I was on Facebook again today (no big surprise there!) and saw that one of my 'friends' had posted about her job. She works for a facility which cares for persons with mental disabilities. Her post was innocent enough, a simple complaint about more clients than staff.
Then one of her co-workers posted something about using duct tape to deal with the clients. I let that go, as I have often jokingly threatened to use duct tape on my children on rough days.
Then a third woman who worked at that facility posted the most offensive thing I've read in a long time. Her exact words were "All right now yall play nice with the tards! lol".
I was in shock. How could a person who is supposed to be caring for these clients be so rude and disrespectful, especially on a public social media site!?!? I confronted her, right there on the post about how disrespectful it was. Now, not only did this woman use such a hateful word for her clients, but my 'friend' and the second woman didn't bother to stand up for their clients! In fact, my 'friend' deleted the post all together, instead of sticking up for her clients.
I was quick though, and I got a screenshot of the posting. I was so shocked and saddened to see this woman say such hateful things, that I looked up the e-mail address, physical address, and phone number for their facility. I have already sent an e-mail which included the screen shot, to which I got a standard "We'll look into it" reply. In the morning, I will call that facility, and by tomorrow afternoon, I will be mailing a hard copy of my complaint to the company.
We need to stand up against this kind of discrimination! Especially when it's coming from someone who is supposed to be caring for persons with mental disabilities! It really bothers me that people like this woman have so much power and control over the very people they spew hateful words about. A LOT of my family and friends live in the small town in Texas where this facility is. Having grown up in that town, I may actually know a few of the clients.
How would you handle this situation? Would you sit back and let it go, passing it off as a joke? Or would you step up and do your part in protecting the rights of the mentally disabled? What if one of her clients happened to be a member of your family, or a friend? All comments are welcome, even if you disagree.
First, I'm glad that to see that you've actually followed through and not only challenged these people, but let the company know about their behavior. Many people forget that anything and everything they put out online is recorded and that anything recorded can bite you in the ass.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I find it interesting that talking about ducttape didn't offend you, but the use of a derogatory word did. Cuss words (and the like) have been a great way for getting rid of extra stress for a long, long time - You stub your toe? F***! Did the kids break something? Are you running late? Even if you know that a person or item had nothing to do with your current rage/fatigue/frustration, it's easier to blame them/it and have a target to vent at, rather than keeping it in.
I'll admit that I have (without mentioning names or conditions) complained about some of my patients at times, as well. I regularly tell my roommate about "Ms. Whineybutt" - this is someone who has a live in caregiver, who's most recent call was because she stubbed her toe. I'm not joking. She's very emotionally needy and a little overly paranoid about her condition. But when I'm there with her I am always proffessional, patient and sympathetic. I'm able to do that because I know that in another 30 min or so, I can go to my car and roll my eyes until they fall out.
Also, how often have you given an "affectionate" nickname to someone who's relied on you? Have you ever called your kids monsters or hellions or monkies (spelling?)?
I'm not saying the woman was right - but if she's had a long, shitty day and thought she saw an opportunity to vent, I think what she did was a natural response.
(Oops, should've said - this comment and the above are both from Erin)
ReplyDeleteErin,
ReplyDeleteThank you for leaving a comment! I really appreciate it.
As for the duct tape comment not offending me, that's more of a generalization. You can threaten to duct tape anyone. Like I said, I often do that myself.
Whereas, using a derogatory slur, like the r word, is only used to describe certain persons. To me, it's no different than using the 'f' word to describe a homosexual person. It just sent up a huge red flag.
I can understand having a stressful day and wanting to vent. I have many many of those days. I just wish she had chosen a different way to do so. She could have cursed, or just simply said "I had a rough day, and could use a good stiff drink", or whatever. Using nicknames for people is fine, hell, my sister in law and I call each other a regurgitated cum bubble or dirty pirate hooker, but we are friends. We know it's not really offensive to each other. This lady, however, was referring to ALL the clients, not just hers, and how can you give all clients a nickname like that? o.O?
Just my two cents. Again, THANK YOU for commenting, I really appreciate it! <3