This morning at work, I received a distressed sounding call from Receptionist.
"Did you see the joke that Mr. XYZ is passing around?"
"No," I reply, "what does it say?"
She offers to bring me a copy.
Now, Mr. XYZ is a part-owner of the company. He's seriously up there in a position of power, with the ability to hire and fire. The receptionist is a lovely older woman who knows she's a liberal afloat in a sea of business-powered testosterone-laced conservatism.
They've been known to express shock that everyone doesn't think Sarah Palin is just the cat's meow. (More like something the cat dragged in, as far as some of us are concerned.)
Receptionist & I know where each other stand politically, over on the same side of the aisle, so to speak, so when we occassionally need some mutual liberal support we talk quietly to each other, grateful to have someone else in the building who seems eminently reasonable to us.
First, let me say that I don't believe that politics should ever be discussed in the work place. Certainly not on company time, or in general company - or worse, with your "underlings", who may or may not agree with you. It's tacky, plain and simple.
It's necessary that I show you the joke that Mr. XYZ had an underling make several copies of, and pass around the office. Distasteful though I find it, I need to make my point so you'll understand.
"As a business owner who employs 30 people, I have resigned myself to the fact that Barack Obama wll be our next President, and that my Taxes and Fees, will go up in a BIG way.
To compensate for these increases, I figure that the Customer will have to see an increase in my fees to them of about 8%. I will also have to lay off 6 of my employees. This really bothered me as I believe we are family here and didn't know how to choose who will have to go.
So, this is what I did. I strolled thru the parking lot and found 8 Obama bumper stickers on my employees cars. I have decided these folks will be the first to be laid off.
I can't think of another fair way to approach this problem. If you have a better idea, let me know.
I am sending this letter to all Business owners that I know."
Now, I know it was meant as a joke. Ha. Ha. It had angle brackets all over it, indicating it had been forwarded via email many times. Not an excuse.
But Receptionist was hurt that Boss would pass this sort of thing out, confident in his arrogance that everyone would be amused.
I was not amused.
I was pissed.
Look... you can joke around with your friends all you like. Call people names. Trash 'em. I don't care. But if you are a business owner or a person in a position of power who employs approximately 30 people, it's 4 days until a hotly contested election, and you're talking to people who work for you but whom you don't know how they swing politically, you don't hand them a joke like that.
'Tain't funny.
It's inconsiderate and rude at the very least, dismissive (no pun intended) of roughly half the voting population, and a veiled threat at worst.
And it pisses me off.
And I'm not afraid of you.
Meh.
He's not the only owner, and corporate is on my speed dial.
(Crossposted from Fortuna's Favor Rites)