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Work Problems.

cornelius_sulla

Entry posted by cornelius_sulla

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I've been working nights for the past months, and in that time I have come into contact with a building site administator who has the people skills of a flesh eating virus.

I'm Maori. There is a popular perception here, long held and deep seated amongst the ignorant, that we are not very bright as a race. I deal with this every working day and try to change perceptions.

The fact that I am a labourer does not help me. It kind of reinforces the aforementioned perception of me and my people. I do this type of work because I really like it, and I'm so good at it that I can contract my skills out and make enough money to keep me happy. But I don't feel that I have to explain this to anybody. I am always judged by my cover. It galls me how surprised some have been to discover that yes, I have a brain, and it functions quite well, thankyou very much.

As I have said, the person in charge of the site I am working on is not a nice piece of work. I suspect he was bullied at school by large polynesian types like myself, and revels in his revenge now that he can crack a whip.

I am not obliged to listen to him - I'm a contractor. He is in charge of the temporary labourers but has lumped me in with them and last night it came to a head.

I will do almost anything for someone who asks me politely, as you would one human being to another. But treat me like a slave and I'll rebel.

This guy knows my name but refers to me as 'boy'. I find this interesting because I'm older than he is. Last night was his third strike after being asked nicely twice to use my name because I don't like being called 'boy'. Yet, he persisted; he kept calling me boy so I stopped listening to him. He appealed to my boss who knows what I'm like and told him to fight his own battles. This came to a head when he lost his rag and let loose a tirade of racial abuse when I refused to even acknowledge his presence.

Anger clouded his judgement. When he came too, he was faced with an angry six foot two ex boxing champ none to impressed with his oratical skill. My boss had to hold me back. The administrator actually had the cheek to hide behind his labourers, who parted like the red sea for me to get at him like the good polynesian brothers that they are. I didn't get to hit him but I really wanted to. My reasoning was that since you persist in treating me like savage, I'll show you savage alright.

So I've been swapped over to another crew. The administrator there is a really good bloke. I'm just glad I didn't lose it and paint the walls with the little prick!

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docoflove1974

Sounds like a story of a friend of mine, who is mostly Cherokee...the same perception is sadly held about people who are 'natives', regardless of the area. Every time I think we as humans have taken one more evolutionary step, there's more than a few examples of how idiotic we as a group are. Thankfully not all of us have our heads in the sand.

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cornelius_sulla

Yes Doc, the same thing happened to me when I was working in Australia and in Samoa! It's only the minority who are wankers, though. Most of us just need to get out more and meet new people with a different world view, I reckon.

PS Cheers for adding me to your list of friends!

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Nephele

The administrator actually had the cheek to hide behind his labourers, who parted like the red sea for me to get at him like the good polynesian brothers that they are.

 

Hahaha! Excellent! You didn't need to hit him -- he was already beaten when he revealed that his stupidity was exceeded only by his cowardice.

 

Huh, messing with you and your Polynesian bros... If ever a guy was a likely recipient for a Darwin Award, sounds like that guy sure was.

 

-- "Sis" :D

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cornelius_sulla
There's always dick heads like that where ever you go mate. Although you didn't hit him there and then I bet if you had you'd have gone home a very happy man. ;)

 

Definitely, but now I'm glad I didn't. He wasn't worth my job and the respect I've built up there. She was close though, mate!.

PS Honoured to be added to your list of friends, GPM.

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Gaius Octavius

I can't say that I have not been a bigot. I hope - I think that I am over it. It truly is a waste. I was an equal opportunity caster of racial, ethnic and religious aspersions. Not even Italians were safe from my venom. Jackie Robinson was the first Negro major league baseball player. I hated him, Joe Black, Don Newcombe and Roy Campanella - oddly enough, not because they were black, but because they were so good! (Oh, they were Dodgers - I'm a Yankee.) I think of all the joy we could have missed not seeing Hank Aaron, Willy Mays, Jeter, Giambi, etc. Now, my Sicilian and Jewish quacks are keeping me alive. Hmm, maybe on second thought, I should go back to my old ways.

 

A warning. My brother was working with a guy who kept saying 'yo motha'. At his earliest opportunity, brother patiently explained that this would no longer be tolerated and that he only had three chances left. 1,2,3 and brother implanted the cretin's eyeglasses into his head. Some few bones needed lots of work. A concussion was duly noted. The jerk's Big Daddy made enquiry of my Bro at work. A very much bigger Eyetalian answered the enquiry with a rather large wrench swinging from his pinkey. The meeting concluded without incident. But, since the jerk spent an uncommon amount of time in a hospital, he sought balm in the assizes. Brother had to get a lawyer. Settled affairs for only 50 bucks. That was probably for the ruined eye glasses.

 

Courage!

 

:ph34r:

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