Personal Views and the Workplace: How Far Do You Go?

got loads of shit for saying i was an atheist.

this is from "christians" who don't go to church and agnostics.

"who are YOU to say there is no god?"
"well, who are YOU to say there is?"

ad nauseum

real 1st year of high school bollocks

That's one area I still haven't really delved into--my religion (or lack thereof). I just avoid that topic.

I did get involved in many political topics though, but never with anybody in management.

I have a silhouette of the Buddha on my shoulder bag, so it comes up every now and again. Buddhism draws a lot of "curious" people, and I enjoy dispelling confusions and things to that effect, but every now and again I'll get a Middle Management guy who is "really into that kind of Eastern thing too, man." These types have read The Alchemist or whatever and think they so get me, and they're a bit obnoxious.

I avoid politics for the most part, mainly because I work with a couple of kooks who firmly believe "they totally make up half the bullshit you see on CNN & Fox News anyway."

utterly disinclined to argue or debate or endorse or object to anything whatsoever.

One day at a work lunch I blurted out "well I know I really don't want children because I hate babies!". To this look of abject horror from all the other women at the table. Breedy beeyotches.

yea if I said that where I worked I'd be crucified. I'm one of the only people in my department who isn't married with kids.

utterly disinclined to argue or debate or endorse or object to anything whatsoever.

This is the same for me.

No one at my workplace really presses any "controversial" issues. Including me. Just don't really care.

has anyone ever been reprimanded for something they said that was "offensive" at work?

No but a guy I worked with was fired for sending a really horribly racist "lol all the accounting dept are azns and they talk like THIS" joke email to the whole office. Inc the CEO and CFO. What a moran.

I was congratulated for standing up to this grumpy old horrendous bitch at work yesterday, coincidentally.

I don't send or forward ANY joke emails. You're just asking for it in many cases.

Lord you should see the emails I get! By turns sub-and-what, racist, sexist. I'm always just "haha". I work with okay people but they are mostly idiots and it's best just to maintain the peace.

they fire people where I work for sending movies just because of the bandwidth...so I just delete all joke emails upon receipt

wanko so otm. i told ppl at work i didn't like dogs once and they were horrified, damned if i'm getting into anything more controversial than that.

We're all upfront at the newspaper about political views and stuff. One of my IT guys is a Republican. The reporter behind me supports Barry Bonds. Whatev's.

It's a diff atmosphere in a news environ I think. My brief times there, 'controversial' discussions were half the fun of going to work.

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/mammals-hippopotamuses/0004.gif

It's a diff atmosphere in a news environ I think. My brief times there, 'controversial' discussions were half the fun of going to work.

Eh. All we ever really talk about is college football.

most controversial discussion was yesterday, about my doubts that nasty video games were in fact corrupting the children of the other employees.

My brief times there, 'controversial' discussions were half the fun of going to work.

cuet

Sometimes I'm amazed at some of the things the seemingly intelligent people I work with say. From having to have injections if you go on holiday to a country where there's lots of darkies, to worrying about the people who work in the paki sandwich shop touching their food. It's like Celebrity Big Brother here, every day.

Their words, not mine, by the way.

MARKETING GUY: "Hey, you gonna get tickets to see 'Whaddya Know?'"
COPY EDITOR: "NO, I HATE THAT GUY."

She said it like her whole day was ruined now.

What part of the world are you in, nate? Just curious.

Cardiff.

NOBODY at my work would even recognize an NPR reference. Lol I am in the sticks.

I'm kind of amazed that there are still people in this country worrying about people of a different skin tone touching their food. Do they never go out for a curry?

Story probably from a guardian reader c. 20 years ago:

G reader to greengrocer: "Where are your apples from, I don't want to buy them if they're from South Africa"
greengrocer: "Ooh I know what you mean luv, all them nasty black hands all over them"

Judging by the state they leave the fucking kitchen in, I'd be far more worried about one of them touching my food.

That's horrible.

My experience is usually just stuff like this:

Co-worker: What kind of music do you like?
Me: Oh, you know...whatever's on the radio. I don't have much time for music.

Ha!

The few times I DID cave in and tell someone I collect records / play guitar etc, it was BIG mistake

as far as politics, religion, etc, I usually just ask subtle questions that lead there, then sit back and wait for the lunacy, just because I'm an amused-at-the-world kinda guy and I like to have fodder for the inevitable Sedaris-style book I will one day author. But I never talk about my own opinions, except in rare cases when someone says something I can actually, totally agree with (usually something very 'no duh,' like 'I don't care if gay people get married,' etc etc etc). It's more fun to smile and nod.

Ban