urge to kill... rising...

[rone]

Just got e-mail from the CEO:

In true Macromedia spirit, we want to make sure that we're taking some time out to have fun in the midst of driving 'business as unusual' and integration planning.

Please join us for drinks, appetizers and informal Q&A at 4pm at 601T in the Town Hall on...

• Thursday, July 7 is Mexican Fiesta (don't forget your Sombrero)
• Thursday, August 18 is Hawaiian Luau (don't forget your Luau gear)
• Thursday, September 15 is Irish Pub night (please forget your leprechaun outfit and just stick to green)

I'm sure all of my Mexican, Hawaiian, and Irish coworkers are just pleased as punch to be pigeonholed by some Canadian jarhead who just sold us out a couple of months ago.

Comments

[jennconspiracy.livejournal.com]

Wow - you've GOT to be kidding? Do they really think that is OK? BOYCOTT!!!

[rwx.livejournal.com]

The hell? I thought Friday (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0151804/) was Hawaiian shirt day.

[wisn.livejournal.com]

July 9 is National Funny Hat Day (http://web.mit.edu/adorai/www/funnyhat.html)

[rwx.livejournal.com]

Today is the anniversary of Special Relativity. They haven't got the 'velocity approaching speed of light' thing down, but they've sure got the 'Special' on their side.

[waider.livejournal.com]

Damn, and me without a single item of green in my wardrobe.

(I lie, of course; my wardrobe is entirely green and consists solely of leprechaun outfits)

[glitter-ninja.livejournal.com]

Thursday, October 12th is Funny Hat day. (The P.A. system will feature "What's New Pussycat". Bob will quickly empty his litre of Jack Daniels while Judy will spend the morning polishing her sawed-off double-barreled shotgun. "The angel of death is upon us," Jack will remind us. "The hour of redemption is at hand." Don't forget to wear your funny hat!)

[sanspoof.livejournal.com]

Are those really those characters' names? I hope so.

[glitter-ninja.livejournal.com]

I doubt it, I just made the names up because I didn't want to say "some guy" and "some lady". Otherwise, it's all plagiarized, baby!

Where's my steel handkerchief?

[wordweaverlynn.livejournal.com]

How, um, charming. I'd report this to Human Resources as pushing ghe edge on ethnic cleansing humor, or to Miss Manners as a horrendous violation of business etiquette.

[hwrnmnbsol.livejournal.com]

Make sure to ask him when Negro Watermelon Night is, not to mention Emasculated Injun Roundup and 2-For-1 Savings Jew Night at Applebee's. And while you're at it, ask him when you're going to wear toques and get drunk on Molson for Canadian Stereotype Unity Friday.

[mskala.livejournal.com]

when you're going to wear toques and get drunk on Molson for Canadian Stereotype Unity Friday

The thing is, though, that idea doesn't seem offensive to me. It just sounds like a fun theme party; and although I know I'm risking flamage here, I don't see anything terribly offensive about the examples in rone's email either. On the other hand, your black and Jewish stereotype examples do seem offensive. I think the difference is that fiestas, luaus, pubs, toques, and Molson are all parts of the respective cultures that I think most members of those cultures would have no objection to acknowledging. (Okay... maybe we're not so happy about Molson, but.) The black and Jewish stereotypes you're flagging, though, aren't things that I'd expect black people and Jews to be happy about. Now, any of these themes could be realised in a way that would be offensive, if there are stereotypes and insults attached to them; but I don't see that going on in the quote rone posted.

[dawn-guy.livejournal.com]

I can see some sensitive types getting their noses out of joint for attaching Mexican to Fiesta, Hawaiian to Luau and Irish to Pub, but I'm with Matt on this one: the themes themselves aren't offensive, nor is the email. The mentions of sombreros, "luau gear" and green seem to me to have an intention of fostering team spirit and fun.

That doesn't mean the boss isn't a jarhead. It's just not something this particular piece of email points out with flashing neon and way-turned-up bass (to the Canadians in the audience).

[glitter-ninja.livejournal.com]

I think Luau Night would be fine. Hawaiian Luau Night adds an element of ethnicity to it that is unnecessary. Especially given that people are encouraged to dress stereotypically Hawaiian.

It reminds me of when Eddie and I were in high school. One of the theme days was "Dress Like Your Ancestors" and it was assumed that everyone would dress like a white settler, bonnets and cowboy hats and everything. Eddie dressed like his ancesors -- he wore his kimono. Caused quite a stir. The implication was the key problem in that instance; people were upset that Eddie hadn't played the game and dressed like a white settler from the 1800s. I wonder if someone from the Hawaiian islands feels the same way Eddie did, when they see their boss tell everyone to go to Hawaiian night and dress like a Hawaiian.

[mskala.livejournal.com]

Except maybe in the most rural parts of Canada, I can't imagine that anyone here would expect a classroom full of kids told "dress like your ancestors" to dress like 1800s European settlers if, in fact, that wasn't their ancestry. Why would the default be for it to mean "Dress like someone else's ancestors"? I wonder if that may be a Canada/USA cultural difference - the "mosaic" versus the "melting pot". It may be as simple as there being a shorter history of European settlement here; tomorrow we're celebrating the 137th Canada Day, whereas on the 4th the Americans are planning to celebrate the 229th Independence Day; that's almost 100 years difference.

[tritone.livejournal.com]

I just think that everyone (in this area, anyway) knows "Hawaiian Luau Night" doesn't mean "We actually think Hawaiians dress this way"; it means "Americans have a dumb tradition of dressing up in flowery shirts and drinking tropical drinks because of the way the Hawaiian tourist industry has evolved, and dumb things are kind of fun to do once in awhile even if you know they're dumb."

All that said, I actually think smart things are more fun to do than dumb things, so it's not like I particularly appreciate these "ethnic-themed" activities. I just think comparing a Hawaiian-themed party to actual ethnic insensitivity is overreacting.

[tritone.livejournal.com]

Tacky and kind of dumb I'll grant you, but I think it's a bit of an overreaction to see this as ethnically insensitive. Are Irish people offended by the fact that Americans wear green on St. Patrick's Day? Does it demean Mexicans when we find Incredibly Strange Wrestling funny? For that matter, we make fun of Canadians all the time, and laugh at jokes about the French surrendering.

My guess is that the general reaction of people in these groups is "Oh, look at you silly people latching onto something that was once associated with our culture but is now kind of outdated", not "I'm horribly offended because you think all of us wear sombreros/have luaus/wear green."

I'm not saying that all stereotypes are fine, but stereotypes about particular facets of a culture that happen to be outdated and kitschy don't seem particularly harmful to me among people whom I trust to be generally good people, especially since there's usually an unstated ironic acknowledgement that the stereotype is ridiculous.

Black and Jewish stereotypes are different, because they involve negative attributes attributed to all members of a group.

[hwrnmnbsol.livejournal.com]

Perhaps it's a regional thing, but I guarantee you that if you suggest to a local-area person of Mexican origin that wearing a sombrero on some kind of 'Mexican day' is a good idea, you're going to get punched in the nose. The offense seems to stem from an urge to dispose of a piece of cutural identity that suggests unsophisticated or backwater roots, i.e. hillbillies and banjos.

[tritone.livejournal.com]

I'll buy that the sombrero thing is the most marginal, and I think you're right that it's probably regional. I note that there are no Chevy's restaurants in Texas.

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

GRRR CHEVY'S i swear i want to kill whenever i hear "El Machino".

[tritone.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that one does actually offend me, but mostly because it's just DUMB STUPID.

?

[skipernicus.livejournal.com]

I'm Irish (and an Irish National, no less, so don't spoonfeed me that "well so is everyone nonsense"), and I have to tell you, I've had it up to here with the second class treatment we STILL get - you know, that we're all drunks, and oafs and dumb as a box of rocks. But I don't complain about it because it shows me who the real fools are. And on St. Patricks Day, you know, the day when everyone is Irish, I'm embarassed that Throngs of Americans dye rivers green, serve green beer, and eat bright pink brisket (the real thing is grey), and generally spend alot of time pissing outdoors. Thanks for saluting my rich island heritage. So I celebrate Ugly American day, where generally, I scratch myself, use the word "fuckin'" as a comma, treat everyone like shit, and spread flatulence wherever I go.

No offense, of course. I mean honestly, what do you care?

Hey, it's Black History Month - don't forget your burnt cork!

Just because we don't bribng it up doesn't mean we don't care - it means we think your thick.

Re: ?

[tritone.livejournal.com]

> So I celebrate Ugly American day, where generally, I scratch myself, use the word "fuckin'" as a comma, treat everyone like shit, and spread flatulence wherever I go.

And if you actually put your money where your mouth is and did that, I would think that was funny in a dumb way, and actually a somewhat accurate depiction. So what's the problem?

You should note, by the way, that I'm a lazy, assimilating Filipino.

Re: ?

[skipernicus.livejournal.com]

So you take my point... Actually, i just stand around being self righteous most of the time - it rarely helps, and does nothing to satisfy my soul, but being smug is it's own reward.

Funny, I had a conversation with a co-worker the other day in which we concluded that it's human nature to segregate - you get three brothers and isolate them, and two will gang up on one.

Listen, lazy Filipino - as a lazy Irishman I've noticed that virtually everyone in the world has a better work ethic than Americans - so what do you think they are on about?

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

I'm not looking at it like we should be offended, but i do think that our management needs to display a little more sensitivity. We can have ethnically themed events without having to go the extra mile ("sombrero", "leprechaun suit"). At least "luau gear" is more general than "grass skirt".

[waider.livejournal.com]

Are Irish people offended by the fact that Americans wear green on St. Patrick's Day?

Those of us living outside the US tend to be more perplexed at the fact that other countries go to far greater lengths than we do to celebrate our National Holiday. And my brother tends to be more ticked off at the steady parade of people approaching him to say, "I'm Irish too!" despite the fact that they couldn't, if challenged, point out Ireland on a map of the Western British Isles. Of course, he's American now.

They say

[skipernicus.livejournal.com]

Of course, he's American now.

Soon, everyone will be. Look out!

[arian1.livejournal.com]

What?! No Towelhead Day!? I'm OFFENDED! OUTRAGED I TELL YOU!

See if I bring my camel to work...

[urbeatle.livejournal.com]

you should have modified the memo and resent it:

• Thursday, July 7 is Mexican Fiesta (don’t forget your human sacrifice!)


• Thursday, August 18 is Hawaiian Luau (don’t forget your long pig!)


• Thursday, September 15 is Irish Pub night (don't forget your pipe bomb!)

remind me you tell you sometime about the great emails the EarthLink/Mindspring CEO used to send to the entire company while he was out drinking at some atlanta bar.

[eejitalmuppet.livejournal.com]

Pipe bomb? Feh, unsophisticated rubbish. I think you meant to say, "Don't forget your Semtex and mercury trip switch."

[littleamerica.livejournal.com]

Thursday, September 15 is Irish Pub night (please forget your leprechaun outfit and just stick to green)

Or indeed orange.