Is race, ethnicity, age, religion racism in fun ok?
Ill start by saying I am in the military, we dont really have an HR department, and the military isn't quite as touchy feely as other jobs out there. The reason I ask this question is we had a survey we had to fill out today. It asked many questions like, "Have you heard a racist remark in the last week", "Have you heard a sexist comment in the last week", "Has a person ever been passed over for a job because of his race or religion".
I do have many friends that are white, black, female and gay & lesbian. Let me preface this that I would never in a derogatory manner ever call somebody a N*****, a B****, C***, Fa****, or many other hateful words. But there is it seems almost on a daily occurrence that I hear something being said that, I think, anywhere else would be brought straight to the HR dept and probably given walking papers. The time I hear it, it is always in fun, for example, a Latino mechanic will walk into our shop and say something like, "dont worry guy guy, I'm not gonna steal anything." Where somebody would come back like, "that's cool man, you are one of the good Mexicans." The guy is Puerto Rican, and then he threatens (jokingly) to cut the guy that called him a Mexican because he is Puerto Rican. I have several time talked about my wife being a Jewbacabra, she is very good with our money and I laugh sometimes that she will take out a $10 bill in my wallet the night before to put it into the bank, I get to work and go to buy something and nothing but butterflies come out. I will also say that she is very Jewish along with her very Jewish family.
I have never heard (doesn't mean that it hasn't happened) racist or religious comments used in a hateful way. We trust each other with our lives on a daily basis and would lay our life down for the guy next to us whether white, black, gay, or lesbian. I have a friend who I consider a great Marine, we came up together and would party on the weekends all the time. He came out to me several years ago and completely opened my eyes and mind to what he had/has still to deal with. When he came out to me (and only me) people were being witch hunted at the time and being thrown out for being gay. So I felt an utmost honor that he shared a potential life changing secret with me.
So like I said before, do you think its ok to joke around like this? Or is just the job? The survey really got me thinking about some of the shit that comes out of my mouth, even if its with a friend and I get as much dished back at me.
The one thing I will never tolerate is blatant sexism or sexual harassment. I have actually written up two guys after a warning and gone to a Captains Mast to testify against the other. These were not in good fun, and I think that this is a disgraceful problem we have here in all branches. It makes me sick to my stomach that there are people out there that would betray the trust of our fellow sister in arms. These women are somebodies daughter, and I have 0 tolerance for this shit.
Thoughts? Flames?
= new reply since forum marked as read
My circle of close friends include Mexican Americans, African Americans, and Italian Americans, we joke with each other about our ethnicity all the time. We are all secure enough in our friendship that we know it is meant in jest and love and "crack" one back.