Racism in the workplace

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Not to be a downer or anything but I have noticed some harsh things said about patients and sometimes even co workers in my unit when they think no one else can hear them. Has anyone else dealt with this?

Specializes in Critical Care.

From your link:

"This show has the potential to set back our nation's race relations by 50 years."

THAT strikes me as over the top hyperbole. Hello NYC Councilman Liu: IT'S A TV SHOW!

~faith,

Timothy.

Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

And apparently Rush Limbaugh is still as stupid as he ever was (if he's not receiving death threats after those remarks, i'll be shocked).

As for the 50 years remark made by Liu, the people of this nation are not a bunch of sheep. If a TV show would have THAT much influence to set back racial thinking by 50 years, then peope need to gain more control over themselves.

(I won't be watching. The race race is one more reason, but i've always thought Survivor was one of THEE stupidest shows to ever exist, and very, very staged.)

Its not judt rappers and other entertainers that use the N word. Some very prominent black authors and professors use it as well. The argument that prominent entertainers use it old and at this point feels like a weak argument for any point of view on the subject.Just read anything Micheal Eric Dyson(sp?) has written. He is one of the most prestigous black authors in America.He belives that n***a and n****r are two different things.Does it really matter?NO. There is far more to race relations than 1 word.Such as why do children in American public schools only learn about black history for 1 month.Even that its generally limited to a select few people in our lineage.

Its all basically European history. I went to school in Europe and eben we learned about Africa's hostory as a continent.Its more of a education issue on a lot of levels not a vocanulary one.

Specializes in Critical Care.
And apparently Rush Limbaugh is still as stupid as he ever was (if he's not receiving death threats after those remarks, i'll be shocked).

Ok, I don't normally listen to Rush anymore because I'm asleep when he's on the air. I had to look up the comments you referred to BECAUSE I don't think they've been posted here:

http://mediamatters.org/items/200608240003

I think it was pretty clear from the context that Rush was purposely playing upon stereotypes in order to highlight the silliness of CBS's concept.

Rush is known for a sense of humor that highlights the absurd by going above and beyond it. Outlandishly so. But more important, obviously so.

You can't take any of the comments at face value unless you also accept that he was serious about this comment: "the white tribe, if it behaves as it historically has, will bring along vials of diseases and will wind up oppressing the other tribes by deny[ing] them benefits and property, but will later try to put [the other tribes] on some kind of benefit program." He further asserted that if CBS "allows ... cheating" and "oppression," "then of course the white tribe is going to win."

If you can't see the intentional hyperbole in that, then maybe Rush's sense of humor isn't your cup of tea.

Love him, hate him. But, it's made him rich.

~faith,

Timothy.

Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
If you can't see the intentional hyperbole in that, then maybe Rush's sense of humor isn't your cup of tea.

Never thought Rush had a sense of humor. Just thought it was self-absorbed obnoxiousness.

Specializes in Critical Care.
Never thought Rush had a sense of humor. Just thought it was self-absorbed obnoxiousness.

Touche.

~faith,

Timothy.

There are many black nurses in DFW, Texas. I am proud to say that I'm one of them.

I happy to hear that there are many black nurses in DFW. However, around here, in a non-city area, I have seen more nurses who are men than I have seen nurses who are African American. I think my question about why there aren't more African American nurses is based on the perception that males are considered a minority in the nursing field, and there are numerous articles about that, but African Americans are rarely mentioned as minorities in the nursing field.

Specializes in Corrections, neurology, dialysis.
In all fairness, I have heard black people (co-workers and pts/family) describe someone as "that white nurse" or "he was a white guy". I work in an almost 50/50 white/black environment and honestly.....I think it's just a matter of description. Like calling someone "the blonde lady".

I have found that too. I don't think it's racist. I think it's a way of simplifying things. It gets too complicated to say "you know that lady, with glasses, wearing the pink dress, who sits in the third chair on the left, who has a Marvin Gaye ring tone on her phone, who has two kids, who comes in at 9 o'clock, you know?" It is so much easier to say "the black lady over there."

I try and re-educate people when I can, but I realize for folks over 70 or so there is only so much you can do. They grew up in a different time when it was okay to openly say evil things about certain races and no one batted an eye. It is almost impossible to turn someone's attitude around completely. All I can ask is that they watch their language around me.

Specializes in Peds.

Hi,

Personally, I'm surprised that some people claim that words have an effect of "perpetuating" racism. Honestly, to me "words" by themselves are meaningless - intent and context define how any particular word is understood.

Does using the "Q-word" or "Gay" encourage homophobia and repression?

I'm of the honest opinion that eliminating the useage of the "n-word" will do nothing to reverse discrimination and prejudice.

To disempower a word, it needs to lose it's shock value. Banishing "words" don't make them go away - on the contrary, everytime they are used, they cause even more grief.

Take ownership of the word.

Change what is stands for.

Deny those who want to use symbols and words for their hatred.

Words and symbols by themselves can't hurt - the power of their meanings and intent, do.

Thanks,

Matthew

Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
To disempower a word, it needs to lose it's shock value. Banishing "words" don't make them go away - on the contrary, everytime they are used, they cause even more grief.

The words would be a little more disempowered if there wasn't the idea that "I can say it because i'm _______ and that's ok, but you can't say it without offending because you're ______". If racially degrading words are perfectly fine for one person to call another person of the same race, yet offensive is someone of a different race uses it, that does nothing to let the air out of a word.

Prime example: all the fuss when Jennifer Lopez (duet with Ja Rule) sang the line "I tell 'em n****s mind their biz but they don't hear me though". Ja Rule says the SAME word in his songs, Jennifer Lopez says it, it's wrong. Ridiculous!

I'm of the honest opinion that eliminating the useage of the "n-word" will do nothing to reverse discrimination and prejudice.

To disempower a word, it needs to lose it's shock value.

Ok so ... to eliminate shock value ... I guess I'm supposed to use the N-word to address my African American patients to disempower the meaning of that word?

C'mon. :rolleyes:

Ever see the popular movie "Rush Hour?" There's a scene in a bar that illustrates the absurdity of the situation.

The blacks in the bar are referring to themselves as "my nigga." Jackie Chan's character is from China so ... he thinks that's ok because that's what they're calling themselves.

But when Jackie Chan says it ... a fight breaks out because NOW they're offended. How is that disempowering the meaning of that word?

If you really want to disempower the meaning of a word ... don't use it.

:typing

Specializes in None...YET!.
Not all black people use the N-word. I'm black and never use the term. Please keep that in mind prior to making blanket statements about an entire group of people.

Thank YOU!

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