancing, first of all?
If you are, and they are now watching a grown man dance in a grocery store. Maybe they utter the same phrase thinking "we got crooked cops, flint water, president Cheeto, lebron's a Laker, etc...and THIS jive monkey's dancing?!?!"
legsdiamond Member since May 05th 2011 79587 posts
Wed Jul-25-18 07:27 AM
43. "Any Black person calling someone a jive monkey for dancing" In response to Reply # 42
deserves to be cussed the fuck out.
**************** TBH the fact that you're even a mod here fits squarely within Jag's narrative of OK-sanctioned aggression, bullying, and toxicity. *shrug*
50. "First off, I'm well known at my store..." In response to Reply # 42
...and Black customers while few and far in between know the culture of our store as well as company.
I wasn't "cooning" as many of you here seem to think, but I DO like to have a good time at work which is obvious in my day to day and noted within countless performance evaluations we get twice a year.
To answer your question though, if a Black customer(s) observed me dancing and said snything along those lines they would have gotten the SAME response and I would have brought it back to the fact that from one Black person to another...I guess they would rather see me trappin' on a street corner compromising my freedom and life for that matter rather than a gainfully employed person who clearly was having mere fun with his other Black co-worker.
What you all need to realize is that I don't take myself too seriously in this world at the same time having balance in knowing right from wrong and standing up in situations like these.
I don't fault myself to any capacity for dancing or making jest with co-workers and customers within MY level of comfortability. I don't dance upon request and damn sure don't shuck n jive at the mere request of anyone.
..hope that answers your inquiry.
"The more a country produces..the richer it is...the better it should take care of it's people. - Dr. Aleida Guevara"
52. "FTR, I wasn't trying to insinuate cooning....." In response to Reply # 50
the thought passed my mind...but I suspected that the store in question was Trader Joe's...so with that in mind I kinda saw the bigger picture.
All it takes is one bad apple to spoil the good time...same thing that made probably the greatest comedian of our generation take a step back from the limelight...
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