Jacobs Journal: Are you easily offended
1 Sep, 2008 By: Daniel G. Jacobs Landscape ManagementI have to confess to being a little confused.
I don't know if my opening sentence to this month's cover story is inappropriate. It's certainly not meant to offend. The goal was to be engaging, entertaining and to draw you in to the story and make you want to read further. I realize that the vast majority of our readers are male so there is less of a chance of angering someone than if the article appeared in, say, O, the Oprah Winfrey magazine.
 DANIEL G. JACOBS |
But that's not really the point. If it's offensive, it shouldn't appear anywhere. And herein lies my confusion. Is what is funny to someone and offensive to another truly offensive? Does the problem lie with the intent or the inference?
Living in Northeast Ohio, I'm a fan of the Cleveland Indians. Every season, a few people stand with their signs protesting the name and Chief Wahoo, the long-lasting caricature that for decades has appeared on all types of merchandise. The name, the story goes, was meant to honor Louis Sockalexis, a Native American from the Penobscot tribe and one of the team's legendary players. So if the intent was to honor, where's the slight?
In this politically correct (a phrase I've come to despise) world, intention doesn't seem to matter. If someone is offended, the offense must be rectified. While he's not been officially banned, the image of Chief Wahoo shows up on fewer items than it once did. Only decades of tradition and the anger of tens of thousands of fans keeps the team name alive.
Recently, a Kentucky man and long-shot gubernatorial candidate, Otis "Bullman" Hensley was arrested after making a joke in a local grocery store. A woman with two young daughters was outraged when he offered "to trade her a fattening hog for those girls." He meant it as both a compliment and a joke (the phrase is a generation's old Appalachian jest). She called the police. Was it in poor taste and boorish — yes. Was it inappropriate — perhaps. Was it criminal? No.
Our company's employee handbook has an entire section on harassment (as do most companies these days). It specifies inappropriate behavior —verbal, non-verbal and physical. I'd like to think that reasonable adults can work together, joke together, have fun and know not to cross "that line." We often tease each other about a "Page 5" violation — named for the spot in the handbook outlining the harassment rules and policies.
If I make a joke that causes a problem, I might get named in the lawsuit, but no one's going to collect millions from me. That's coming from the company. That is the key nightmare managers face and the reason for employee handbooks, lawyers and sensitivity training.
My point? Truly offensive behavior and harassment don't belong in the work place. But when does boorish become insensitive and insensitive become illegal? I'm not sure, but I do know you'd better have detailed employee policies and procedures in place to cover your a... Make that protect your business.
Contact Dan at 216/706-3754 or e-mail at
djacobs@questex.com
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