TIME WARP - my “friend’s” job is racist and sexist
“And even when they became discontented as they sometimes did, they only focus it on petty grievances.”
1984 by George Orwell
The premise is this: I have a friend that works at a place that’s as racist, sexist, and classist as any old-school, downtown company with a glass ceiling can get.
Some statistics for the office:
# No women have offices, just cubicles that may vary in size due to title - 0%
# There are eight ethnic minorities employed at the office - 15%.
# Seven positions can be considered subservient (administrative) - 13%
# Four out of the seven subservient positions are held by ethnic minorities - 57%
# Of the ethnic minorities, six are women - 75%
# Of the subservient positions, all but one are held by women - 88%
New York City according to the 2000 census :
# Women - 52.6%
# Non-white New Yorkers - 55.3%
Obviously, education, class, opportunity, etc. will affect the participation rate of certain backgrounds in certain industries. But for the folks at my friend’s company, these statistics can prove trying. Nepotism is rampant. One of the ethnic minorities is a single mother (other single parents unknown). The kind of stuff that can really get you down.
Out of frustration at the blatant discrimination, the most ridiculous shit ensues. Be careful of what you read below, it may be considered judgmental on the part of my friend. However, he plays a fairly objective viewing of the goings-on, and rarely does he report to me things he didn’t see or know himself as fact.
Instead of constructively digging in and tearing up the system, a trio of ethnic minority women in the office has performed the following acts of rebellion (as individuals or more):
# Get their first supervisor demoted (who’s questionably insane).
# Mock the co-workers they resent (laughing as they walk by, whisper, gossip)
# Don’t take initiative with new projects (are generally happy when have little to do)
# Refuse to learn basic computer skills to better their abilities (it’s true)
# Call in sick regularly or aren’t courteous when taking vacation time (taking two weeks at c-mas without warning)
# Listen to the radio or read at their desks (seriously, no other employees do this)
# Cry harassment because someone “pushed them” (side #2: going to the fax machine, a woman’s boob brushed her)
# Will say “Yes, mas’a” under their breath when given work to do
# Refuse to run for starbucks for an eager executive who needs it ASAP when another doesn’t hesitate to fill the order
# Won’t voluntarily contribute to tasks (like cleaning, stocking, delivering mail) if co-workers are absent
# Team up and go to HR about their racist supervisor, when really, it’s not their supervisor who’s racist
Subjectivity is a bitch. If only these guys could team up and really kick the asses of the company