Do We All Deserve to be Fired?
In the United States, we have developed a new way to deal with those who make a public comment that expresses prejudice against a group of people or a particular gender.
We demand that the person who made the comment be fired.
According to this approach, those who express some form of discrimination no longer have the right to work in the same field. Thus far, we’ve concentrated our finger pointing at those who disseminate information in the public realm, such as radio and TV broadcasters, talk show hosts, and sports announcers. If they say something that is prejudicial, there are a number of people who jump on the bandwagon and agree that they must resign their employment or be fired.
On the surface, this may sound like a wonderful idea. We want to stamp out discrimination and prejudice, so we demonstrate that we will no longer tolerate anyone who says something that insults a particular group or gender. If you say something discriminatory or insulting, you lose your job.
There’s one slight problem with this approach. None of us can meet the standard we’re imposing.
And I’m guessing that if we expanded this “rule” to ALL comments, and not just those stated in public, that I could get YOU fired.
In other words, if I had been secretly recording all of your comments for the last year, I’d have more than enough evidence to have you fired for uttering prejudicial comments about some group.
I don’t know a single person who is totally without prejudice, or who never makes a comment that can be deemed prejudicial. We all do it, and yet we take this “holier than thou” stance and judge others when their statements are made in public or captured on a recording.
No, I’m not suggesting that it’s ok to make prejudicial comments. We should make every effort to develop tolerance and respect for each other. What I’m saying is that firing a person, or forcing him or her to resign, is not a reasonable punishment, given the fact that nobody can meet the standard we’re setting.
Can such remarks ever be cause to fire someone? In my view, the answer is YES. But I’d reserve this extreme punishment for a situation where a person is repeatedly and callously making prejudicial comments. One or two “slips” are not enough as I see it.
What have YOU said about a neighbor, relative, or a co-worker that you would be horrified to have repeated in public? How many times has something come out of your mouth, and after you said it, you were horrified that you could say such a thing? For whatever reason, sometimes we blurt out things without thinking – and that doesn’t make us monsters – and it shouldn’t mean that we forfeit our right to work at our jobs.
Condemn prejudicial comments as often as you want. But let’s stop the hypocrisy of demanding that people lose their jobs. As the Bible says, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”
– Jeff Keller
(c) 2007