N!gger- The Workplace Edition < REEEEMMMIIIIIIX (insert loud annoying mixtape DJ voice followed by an air horn)

A federal case involving that infamous word has surfaced. It's not what you think though. A woman's boss went on an n-word laced verbal tirade regarding workplace attire. Eventually it lead to her taping her boss's comments after her complaints about his unprofessional behavior, and the whole thing went federal, resulting in the woman being rewarded $30,000 in punitive damages, and $250,000 in compensatory damages.

Here's the twist:  All parties involved were Black.

All I can say is Get The Fuck Outta Here.  I thought more than enough folks knew not to speak like that in the workplace regardless if it's between Black people or other races?  Her boss should have been ashamed of himself.  Partially to his defense, the article indicates that he is a Black person of Puerto Rican descent, but  he's old enough to know better.

Part of me feels the whole thing is ridiculous because it is common knowledge to keep that kind of language out of the work place. It makes for a potentially toxic and or racist environment for not just the parties involved, but every employee would be affected. It is the bosses job to show his employees what professionalism looks like, and how he expects his employees to behave among themselves and their clients.

And to add insult to injury, this mess went FEDERAL.  All he had to do is apologize and he didn't until she was awarded all of that money. I give this guy credit for how he turned himself around, but berating folks is not the business. All I can say is that I hope he starts offering a course on what kind of language and behavior is appropriate in the workplace, and the judge was correct.

All in all, there are a few things to take away from this situation:

1.If you must use the word, use discretion. 

2.When at work, stay classy and keep the streets in the street.

3.When in doubt, keep the word out of your mouth regardless of what color you are (I lean more towards this one, in case you haven't seen my other blog entry pertaining to the word in question.).

That is all.