The stagehands claimed that they were unaware of any racial connotations surrounding nooses. They stated that they were simply practicing their knot tying (knowledge of knots can be very useful in stage work) and left the nooses hanging so that the ropes would stay off the floor while it was being refinished.
City officials found it improbable that anyone living in the South would be unaware of the racial imagery associated with nooses. In addition, officials questioned why the men, if they were indeed concerned about keeping objects off the floor while it was being refinished, left a chair in the stage area.
After an investigation it was determined that the young men created a hostile work environment and they were relieved of their duties.
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I am interested in knowing what you think readers? Were the men intentionally trying to create a hostile work environment? Or were they just goofing off without giving a second thought to the racial overtones associated with nooses? Do you think the city act appropriately? Or did they overreact?
13 comments:
I think the decision to let them go was the pc thing to do because someone was offended by their actions. However, if they had been coached and sent to a sensitivity class or some other proactive procedure there might have been a better ending to the story. How do you think the two boys will fill about race relations now? Simply firing someone is not always the answer. I wonder how the person who complained feels that the guys were fired. I hope not good.
I don't think it's possible to know without talking to them more. Judge Judy would be able to figure out if they were lying! They should send them all to her show and she'll have it sorted out in about 15 minutes.
If that happened in the North I would be surprised because (to my knowledge at least) the noose doesn't carry that kind of message. E.g. when I was in college I was given a Santabear for Christmas (big promo item from dept. stores in the mid 1980s) and my roommates and I made a noose and hung him from a rafter in our dorm room. I can assure you there was no social or political overtone whatsoever to that little prank.
I think those guys were trying to be funny because, not being black, pretend nooses were a funny thing to them at the time. It's not funny, they got what they deserve, and I wouldn't spend a second feeling sorry for them.
God, who really knows if those guys were ignorant or malicious? At any rate, life is full of lessons. Hopefully, this one taught them a little sensitivity.
I think the decision to let them go may need more substantial evidence. Were these men friendly before hand? Were they troublemakers through and through?
I know I tend to want to see the good in people and I can only hope that these men did not leave the nooses there intentionally!
In today's world what does it take for a bit of kindness to be spread instead of all this strife!?!?
All the best to you Grizzbabe! Thanks for the note! M
I think this is fear consciousness working it's ill magic once again. Nooses do not universally = lynchings in the minds of all Americans. Hangings were the primary method of execution, generally done publically in colonial days and beyond. They are also a strong significator of suicide. Given the evidence offered here, it is not reasonable to presume racial hostility. And every time someone's feeling's or sensibilities are offended, is not the time for swift punishment. It is time for 1) benefit of the doubt/not fearing the worse 2) opening a dialogue to discover the "truth" 3) education if it is warranted 4) possible reprimand or severance.
How can you fire a person if you can't prove willful misconduct? What should have been put in those nooses was the Magna Carta. Habeas Corpus be hanged, I guess. Way to give in to the current powers that be.
I am sorry for people who get scared and feel victimized by wrong-headed bigotry - I truly am. But I don't think my father put his life at risk in Mississippi in the mid 60s practicing pro bono civil rights law so that we could throw out the basic conventions of good and judicious behavior (I am aware that this was not set before a court, so other rules apply, but still...).
If they did mean to inflict harm in the manner suggested, I wud not hesitate to separate them from their positions, to be clear. Or at least compell them into some sort of deprogramming seminar before they could get their jobs back.
But then, I think all persons should be treated with charity and given rehabilitation when they err, so that's just me.
When I think of a noose, I think of all of the old westerns my grandfather loved to watch, and all of the bad guys who got hung. And the bad guys weren't black!
Interesting post!
I agree with coffeepot in that they should have been given a really serious talking to, apologised to anyone who was offended, and taken a class or two on the sensitivity of the whole issue. They would have really learned something and been able to prove that they could act in a more acceptable manner.
We'll never really know if there was malicious intent or not. But I do wonder why this person immediately jumped to the conclusion that it was racially motivated. Like earlier commenters said...nooses are for suicide and killings in colonial days and westerns. And the Phantom of the Opera. Did his "magical lasso" kill any black folks?
On the otherhand, if these guys were being racist jerks, firing them doesn't teach them anything. Sensitivity training would.
People see what they want to see.
I don't see a hangman's noose as a symbol of anything but death. But, it is also a knot with several applications.
That one incident did not create a hostile work environment. Maybe a misunderstanding. The ruling was overkill. But that's just how I see it. I have worked in a hostile work environment, I know people who have worked in hostile work environments. Intent is hard to prove and I want that guy's attorney's name and number!
ON THE OTHER HAND, this is undeniably offensive, and someone should lose his/her job(s).
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070918/ap_en_ot/music_lynyrd_skynyrd
that's right, lyrical references to Gov. George Wallace and reactive criticism of Neil Young's hit on southern racism have not deterred the grand old state of Alabama from choosing what used to be a very controversial piece of music into a new tourism campaign. In a complete whitewash of historical relevance and context, there is absolutely no mention of any of this in the AP article.
And I confess that musically, I really love that song, but one cannot forget certain lyrics. It's completely inappropriate, unless they want to include images of the Klan in their tv spots.
Having had 24 hours to stew over this, I will kindly drag out my soapbox.
The facts as stated do not warrent job termination.
I have very strong feelings about hostile work environments and racism.
We live in a world crammed packed full of vibrant, colorful flora and fauna(I include homo sapiens here). My eyes absorb and enjoy the beauty of nature's palatte.
Behaviour has an odd fasicination for me. I love to watch people and how they interact. Some say I am nosey. Difference from human to human is a past-time for me.
Humans tend to bond with like. Race with race, sex with sex, ability with ability, etc, then villify those with differences, in some way everyday. Men against women, Christian against Muslims, Jew against Black, Straights against Gay, etc. We all do it. With this in mind, we turn to the hostile work environment.
Symbols identify and what we identify with is personal to each individual. Personal to each individual. Personal-Individual. To understand and comply with what a person finds personally offensive is useless in the workplace. Looking at ALL sides of an issue, situation or symbol takes stength and resolve and flexibility. It time.
We are at the crossroads of becoming an amalgamated society. Embracing our differences makes us interesting, strong, rich, intelligent. Sharing our differences amplifies this.
I don't think anyone was justified in the stage hand scenario. Each, in his own way expressed prejudices and negative assumptions based upon race, demograpics, symbols, history and selfishness.
Today we begin to learn tolerance, wisdom, understanding, insight. Take the time to consider all angles before rushing to judgment.
What we do and say can affect another's life. That kind of power requires respect and judiciousness(is that even a word?).
Love your thought provoking blogs Ms. Grizz
It was wrong for them to lose their jobs.
Nowhere was there any evidence whatsoever that there was any racial slur intended, the offence was, unless proved otherwise in the eye of the beholder, and no-where else.
They certainly should have been reprimanded for leaving tied nooses hanging, because that is a stupid and unsafe thing to do.
But to suggest that because the South had racial violence and lynchings, these men must lose their jobs, is as illogical as cutting down all the trees in Georgia, because we all know trees have been implicated in lynchings too... And rope itself might be considered suspect.
The hangman's noose never confined its attention to any one race.
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