Penelope Trunk has an interesting post on responding to racist comments in a work situation, and she links over to a brilliant entry on the very useful blog, Race in the Workplace. The author, Carmen Van Kerckhove, is a consultant for New Demographic, an anti-racism training company.
I loved Carmen’s tips on the best way to respond to a racist joke, because I’ve often found myself in this situation (usually with superiors) and have had no idea how to handle it. According to Carmen, the best response to a racist joke should accomplish three things:
How, you ask? The best strategy, says Carmen, is to play dumb. Put on a bewildered expression, act as if you don’t understand the joke, and ask your co-worker to explain it to you. He will not be able to explain why the joke is funny without evoking a racist stereotype. You can then question the veracity of this stereotype, thus pointing out the racism of the joke, without being confrontational and without humiliating your co-worker.
In the past, I’ve responded to racist jokes simply by not laughing. But Carmen says this is not effective, because while withholding your laughter is a way to avoid personally colluding in this kind of racist behavior without damaging your relationship with the joker, you do not necessarily make it clear that you find this kind of humor unacceptable and that the joke is racist.
I hope I DON’T have to try this strategy anytime soon, but I probably will, and I’ll be grateful for Carmen’s advice!
If you would like to receive an email when updates are made to this post, please register here
Subscribe to this post's comments using RSS
Thanks so much for highlighting my post! :)
Tactical verbal warefare in the workplace. Yup, those three pointers will come in handy - I am of East Indian descent and I would like to take a shot at banking in the US or Canada. On some blog, somewhere in the nooks and crannys on the internet, I saw a forum post where someone remarked that the best thing to have besides an Ivy League MBA is blonde hair, blue eyes and white skin. He emphasizes that these are the qualities that will most likely get one up the corporate ladder.
I hope that is not true. If it is, and I suffer a racist joke, I will have these three pointers in my arsenal.
Personally, I am the more silent type and I would just brush that joke away in silence. But I see the value in dealing with it - dealing with it in a tactful manner.
Hey Carmen, thanks for the advice.