Politically Incorrect Comments in the Workplace

Ethics Professionalism

“Your people don’t tip well.”
“Who’s going to jail tomorrow? You?”
“How can you think O.J.’s not guilty?”
“So what you’re saying is my skin isn’t dark enough to know.”
“He has those things in his hair so he’s a thug.”
“She smelled like an African.”
“You know how those people are.”
“I’m too immature to go to a Gay Pride parade.”
“Asians don’t know about personal space.”
“If you don’t speak the language, you shouldn’t be here.”
“You’re too healthy to be a vegetarian.”
“I’m taking away your Black card for that one.”
“So the bitch will be back tomorrow.”
“Shut up, Cracker!”
“If he was normal, he wouldn’t like shopping.”
“Only flamers like to shop. Normal men don’t.”
“That’s cause I voted for Bush.”
“Who are you talking about? Big __________ or small _____________?”
“Apple Bottom jeans weren’t meant for you for obvious reasons.”

These are the comments I heard within the first couple of months working as a temp. for a mortgage company. I was shocked at the amount of bigotry, racism, and homophobia coming out of the other workers’ mouths in front of people who were homosexual, White, Black, vegetarians, overweight, and/or from different countries. Initially I thought that the workers there had a hardened sense of humor that would allow their fellow co-workers to talk about themselves as well as each other. But I’d been temping at this same company for four months now and after the shock wore off, the jokes started to burn.