I did not like it either. I thought it was laid with racist overtones and stereotypes. I also thought that it is peculiar that someone would choose to introduce themselves as a "poor black queer" instead of bringing forth their personality or skills or ideas.
Newsflash: if you are interesting or do cool stuff I don't give a fuck about your skin tone or sexual preference.
I don't give a fuck about your skin tone or sexual preference
Just a friendly heads-up, the phrase "sexual preference" is like fingernails on a chalkboard to a lot of people, as the word "preference" implies choice which isn't in line with our best understanding of how sexual orientation works.
I'm not offended, but I'm guessing you don't want to accidentally offend people. After all, you don't give a fuck.
I consider myself fairly progressive about these kinds of things, and this is the first I've heard about "sexual preference" being problematic. Is it really used to justify the belief that what gender(s) you're attracted to is a choice? What term should we use instead?
I believe that "sexual orientation" is favored. The parallel I like to use is being right-handed or left-handed. It's not that lefties "prefer" to use their left hand for tasks requiring dexterity, they are oriented that way.
>if you are interesting or do cool stuff I don't give a fuck about your skin tone
And I'm guessing you're white and straight and thus have not spent the amount of timing thinking about others as I and other people have. We're not worried about you. We're worried about people like these employees who DO give "a fuck" about skin tone or sexual preference.
It's funny that you condemn him for probably jokingly and self-deprecatingly calling himself a "poor black queer", yet that's what he was reduced to when you're treated as such day in and day out.
To me it sounded like someone with a rooted "versus" mentality that defines themselves using their externality and sexual preference because, well, its just easier.
You are not wrong about me, but I have plenty of gay friends in the workplace, and being talented they don't define themselves through their orientation.
It's a hell of a lot easier not to have a "versus" mentality when you are in a privileged position.
Conversely, when everyone around you can instantly see that you are different, and when you're reminded daily that you are different by mainstream culture, you'd probably have a different attitude. You're visibly, repeatedly, and viscerally reminded that you are Different.
I don't know what that's like, but it's something this particular fellow has to live with every moment of his life. That's going to have an impact on your attitude, and I'm willing to cut the guy more than a little slack.
"Can't we all get along" is a luxury cis, straight, white males have, in no small part because a lot of mainstream American culture is created by and for that set of categories.
Newsflash: if you are interesting or do cool stuff I don't give a fuck about your skin tone or sexual preference.