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What I would like to know is . . . how do you react to it when you hear your coworker called an ugly name?
I know he does it to run this guy down, but he will just say he is doing it as a harmless nickname. This guy is a pig and a bully, so next time I hear him use it I am going to ask to see him in private and politely tell him that I know he is just having fun, but it isn't cool and politely ask him to stop. If he gives me any smartass reply I am going to kick his ass. The guy is a coward and I believe a polite but stern request will be sufficient, but if not, unfortunately ass-kicking is all he will understand.
I was just curious to see if others thought this was a bad as I do.
A guy at work is small, maybe 5'5" 125 lbs. He has had diabetes since he was a toddler which stunted his growth. He is now 26 year old.
A guy at work who likes to run people down calls him 'Quarta Pollo", Spanish for 'qaurter chicken' like you would buy in the supermarket meat department.
Do you think this is disrespectful?
you know... it's only disrespectful if 'Quarta Pollo' is offended by it. Sounds like a fun nickname between coworkers.
Koale
A guy at work is small, maybe 5'5" 125 lbs. He has had diabetes since he was a toddler which stunted his growth. He is now 26 year old.
A guy at work who likes to run people down calls him 'Quarta Pollo", Spanish for 'qaurter chicken' like you would buy in the supermarket meat department.
Do you think this is disrespectful?
Good Lord, man!
To call another man that, is about the jerkest thing another male can do!
Your co-worker sounds like a real jerk/donkey's behind.
Is the guy being called the nickname offended? Does he seem a bit put off every time he's called it?
If not, it probably doesn't concern you.
Even when someone doesn't seem to be bothered by a nickname that draws attention to their small stature, believe me---it bothers them. Some people are just too timid/scared/passive to raise a stink about it. This man does know he's smaller than average and being constantly reminded of it is the sort of belittling/violence that, unfortunately, we've become all too accustomed to in our country. I supervised a young woman who loved attaching nicknames to her co-workers. All of the nicknames were derogatory and drew attention to what she felt were their weaknesses. She called a quiet/shy/studious guy "Rich Nerd" (his name was Richard). She called another guy "Mater" because his face turned red like a tomato when he spoke to others (reference to the "Mater" character in the Cars movie, I guess). She called another woman "Shrimpy" because she was tiny. As the leader of a good team of people, I asked her to stop calling people by something other than their actual names. Incidentally, there were plenty of nicknames those people could have called her---but they had way more class than her, so they didn't retaliate by doing the same.
I know he does it to run this guy down, but he will just say he is doing it as a harmless nickname. This guy is a pig and a bully, so next time I hear him use it I am going to ask to see him in private and politely tell him that I know he is just having fun, but it isn't cool and politely ask him to stop. If he gives me any smartass reply I am going to kick his ass. The guy is a coward and I believe a polite but stern request will be sufficient, but if not, unfortunately ass-kicking is all he will understand.
I was just curious to see if others thought this was a bad as I do.
It's good that you have a sense of respect and dignity for your coworkers who might not stand up for themselves. That said, it would be wise in this case to replace "kick his ass" to "report him to HR/a manager". Kicking his ass would make you lose your job, while he'd get to keep his and keep harassing the coworker. Report it to HR and let them handle it
I know he does it to run this guy down, but he will just say he is doing it as a harmless nickname. This guy is a pig and a bully, so next time I hear him use it I am going to ask to see him in private and politely tell him that I know he is just having fun, but it isn't cool and politely ask him to stop. If he gives me any smartass reply I am going to kick his ass. The guy is a coward and I believe a polite but stern request will be sufficient, but if not, unfortunately ass-kicking is all he will understand.
I was just curious to see if others thought this was a bad as I do.
Yes, I believe most folks would think this is as bad as you think it is.
I love it how people always try to cover up their mean-spirited words by saying "Oh, I am just kidding around" or some other lame excuse. There is never a reason to purposely attempt to dehumanize another person by calling them names and it is never "funny." You are right - the guy is a bully.
I wish the victim would let HR know about it, too. These types of people rarely have just one person they are picking on. I bet there has been a running list of victims since he was a little kid.
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I was just curious to see if others thought this was a bad as I do.
Yes I think most would view this as not just disrespectful but immature. Your plan to deal with it sounds like a good one. To say this behind the coworker's back is one thing, but he's got to possess some Court Jester a-hole qualities to do it to his face. I've only known close friends to taunt each other like that, but it's in fun and never in public. At work there are certain boundaries one must respect. No one wants to be devalued in front of your colleagues.
A guy at work is small, maybe 5'5" 125 lbs. He has had diabetes since he was a toddler which stunted his growth. He is now 26 year old.
A guy at work who likes to run people down calls him 'Quarta Pollo", Spanish for 'qaurter chicken' like you would buy in the supermarket meat department.
Do you think this is disrespectful?
Maybe your 'Quarta Pollo' friend ought to start calling this other guy "Richard Cranium."
Unless of course, you think that it's too disrespectful.
Last edited by JaxBlueMan; 12-18-2012 at 12:59 PM..
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Lol...
Good Lord, man! 
