When I was working in San Fran (I'm British - live in The Netherlands), the amount of times my colleagues told me, "Sam you're not very PC!" when I made a random funny comment, I always told them, "I know, I'm more of a Mac guy". They weren't offended by my comments I think, but maybe more shocked?
I remember an incident whilst we were walking to lunch, a guy came out of a parking lot with squealing tires... which made me say my most crude comment while I was working there: "Someone is on their period". Sure, I generalised women with that joke, but I didn't mean anything by saying it (just that he was probably cranky..) - it's a joke, the girl I was with could of equally said, "I'm sure that dude has a small penis." I have a regular non-12" cock (I'm not ashamed to admit that) and I wouldn't of been offended. But her comment was, "SAMMM! That's not very PC!". The guy I was with commented, "Ahh, dude, not PC man". All said and done, they were fun people to work with and didn't make a big deal out of it besides commenting, not pc.
Comedians always generalise, and making jokes that are in context with a current situation isn't weird. Come on, loosen up, life is boring when you are forced to only say serious things... We spend most of our lives working. Why should we be forced to spend most of our lives being boring whilst hiding our personality?
This is actually one of the top reasons I'd be afraid of working in the USA again. I don't want to get fired or sued over "sexual harassment" due to a comment like the one I mentioned earlier. That, and the fact that if I'd get fired, I'd have to leave the country within a week...
I do agree, that making a joke specifically about a person you work with, or are in a room with is a big no-no - well, if it's harsh. A meaningless non degrading joke is fine which isn't meant in a serious way. But don't make jokes about people you're with regarding their sex life. People are touchy about that and I can understand. General sex jokes that don't degrade a certain sex? Fine!
In my books, although I find it funny and mean nothing by it, I wouldnt say the following in a work environment:
"I have an appointment to get a facial, I'll be back later."
- "Lol! Tell him not to get some in your eye!"
Well you must understand that what's acceptable is a constantly moving narrative and it moves at different speeds in different cultures. In general humor that works based on demeaning a subset so that the larger majority can laugh at its expense is something that's (slowly) dying. After all, in your initial comment, all your doing is saying "Let me insult this boorish driver by comparing him to a menstruating woman! We can all have a laugh at that right?"
Wow, do people in SF use the term "PC" all the time like that? I've never even heard anyone say that. Also, I have yet to see tremendous displays of people shunning non "PC" comments. So I live/work/grew up in the North-East US. And I say much of the language and jokes are still some what crass and rude. I know a few guys decently high up that drop f-bombs all day long, and nobody blinks, guys in the lab make sexist/elitist jokes left and right, no body cares. (yeah yeah, it's mostly males) But what I've seen, the closer to NY/NJ/Philly you get, the more "un-pc" people get. And sometimes the brutal un-filtered honesty is refreshing to me, to be honest. Or a simple joke about sam having his panties in a knot lightens up the mood a bit.
I used to work on a trading floor in NYC. And man, I doubt anyone (even the women) did not spend the day cursing up a storm. Of course I did too. There's a satisfaction that comes with hanging up with a client (on the phone) and then ripping him apart to your fellow traders for not "spending" enough.
Now, living in South Florida, it's almost the same environment. But, except for a few neighborhoods in Miami, most consider South Florida to be a borough of NYC.
The term PC was originally invented by Reaganite republicans as a piece of propaganda to lampoon the left. The weird thing is that it then ironically caught on, presumably amongst complete dimwits.
Comments
When I was working in San Fran (I'm British - live in The Netherlands), the amount of times my colleagues told me, "Sam you're not very PC!" when I made a random funny comment, I always told them, "I know, I'm more of a Mac guy". They weren't offended by my comments I think, but maybe more shocked?
I remember an incident whilst we were walking to lunch, a guy came out of a parking lot with squealing tires... which made me say my most crude comment while I was working there: "Someone is on their period". Sure, I generalised women with that joke, but I didn't mean anything by saying it (just that he was probably cranky..) - it's a joke, the girl I was with could of equally said, "I'm sure that dude has a small penis." I have a regular non-12" cock (I'm not ashamed to admit that) and I wouldn't of been offended. But her comment was, "SAMMM! That's not very PC!". The guy I was with commented, "Ahh, dude, not PC man". All said and done, they were fun people to work with and didn't make a big deal out of it besides commenting, not pc.
Comedians always generalise, and making jokes that are in context with a current situation isn't weird. Come on, loosen up, life is boring when you are forced to only say serious things... We spend most of our lives working. Why should we be forced to spend most of our lives being boring whilst hiding our personality?
This is actually one of the top reasons I'd be afraid of working in the USA again. I don't want to get fired or sued over "sexual harassment" due to a comment like the one I mentioned earlier. That, and the fact that if I'd get fired, I'd have to leave the country within a week...
I do agree, that making a joke specifically about a person you work with, or are in a room with is a big no-no - well, if it's harsh. A meaningless non degrading joke is fine which isn't meant in a serious way. But don't make jokes about people you're with regarding their sex life. People are touchy about that and I can understand. General sex jokes that don't degrade a certain sex? Fine!
In my books, although I find it funny and mean nothing by it, I wouldnt say the following in a work environment: "I have an appointment to get a facial, I'll be back later." - "Lol! Tell him not to get some in your eye!"
Well you must understand that what's acceptable is a constantly moving narrative and it moves at different speeds in different cultures. In general humor that works based on demeaning a subset so that the larger majority can laugh at its expense is something that's (slowly) dying. After all, in your initial comment, all your doing is saying "Let me insult this boorish driver by comparing him to a menstruating woman! We can all have a laugh at that right?"
Wow, do people in SF use the term "PC" all the time like that? I've never even heard anyone say that. Also, I have yet to see tremendous displays of people shunning non "PC" comments. So I live/work/grew up in the North-East US. And I say much of the language and jokes are still some what crass and rude. I know a few guys decently high up that drop f-bombs all day long, and nobody blinks, guys in the lab make sexist/elitist jokes left and right, no body cares. (yeah yeah, it's mostly males) But what I've seen, the closer to NY/NJ/Philly you get, the more "un-pc" people get. And sometimes the brutal un-filtered honesty is refreshing to me, to be honest. Or a simple joke about sam having his panties in a knot lightens up the mood a bit.
I used to work on a trading floor in NYC. And man, I doubt anyone (even the women) did not spend the day cursing up a storm. Of course I did too. There's a satisfaction that comes with hanging up with a client (on the phone) and then ripping him apart to your fellow traders for not "spending" enough.
Now, living in South Florida, it's almost the same environment. But, except for a few neighborhoods in Miami, most consider South Florida to be a borough of NYC.
The term PC was originally invented by Reaganite republicans as a piece of propaganda to lampoon the left. The weird thing is that it then ironically caught on, presumably amongst complete dimwits.