Q: Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but I see nothing wrong with a few good-natured jokes around the office. In this era of political correctness, however, I’m frequently told to keep my sense of humor to myself.
It’s gotten to the point that a person can’t say anything without fear of offending African-Americans, gays, Jews, women, or some other group of people. When you think about it, however, just about every joke makes fun of someone.
The liberals these days want to control our speech and make us all walk on eggshells all time.
I’m sick of it, and I want to hear your opinion. Just sign me, “Redneck, and proud of it.”
A: There is a time and place for just about everything. The workplace, however, is not an appropriate arena for remarks that might reasonably offend co-workers, subordinates, or anyone else there. It is not a mark of political correctness to require respectful behavior on the job, nor is the duty to refrain from hurting others through words or deeds grounded solely in liberalism.
The best rule for deciding whether a joke or comment merits being spoken is, “When in doubt, keep it to yourself.”
Although I agree with Charlie Daniels, who once sang, “What most people call a redneck ain’t nothin’ but a workin’ man,” the fact is even the smallest communities in America are no longer homogeneous, if they ever were.
Whether you live in Macon, Ga., Morgantown, W.Va., or Jacksonville, Fla., your neighbors are Protestant and Catholic, Jewish and Muslim, liberal and conservative, straight and gay, pro-life and pro-choice.
To live in a peaceable moral community means making accommodations for those who may not think, act, or vote the way you do.
But that is what makes America such a rich and vibrant place: Unlike other societies, this country was founded on the idea that our differences make us stronger.
Why not embrace those differences, rather than wish them away?
Does it matter that your jokes are “good-natured”? Not from a moral point of view.
As the saying goes, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.” If the above argument is not persuasive, consider the following: If your “jokes” create an offensive or hostile working environment, from a legal point of view, you may have committed harassment and thus be subject to discipline, including heavy fines, losing your job or both.
If that isn’t reason enough to reconsider the wisdom of firing off your mouth at will, I don’t know what would be.
(For the record: I am not an attorney, and nothing here should be considered legal advice.)
Bruce Weinstein received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Swarthmore College, a doctorate in philosophy and bioethics from Georgetown University, and a certificate in film production from New York University. He appears as an ethics analyst from time to time on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” and other national television news programs.
