Call an entrenching tool a shovel, why don'cha?

[zianuray]

I got a little snitty with a co-worker today.

She said of someone, "What a witch!" and did not intend it as a compliment.

I asked why she didn't call the woman a Baptist?

Then explained that it was just the same thing as calling her a Witch -- that if she was going to denigrate one person's religion she may as well spread it around.

"Well, I'm not going to say 'bitch' in a call center!"

"Just remember, it's harassment on religious grounds and I am not afraid to talk to HR about it.  Are you willing to go that far?"

I did try to put a humorous spin on it and presented it as informational -- but everyone there knows I'm a Witch anyhow, I'm so far out of the broom closet I was never in that it may as well have burned down.

In the end, I think I got the message across -- and we're ok, as far as I can tell there are no feelings of being "picked on" on her part and as for me, I know she just hadn't thought of it that way before, so no harm, no foul.

Yeah, the whole PC thing also annoys me, but damnit, say what you mean!  A bitch is a bitch and a Witch is a Witch; confuse the two at your peril!(Thanks, jeffs_page !)  And no, being a Witch does not mean one cannot also be a bitch.  Or at least assertive.

So...what's your take?  Would you have spoken up if it were your religion being bandied about?  What about "just any" religion?

Comments

[beatnikbetty.livejournal.com]

actually i had a more serious situation when i worked for a foreign language oriented department with a university.. this was back in 2005 i guess. some coworkers were making fun of me behind my back for being pagan, and being open about it. i worked very hard, but most of the others had higher degrees and came from rich affluent families so they enjoyed giving me a hard time, belittling me subtly. there was an email sent around to the effect of 'bubble bubble toil and trouble' - that was sent to the whole team, so I went and talked to my manager and said something like "now I KNOW that no one here would deliberately harass me for my religious preferences, as that is illegal and unconstitutional, etc, so I just want to bring it up for the future..." and i could see the reaction on his face as he realized that some major lawsuits could be bubbling in the cauldron. :P