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Purely Dominica

Purely Dominica


Let’s say you’re seating in the lunchroom chatting with your co-workers, and someone makes a racist (sexist, homophobic, black, or some other stereotype-based) joke. What do you do? Call him or her out on it and say goodbye to your work relationship – especially here in Dominica where everyone is quick to take everything on personal level. Don’t say a thing (and imply that it’s ok). So what do you do if a co-worker is making racist jokes about someone?

My recommendation? Play dumb. Put on a confused expression, act as if you don’t understand the joke, and ask your co-worker to explain it to you. He/She will not be able to explain why the joke is funny without evoking a racist stereotype. You can then question the stereotype, thus pointing out the racism of the joke, without being offensive and without humiliating your co-worker. Racist jokes rely on an unspoken, shared knowledge of racist stereotypes. Some might go far as saying that without the stereotypes, there is no humor.

Everyone’s been in this uncomfortable situation before. How have you dealt with it? How will deal with it if the situation presents itself? Share with us your knowledge on racist stereotypes in the comments.

How to Deal with a Racist Joke at Work [lifehacker]

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