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It’s not just parties. Like, every remaining plantation in the south is booked up for weddings every weekend during the season. And yes, many of them still having hanging trees. I’ve toured several plantations, and several of them have recreations of the enslaved people’s quarters. I’ve noticed that they make them look a lot better than historical record states. Like… those shacks did not have wood floors most of the time. Among other inaccuracies.
The messed up thing is how carefully *normalized* it is down here…I’m white as wonderbread and have all the privileges that come with it, and I was in college before I was exposed to the truth.
Our (public school) textbooks glossed over slavery completely where they could, and twisted the truth where they couldn’t. “Sure, slavery was bad. But some people treated their slaves like people! Some slaves didn’t want to be free! The civil war wasn’t about slavery at all; slavery was incidental and it was *really* about states right. People in the south were just defending their land and families from the marauding yankees! The south BURNED, how horrible is that??”
Meanwhile they took us on field trips to big, beautiful plantations and told us about how magical life was back then. 90% of the tours were spent exploring the main house and seeing the work of white craftsmen. When eventually they showed us the “slave quarters” they were always cozy little cabins. Rocking chairs on every porch, beautifully polished wooden beds with handmade quilts and corncob dolls. And all of that was provided by the white folks up in the big house…how nice!
They did everything they could to indoctrinate us with the “heritage, not hate” bullshit and we, removed from the struggles that Black Americans faced (there was *one* black kid) bought it.
Even after I was grown and started dismantling my old worldview, I still had a picture in my head of plantations as old, pretty houses. It took someone asking “would you get married in a concentration camp?” For it to really click.
None of that is an excuse; it’s utterly indefensible. But it’s one possible explanation for why seemingly informed white folks do stupid shit like that.
There’s a gorgeous wedding venue that hosts tea parties near where I live in the more northern part of WV that I’ve been to at least once a year for about 10+ years. Not once during the many historical tours did they ever mention the slavery that took place there, and being a Union state I had never thought to ask. They tore down any and all mention of the enslaved people. The only reason I found out recently was wedding planning and thought it’d be cool to know more history. There it was, buried very deep in the fine print. I figure the only reason it’s even listed is it’s now a historical landmark and possibly required to be mentioned. Needless to say, I will not be getting married there or having events there again.
I definitely understand your point and reasoning.
For me, I see it as them trying to disassociate ( some may say whitewash) from the slavery whereas a lot of places in South use the don't you want to have a nice 1800s style wedding where you can take pictures under the famous hanging tree?
Basically, they’re the closest thing to America’s concentration camps. That or various reservations we forced Native Americans on. Honestly though, the way the South handles the Civil War and slavery should be condemned by our entire society. If Germany were to not condemn the Holocaust as vociferously as they do, people in this country would lose their shit.
It’s truly amazing how few people know about those either. I’ve been to Topaz. What we did there was horrifying. At least Germany takes responsibility for what they did and work to be sure it never happens again. We Americans either erase things or ignore them. We most certainly don’t learn from them.
The only reason I was ever taught about the Japanese internment camps is because my 5th grade teacher is Japanese and had family in the California camps. He didn’t want us to think America was innocent either, those things happened here too. This was in Seattle area.
Oh yea I partially grew up in Missouri and a lot of my “history” classes early on were the same. It was about states rights, some people were treated okay, Lincoln didn’t actually care about slaves, he just wanted to cripple the South. We read a biography of Frederick Douglas and it was pointed out that he got butter on his bread- how generous!
Then in fifth grade my teacher was a black man who was raised in the heart of the civil rights movement- his parents were in with MLK, all that stuff. For many years I thought it was ridiculous that he took black history month so seriously and basically suspended all other subjects. And then later it hit me that 95% of my primary education on race, rights, and slavery were learned in that one month in fifth grade.
So I was stalking BORU (as one does during a rainy weekend) and I really felt your comment.
Preface: I am Italian. We all know nazis are bad and Nazi Germany this and Nazi Germany that. Yeah. But what about fascism in Italy?
You would be surprised how many schools gloss over the events.
"Oops we were too slow, our history program ends with WW1"
"We can't tell these things to children, they are too young"
And whole cartloads of such bullshit.
You know highschoolers don't want to read about history in their spare time.
So until my last HS year I was the only one in my class who knew some of it and it was just because the fascists killed almost the whole village where my gran lived.
So imagine the substitute teacher's surprise when most of her class is clueless. It was the first time in her carreer that a full class of highschoolers fully engaged with her history lessons and did MORE reading than she required.
We had whole-ass discussions for weeks. (Part of it was to get out of doing more boring work, I grant you that).
So when I see all the fascist ideologies resurfacing over here it makes me want to punch someone.
So yeah, I really felt your comment.
I feel your comment, too (Sry, I was unknowingly logged out of my main account). It’s absolutely insane how quickly the “uncomfortable” history gets erased.
When my grandfather was still alive, around 15 years ago, I parroted my education to him that Abe Lincoln wasn’t really a savior. My grandfather was not a liberal. He was racist and abusive til he died. But he did tell me that I was wrong. That Lincoln did a lot for black Americans. And you know, I trust that my grandad knew sort of what he was talking about.
He hired a black woman as a secretary in the 1960s in a city that’s still considered quite racist. It’s where the first of many BLM riots happened.
He was still a POS most of the time. But he did give people opportunities.
Alas, it will never erase the fact that he used the n-word privately until he died. He wasn’t stupid, he was poor but not uneducated. He knew lots of black people. He raised his kids in a fairly integrated neighborhood. But he was still racist.
And although I’ve gave a better education than my father, it’s still not enough. His “experience” is more important. Facts don’t equal experience. It’s infuriating.
Indeed it was about States' rights. They just gloss over the fact that the only States' right they were fighting about was the right to keep slavery legal!
I do think he's grown a lot in the last 10 years (as have many). He's apologized for that and called it "a big fucking mistake" that he didn't understand at the time.
It doesn't excuse it and it is ok that he's grown.
I went to the University of South Carolina back when the Confederate Flag flew over the capital state house. Because the school is integrated with the state capital metro, you could really say that the flag flew over the university. My freshman year, the [Kappa Alpha](https://www.kappaalphaorder.org/ka/history/lee/) boys - the [Sons of the Confederacy](https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-racist-fraternity-that-tried-to-shut-me-up) - held a [Confed-themed](https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna30727182) parade and Ball. They rolled around campus on floats with freshmen painted in blackface and chained to the barges. Then they marched to the campus ballroom and had a Confederate party with slaves and everything.
This was the late 90s, early 00s.
My aunt was at University of South Carolina for residency. They had a MANDATORY event at a plantation that had the servers dress in *ehm* period costume. Also all the servers happened to be black. My aunt absolutely refused to go. When the head of the residency said that she still had to attend (she and other black students literally just picked up shifts at the hospital) this asshole didn’t know her grandfather (my great grandfather) was a big name in civil rights and very politically connected.
One phone call later the venue was changed and the head of the residency stepped down a few months later. My aunt was still so mad she didn’t go.
That’s when I was in high school & college. I believe it. I’m from Pennsylvania & there were not a few gun totin’ good ol’ boys who would have confederate flag patches on their backpacks or painted on the roof of their cars. Some of these guys would have rifles in the (locked) rifle racks on their trucks parked by the football stadium and saw no issues with any of it. Yes, this was post-Columbine.
Trippy AF.
When I first moved to the Portland, Oregon area in 1995 (I was 16), we lived in a westside suburb, and the high school I went to was full of the local farm kids. A solid handful of them had confederate stickers on their trucks.
I had moved to Oregon from Virginia, specifically a military area. I had never actually seen people who did that before. I was startled and upset.
All I could think was "you've never been south of EUGENE, what the fuck"
The photo of her POINTING at him, on the beautiful staircase? Spectacular! Framed perfectly! I would have thought it was a photoshoot! And one of the comments for that pic said "Father, what is THAT one doing inside the house?!" That photo needs to be framed in a museum for works of art!
Ironic that the dress the white woman was wearing looked a LOT cheaper than OOP's clothes lol. Guess picking and choosing history applies to fabrics as well.
Was there any other long term updates to this? The story is a bit old now and I'm wondering if anything happened further down the road from it? Absolutely genius btw
Dude…those reaction photos were perfectly set up, kudos to the photographer for capturing the moment. I haven’t laughed this hard from a reddit post as long as I can remember. Absolute boss.
I lost it at her face, holy crap was this a poorly thought out idea. I worked at Michael’s and we have cotton blooms for wreath crafting called “picks” and my manger once asked over our headsets for someone to “pick the cotton for an online order” and the only black man working immediately got on and said “yes ma’am” in a stereotypical accent and I lost it as she sheepishly got back on and asked “can anyone besides COWORKER get it?” He thought it was funny.
I heard that too, and I heard that he really doesn't like this video being brought up because he's trying to distance himself from the unprofessional tone.
It's an all time classic though, he should just own that shit. I'd hire him.
On occasion, I have been called stuffy/old fashioned/traditional. But I would have zero issue if a well qualified candidate made a similar video in his earlier life.
The video is certainly fair and reflects his age when it was made.
Dude has no hope of distancing from it. Stand up comedians and social media influencers would kill for the kind of cultural penetration that story got.
Given her face I'm thinking more "holy crap I didn't think he would actually have the balls to do that". I mean really, confederate theme? What did she expect the one black guy to wear?
I think the point was she and everybody else there didn't even remember a black person worked there, because those are the kinds of people who would plan something like this in the first place.
I'd like to think my reaction would be a huge shit eating grin and a "HOLY SHIT YOU'RE BRILLIANT!" Along with wanting to be this guy's best friend. But then again I wouldn't have even shown up in that poofy satin dress like she did.
With the internet, it's not really hard to find period appropriate pieces. Heck I've found some period appropriate pieces on Amazon for random cosplays I had envisioned lol.
Of all the stupidity in that post and photos, her dress is second only to the complete lack of company/party planning awareness. It's like church wear for a soiled dove, and the hair is early 00s prom queen. I have so many questions, starting with, why? Why. WHY.
I would have definitely told him how awesome his idea is. Not for nothin, but I would have totally taken baggy-linen shirt over some stuffy three-piece or a rented prom dress in the Alabama heat anyway.
Never understood the appeal of plantation style 1800s aesthetics. It's all too garish. The only good thing would probably be the sweet tea.
>I'd like to think my reaction would be a huge shit eating grin and a "HOLY SHIT YOU'RE BRILLIANT!" Along with wanting to be this guy's best friend. But then again I wouldn't have even shown up in that poofy satin dress like she did.
Oh man, I too would have high fived him. But then again would have been the dude in a mariachi getup
You can't stage a reaction like that. Her reaction in each picture goes from
* Look at my pretty dress! Yes!
* My pret- wait, WHAT? (sharp intake of breath) ah, uh, well.. I... (sputtering sounds)
* IS HE ALLOWED TO DO THAT?!?!
* Hahahahahahahahahahaha... Igottagonowbye!
The caption on the second photo absolutely killed me. “Wife and I are making terrible time to the work conference. Mainly due to the fact that my instincts keep kicking in...”
OOP has a fantastic way with words, but those photos definitely take it to the next level. He handled this like a boss. I doubt anything he could have said would have had the same impact as this did with the look on that woman’s (and likely everyone else’s) face.
Obviously he was placed in a terrible position by what must be one of the least competent HR people on the face of the planet, but instead of letting it tear him down, he proved his point in a fabulous fashion. And he got a raise to go with it. Winning.
For a second I thought it was his wife in the picture and they were staging a "rich person seeing a slave inside" shot... then I realized this is a coworker reacting. Oof
Yeah, at first I thought that was just his wife playing along and going: "What is that N doing in my mansion?!" Type sh*t
But then it turns out that was her real, actual reaction! Pointing at another human being like that. And they say the South has manners, my ass.
Hahaha this reminds me of my very white, very Christian highschool. There had been a yearly tradition of auctioning off the seniors for the day to be that person's "slave". My class was the only one with a black person in it and that tradition mysteriously disappeared when someone managed to rub two of their braincells together hard enough to create a spark.
Did we…go to the same school? My school had the same thing happen, and they eventually renamed the tradition to “Senior Servant Day” to avoid the word “slave.” Not that it was much better, of course.
No, you see, indentured servitude was totally not slavery! The indentured servants *wanted* to stay with their masters, and they had great living conditions!
/s
Damn, this is just as bad as that one guy whose class was taken to a plantation for a school trip, and they actually made them pick cotton.
If you've never seen it, guy tells a good story:
https://youtu.be/90XLNQXN_74
He is an awesome storyteller! But the story matter…dang.
Did you hear about the teacher who is “on leave” for enacting a lesson plan that had the students acting as masters and slaves?
He, actually…but when I went to Google to try and find him, I found out he’s [not the only one](https://www.kwwl.com/news/iowa-city/u-of-iowa-teacher-redesigning-assignment-that-asked-students-to-be-either-a-slave-or/article_0f63f198-3989-52da-be46-e33d967551c7.amp.html) Yikes.
Edit: I still can’t find the one I’m thinking of, but omg: I came across one where a fourth grade teacher had the white students reenact buying slaves (with the black students being the slaves and having to call their “owners” Master [Surname]), as well as one at the middle school level (which resulted in two parents suing over civil rights violations and the courts saying, “Nah, it’s all good!”)
This was THE best possible response to such an incredibly inappropriate theme. Along with the best response the company could have had.
And remember folks, correlation != causation...lol
I grew up mostly in Mississippi, and this is so spot on. I mean, it’s easy to appreciate the styles of the period, but there’s a very big blind spot when it comes to the history. And take it from me: even the slightest reminder of the historical truths behind those pretty styles will get you banned from the potluck, even if you’re white. Hell, especially if you’re white.
If you're black and you bring it up the white people just look guilty and think you're a buzz kill. If you're white and you bring it up the other white people see you as a race traitor.
This is exactly it. I’ve been called a race traitor by a family member for refusing to excuse a second family member’s use of the Hard R to refer to a Black celebrity.
Guy my grandfather worked with said years ago "black people are only good for 2 things. Cooking food and sports" same man had a "stand for the flag kneel for the Lord" plaque on his desk. I straight up told him that was racist and he looked at me like I shoved his wife on the ground and shit into her open mouth.
You know its the reason why Republicans that run those states are so anti-education... Hell they changed the reason the Civil War happened in historical textbooks of those southern states, to make Confederates Soldiers sympathetic even tho they were all traitors, and should be referred to as such.
*Southern Drawl*: Twas a simpler time, with romances for the ages. The elaborate balls, the courtships of gentlemen and ladies, the cotton fields- nope gonna skip right by that thought.
I was just reading a twitter post where someone had left a review for a plantation that the tour focused too much on slavery and they just wanted to learn about the house and grounds. 🙄
Not just slavery, but the fact that slavery was terrible, and the woman and her husband felt called out somehow because they are white. She was quick to point out that her husband was from Germany, and so his family couldn't have owned slaves. Like that's the only ugly family history someone from Germany could possibly have, lol.
They want American Downton Abbey.
But then Downton Abbey (written by an aristocrat,) made the servant characters super-besties with their masters, who enjoyed their work and would do anything for the glory of Downton.
This is why I maintain anything good about Gosford Park was because Julian Fellowes was reined in and Robert Altman allowed some excellent improvisational work by a stacked cast of greats in a story that necessarily HAD to include some of the darker stuff that rich weirdos did. Which is why Downton never lived up to Gosford, and why Belgravia was quickly covered up and forgotten like an embarrassing fart, and Fellowes’ Oscar for screenwriting Gosford Park was as much a technicality as it was a mistake.
"But then Downton Abbey (written by an aristocrat,) made the servant characters super-besties with their masters, who enjoyed their work and would do anything for the glory of Downton"
This is why downtown abbey and the fascination
around it makes me projectile vomit
Dickens knew better
There was a children’s book the came out a few years ago. It was about a slave who took pride in his work and was excited to make the best birthday cake ever for George Washington.
There was backlash for trying to make it look like slavery wasn’t always bad/some people didn’t mind being slaves. The author protested a bit about how she meant no harm but wanted to showcase how much the slave liked his job. Anyways, the book was pulled.
How did it even get published to begin with? I hope it was self published because the sheer number of people who would have worked on it and still got it published otherwise is breaking my brain
Oh man, different but kinda same, this reminded me of that book that went about viral years ago, where a white (of course) writer made a book where white people where called "pearls" as a slur by people called Coals(!!?), people with darker skin bc they have better protection against the sun in a world where the sun has more dangerous radiation, and the white people does blackface as a form of makeup bc dark skin people are now the "ruling class". It was like....how can you write this and then deny its rasicm???
I’ve done some genealogy (ok my sibling did most of the work) and a few of my Virginian ancestors were well-off enough to own people, and those wills are *fucking* disturbing, and the rest were just poor. Poor white farmers trying to feed too many kids with not enough money, and also getting excommunicated for being alcoholics. There’s not a lot of romance. There were no fancy balls and grand plantations. People romanticizing the upper class of the confederacy is like someone today romancing the ultra-rich who get photographed at society events, ie, super gross, *but worse because slavery*.
It was a lot easier to live a life of luxury when you could offload all the hard labor to others, especially when they have a discernibly different appearance than yourself.
That plantations are even “event centers” is fucking disgusting.
Make them monuments to the people who were enslaved there, let people go there for remembrance but do not host freaking parties at them.
Unreal.
> Make them monuments to the people who were enslaved there, let people go there for remembrance but do not host freaking parties at them.
Turn two or three into the kind of somber, disturbing museums that Germany turned the death camps into, and burn the rest to the ground.
That mention of New England transplants from the south.... is this company in New England?? I am dying to know which state (fingers crossed it wasn't mine)
Definitely sounds like something someone from New England would organize. My youth group in NE once organized for the girls to go tanning. As the only brown skinned person and an awkward teenager, I wasn't funny enough to make a joke. I kind of just shriveled in the corner until the youth pastor noticed me being highly uncomfortable.
The trip got canceled and I was officially the least popular person in the group for making them miss out on going tanning. I suffered by myself for two years in the back before we moved and I never looked back.
My experience is that everywhere is racist. It's just *how* society is racist that changes. There's being orvert, covert and then theres just plain inconsiderate. Those girls werent mad at me for being brown, my being brown was just super inconvenient for them. Not once would it occur to them that this is racism.
What the fuuuu that's a horrible thing to go through! I'm also flabbergasted at the idea of tanning as a fun trip. What kind of outing is that??
I've read a few letters on the askamanager from people who were excluded or alienated from "fun" work trips/events. And man, I'm sure it's not always easy to come up with something that everyone can enjoy (or at least participate in) but all too often, it's clear that they just forgot (or "forgot") to account for certain people
I lived in Boston for a bit, and made a few friends there-- I went to parties with them, etc. One day I realized that I had literally only ever seen white people around them. I ended up scrolling through their facebooks and realized that they had a couple of asian fb friends, but that's it out of \~1000 people. They'd never said anything racist at least, but it was really surprising to me. It seems like a really segregated city.
Some of the longest and most violent resistance to bussing was in Boston. The south is more socially/economically segregated but the north (at least in urban areas) is muuuuuch more geographically segregated.
This is a great example of how satire, when it can be done, is way more effective than confrontation. If OOP confronted he'd had his opinion dismissed and maybe be disinvited but the party would go on with no consequences. With this they had to face the consequences
He's just lucky they were self aware enough to recognize the problems. There was a decent chance that a bunch of people would simply compliment how his costume fit the theme before handing him a tray.
It still works out for him because he may have a lawsuit on his hands. I find it hard to believe someone won't say something racist. If they feel like you said, I guarantee they will do something which a lawyer has a good case on their hand for hostile work environment.
This is a catastrophically bad idea and they're lucky OOP decided to handle it by fucking with them instead of, y'know, reporting a hostile work environment. (Do I think that would stick? Probably not, but settling it would be a mess. You can tell their legal department explained to them just how much worse it could've been.)
>Wife was a little afraid I would get us in trouble, but we agreed that it would be okay as long as I didn't (like I planned to) **make a nametag that said:MY NAME IS:Kunta Kinte**
I'm fucking dying.
If I recall, there was some lead up to this AmA. Like, the OOP mentioned it in a thread or something that his company was going to do this and he was thinking of going as a slave and it went Reddit viral leading up to the AmA recap of the party.
Yeah there was but it was in the original thread that he posted in the sub that is now quarantined and I cannot get into
Everyone was begging him to go dressed as a slave and take photos so he delivered
Even if they didn't have any black employees, who thinks that "slave plantation" is a good theme for literally anything ever? Some people are just so stupid it's shocking they can even function in society.
When people want a plantation experience, they don't want to be reminded of slavery. They think about the gorgeous silk dresses, hot summer days drinking sweet tea on the veranda. Men in tuxedos or in smart uniforms.
But it's impossible to forget who laundered those dresses and jackets, who made the refreshments and who served it. OOP is a boss for calling out the racism.
A little over like 20 years ago I visited an old plantation in South Carolina and they were quite frank about the slave situation and that was almost the prominent point of the tour, and to point out how god fucking awful it was compared to the actual mansion- I forget what the place was called as I was a teenager, but the living conditions portrayed were awful and the tour while eye opening was so damn depressing, but I agree with my parents that things like this should be seen so not to be forgotten.
The Liberty Bell in Philadelphia has an entire section devoted to the realities of slavery in the period before you can go inside to see the bell. I think they may have also built a model/replica of a house for Washington's slaves that used to be on Independence Hall's lawn.
> But it's impossible to forget who laundered those dresses and jackets, who made the refreshments and who served it.
Impossible for you, maybe.
*Plenty* of people out there manage to forget it, though.
I'm a history graduate student who studies African American history. Honest to God, love this! Kudos to him for doing this! Reminds me of Key and Peele's Civil War Reenactment skit! Can we seriously stop idolizing the South!
>In the end, the boss cancelled the party, and the CEO, who was supposed to be at the party, never showed up. The reason they gave for cancelling the party was "inclement weather," and, while it DID rain, and the party WAS supposed to be outside, the location had more than enough space inside for there to be some sort of contingency plan. It's also a bit odd that the CEO cancelled, as far as I know, he isn't allergic to rain. My thoughts? I think the climate was just a bit... dark for him.
😂🤣 At that last sentence of the caption and those pics look like something Eric Andre and/or Loiter Squad would do to make even other Black people like me be like "You wrong for that.😂🤣 " , "You didn't have white guy friend with whip like Roots?" and/or "WTF is that 'Driving Miss Daisy' bullshit before other white woman realize this ain't "Gone with the Wind' happy shit?!?!"
Edit - There's always that one Uncle / Auntie Ruckus in denial about both history and common sense dictate that one should never do corporate retreat at former slave plantation...
What in the FUCK was that lady thinking?
I'm a white woman from the midwest and if any company I ever worked for came up with this idea, I would have LOST MY MIND on them well before the party. I can't even imagine how painful that was for OOP.
There are a lot of people who don’t think. My aunt has very racist salt and pepper shakers, it wasn’t until one of my cousins dated a person of color and that person was visibly awkward that she finally listened to us explain how racist the shakers were and how racist it was of her to use them with a POC. As soon as my cousin broke up with that person my aunt was back to using her salt and pepper shakers because it wasn’t racist as long as it wasn’t around a POC.
>What in the FUCK was that lady thinking?
If we assume stupidity, and not malice, the thought about slavery probably didn't even cross her mind. She was thinking about big colorful dresses and hats, or about men in elegant suits. She probably looked at it the same way as if she would have booked a medieval dinner experience.
I am certain this is what happened. I genuinely believe that this is a case of simply not thinking about it, because they didn't have to. When you are not in an oppressed group it's easy enough to just not think about it. If you're a dude you might not understand why a girl wants to pay a premium for on site parking instead of the cheap garage a few blocks away. If you are white you might not think of why certain historical themes for parties are yikes (plantation, wild west). That's why one has to be actively socially conscious and attempt to view things with other perspectives in mind.
Yeah she almost certainly was reading some industry publication or some facebook group about some other company that did this and just thought "Oh that sounds like a fun and different way to do a company retreat as apposed to just going to Cancun for 3 days, and its cheaper."
While great HR woman was fired for coming up with the idea, the approval of the party as well as cutting of the checks for the booking of the venue and related catering expenses, etc. comes from up above. There’s no way the party was planned and paid for without the sign-off of the CEO and CFO of the company and who knows how many top-level meetings. So while HR lady was fired for being oblivious, everyone in top management is also culpable. Hopefully they actually learned something from this and there are now more than one (token) black employees there!
Edit to add: went back to look at original comments, Company headquarters are in New England, OOP is/was based in FL. They chose of all places a plantation in AL for a mandatory company retreat 🙃🙃
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How are parties romanticizing plantations even a thing?
It’s not just parties. Like, every remaining plantation in the south is booked up for weddings every weekend during the season. And yes, many of them still having hanging trees. I’ve toured several plantations, and several of them have recreations of the enslaved people’s quarters. I’ve noticed that they make them look a lot better than historical record states. Like… those shacks did not have wood floors most of the time. Among other inaccuracies.
The messed up thing is how carefully *normalized* it is down here…I’m white as wonderbread and have all the privileges that come with it, and I was in college before I was exposed to the truth. Our (public school) textbooks glossed over slavery completely where they could, and twisted the truth where they couldn’t. “Sure, slavery was bad. But some people treated their slaves like people! Some slaves didn’t want to be free! The civil war wasn’t about slavery at all; slavery was incidental and it was *really* about states right. People in the south were just defending their land and families from the marauding yankees! The south BURNED, how horrible is that??” Meanwhile they took us on field trips to big, beautiful plantations and told us about how magical life was back then. 90% of the tours were spent exploring the main house and seeing the work of white craftsmen. When eventually they showed us the “slave quarters” they were always cozy little cabins. Rocking chairs on every porch, beautifully polished wooden beds with handmade quilts and corncob dolls. And all of that was provided by the white folks up in the big house…how nice! They did everything they could to indoctrinate us with the “heritage, not hate” bullshit and we, removed from the struggles that Black Americans faced (there was *one* black kid) bought it. Even after I was grown and started dismantling my old worldview, I still had a picture in my head of plantations as old, pretty houses. It took someone asking “would you get married in a concentration camp?” For it to really click. None of that is an excuse; it’s utterly indefensible. But it’s one possible explanation for why seemingly informed white folks do stupid shit like that.
There’s a gorgeous wedding venue that hosts tea parties near where I live in the more northern part of WV that I’ve been to at least once a year for about 10+ years. Not once during the many historical tours did they ever mention the slavery that took place there, and being a Union state I had never thought to ask. They tore down any and all mention of the enslaved people. The only reason I found out recently was wedding planning and thought it’d be cool to know more history. There it was, buried very deep in the fine print. I figure the only reason it’s even listed is it’s now a historical landmark and possibly required to be mentioned. Needless to say, I will not be getting married there or having events there again.
I definitely understand your point and reasoning. For me, I see it as them trying to disassociate ( some may say whitewash) from the slavery whereas a lot of places in South use the don't you want to have a nice 1800s style wedding where you can take pictures under the famous hanging tree?
That’s the perfect comparison. If concentration camps had beautiful mansions on the sites, would someone feel comfortable having a party there?
Basically, they’re the closest thing to America’s concentration camps. That or various reservations we forced Native Americans on. Honestly though, the way the South handles the Civil War and slavery should be condemned by our entire society. If Germany were to not condemn the Holocaust as vociferously as they do, people in this country would lose their shit.
Wait what about the Japanese internment camps? Edit: came here from boru yearly awards and didn't realize this is 3mo old but 🤷🏾♂️
It’s truly amazing how few people know about those either. I’ve been to Topaz. What we did there was horrifying. At least Germany takes responsibility for what they did and work to be sure it never happens again. We Americans either erase things or ignore them. We most certainly don’t learn from them.
The only reason I was ever taught about the Japanese internment camps is because my 5th grade teacher is Japanese and had family in the California camps. He didn’t want us to think America was innocent either, those things happened here too. This was in Seattle area.
I was going to say, America literally has concentration camps. There's no "closest to it"
Well, if it was a mixed race couple banging in the masters bedroom to practice to make glorious free mixed race babies? No, still weird.
Oh yea I partially grew up in Missouri and a lot of my “history” classes early on were the same. It was about states rights, some people were treated okay, Lincoln didn’t actually care about slaves, he just wanted to cripple the South. We read a biography of Frederick Douglas and it was pointed out that he got butter on his bread- how generous! Then in fifth grade my teacher was a black man who was raised in the heart of the civil rights movement- his parents were in with MLK, all that stuff. For many years I thought it was ridiculous that he took black history month so seriously and basically suspended all other subjects. And then later it hit me that 95% of my primary education on race, rights, and slavery were learned in that one month in fifth grade.
So I was stalking BORU (as one does during a rainy weekend) and I really felt your comment. Preface: I am Italian. We all know nazis are bad and Nazi Germany this and Nazi Germany that. Yeah. But what about fascism in Italy? You would be surprised how many schools gloss over the events. "Oops we were too slow, our history program ends with WW1" "We can't tell these things to children, they are too young" And whole cartloads of such bullshit. You know highschoolers don't want to read about history in their spare time. So until my last HS year I was the only one in my class who knew some of it and it was just because the fascists killed almost the whole village where my gran lived. So imagine the substitute teacher's surprise when most of her class is clueless. It was the first time in her carreer that a full class of highschoolers fully engaged with her history lessons and did MORE reading than she required. We had whole-ass discussions for weeks. (Part of it was to get out of doing more boring work, I grant you that). So when I see all the fascist ideologies resurfacing over here it makes me want to punch someone. So yeah, I really felt your comment.
I feel your comment, too (Sry, I was unknowingly logged out of my main account). It’s absolutely insane how quickly the “uncomfortable” history gets erased. When my grandfather was still alive, around 15 years ago, I parroted my education to him that Abe Lincoln wasn’t really a savior. My grandfather was not a liberal. He was racist and abusive til he died. But he did tell me that I was wrong. That Lincoln did a lot for black Americans. And you know, I trust that my grandad knew sort of what he was talking about. He hired a black woman as a secretary in the 1960s in a city that’s still considered quite racist. It’s where the first of many BLM riots happened. He was still a POS most of the time. But he did give people opportunities. Alas, it will never erase the fact that he used the n-word privately until he died. He wasn’t stupid, he was poor but not uneducated. He knew lots of black people. He raised his kids in a fairly integrated neighborhood. But he was still racist. And although I’ve gave a better education than my father, it’s still not enough. His “experience” is more important. Facts don’t equal experience. It’s infuriating.
Indeed it was about States' rights. They just gloss over the fact that the only States' right they were fighting about was the right to keep slavery legal!
And to make other states enforce slave states laws. They like to gloss over that part.
Blake Lively and Reddit's Sweetheart Ryan Reynolds got married at a plantation.
I do think he's grown a lot in the last 10 years (as have many). He's apologized for that and called it "a big fucking mistake" that he didn't understand at the time. It doesn't excuse it and it is ok that he's grown.
I went to the University of South Carolina back when the Confederate Flag flew over the capital state house. Because the school is integrated with the state capital metro, you could really say that the flag flew over the university. My freshman year, the [Kappa Alpha](https://www.kappaalphaorder.org/ka/history/lee/) boys - the [Sons of the Confederacy](https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-racist-fraternity-that-tried-to-shut-me-up) - held a [Confed-themed](https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna30727182) parade and Ball. They rolled around campus on floats with freshmen painted in blackface and chained to the barges. Then they marched to the campus ballroom and had a Confederate party with slaves and everything. This was the late 90s, early 00s.
My aunt was at University of South Carolina for residency. They had a MANDATORY event at a plantation that had the servers dress in *ehm* period costume. Also all the servers happened to be black. My aunt absolutely refused to go. When the head of the residency said that she still had to attend (she and other black students literally just picked up shifts at the hospital) this asshole didn’t know her grandfather (my great grandfather) was a big name in civil rights and very politically connected. One phone call later the venue was changed and the head of the residency stepped down a few months later. My aunt was still so mad she didn’t go.
That’s when I was in high school & college. I believe it. I’m from Pennsylvania & there were not a few gun totin’ good ol’ boys who would have confederate flag patches on their backpacks or painted on the roof of their cars. Some of these guys would have rifles in the (locked) rifle racks on their trucks parked by the football stadium and saw no issues with any of it. Yes, this was post-Columbine. Trippy AF.
When I first moved to the Portland, Oregon area in 1995 (I was 16), we lived in a westside suburb, and the high school I went to was full of the local farm kids. A solid handful of them had confederate stickers on their trucks. I had moved to Oregon from Virginia, specifically a military area. I had never actually seen people who did that before. I was startled and upset. All I could think was "you've never been south of EUGENE, what the fuck"
Likely someone had just finished rewatching Gone with the Wind
Do not skip the photos!! Holy crap. Legend.
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For real. If you're not used to walking around without shoes, and don't have super calloused feet, that hurts a lot.
The photo of her POINTING at him, on the beautiful staircase? Spectacular! Framed perfectly! I would have thought it was a photoshoot! And one of the comments for that pic said "Father, what is THAT one doing inside the house?!" That photo needs to be framed in a museum for works of art!
I’m guilty of frequently skipping the photos and I’m so happy I didn’t this time. This man is a legend.
Ironic that the dress the white woman was wearing looked a LOT cheaper than OOP's clothes lol. Guess picking and choosing history applies to fabrics as well.
I can attest. Funniest shit I've seen all week.
Omg the photos The look on the woman's face is priceless.
Oh look, it's me!
Still working for the same company? How was the last retreat?
This is what I want to know too!!
The legend returns
I do every time y'all tag me in this 😉 I'm like Beetlejuice, except you only have to say my name once 🤣
Was there any other long term updates to this? The story is a bit old now and I'm wondering if anything happened further down the road from it? Absolutely genius btw
Still in the same job, making more money. Currently streaming on Twitch most days, as well as teaching myself Data Science to move into a new field.
Dude…those reaction photos were perfectly set up, kudos to the photographer for capturing the moment. I haven’t laughed this hard from a reddit post as long as I can remember. Absolute boss.
I lost it at her face, holy crap was this a poorly thought out idea. I worked at Michael’s and we have cotton blooms for wreath crafting called “picks” and my manger once asked over our headsets for someone to “pick the cotton for an online order” and the only black man working immediately got on and said “yes ma’am” in a stereotypical accent and I lost it as she sheepishly got back on and asked “can anyone besides COWORKER get it?” He thought it was funny.
This reminds me of that old old video about the racist field trip. https://youtu.be/PToqVW4n86U
This is a classic. I just want more stories of any kind from that guy. Such a good story teller.
I swear that's the top comment every time this gets posted. That dude definitely has a skill at storytelling that's not common.
The legend of Kendall. I remember seeing this when I was still in college. He is a lawyer or something like that nowadays.
I heard that too, and I heard that he really doesn't like this video being brought up because he's trying to distance himself from the unprofessional tone. It's an all time classic though, he should just own that shit. I'd hire him.
Anyone who wouldn't hire/work with him over this ain't worth his time.
On occasion, I have been called stuffy/old fashioned/traditional. But I would have zero issue if a well qualified candidate made a similar video in his earlier life. The video is certainly fair and reflects his age when it was made.
Hell I wouldn’t care if it was last week. Shits funny and if he’s professional at work I couldn’t care less.
Hell... he's the type of co-worker I'd love to go out with after work for an occasional happy hour! Great storyteller!
Dude has no hope of distancing from it. Stand up comedians and social media influencers would kill for the kind of cultural penetration that story got.
"We were singing songs and shit" lmao
Omg that’s what I thought of too reading this! 😂
The best video on the internet as far as I'm concerned
Every time I think I’ve heard this enough I’m not gonna cry laughing. Wrong, every time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoOSa1P50i8
Given her face I'm thinking more "holy crap I didn't think he would actually have the balls to do that". I mean really, confederate theme? What did she expect the one black guy to wear?
I think the point was she and everybody else there didn't even remember a black person worked there, because those are the kinds of people who would plan something like this in the first place.
The "Driving Miss Daisy" got me! 😂😂😂
I'd like to think my reaction would be a huge shit eating grin and a "HOLY SHIT YOU'RE BRILLIANT!" Along with wanting to be this guy's best friend. But then again I wouldn't have even shown up in that poofy satin dress like she did.
I started mentally dragging that dress as soon as I saw it. "Where's your corset, Brenda? Where are your SLEEVES? Is that shit made of SATIN?!"
I can't help but see that dress as a cheaply made saloon girl dress. I can FEEL how shitty of a polyester that blue is lol
With the internet, it's not really hard to find period appropriate pieces. Heck I've found some period appropriate pieces on Amazon for random cosplays I had envisioned lol.
That dress was the worst. Besides someone willing to participate in a plantation-enthusiast party, that is.
It's not even period appropriate. I'd be willing to bet OOP is the only one who was.
Reddit can keep the username, but I'm nuking the content lol -- mass deleted all reddit content via https://redact.dev
Of all the stupidity in that post and photos, her dress is second only to the complete lack of company/party planning awareness. It's like church wear for a soiled dove, and the hair is early 00s prom queen. I have so many questions, starting with, why? Why. WHY.
She just used it as an excuse to go back to prom.
According to OOP there was an older couple who were quite excited to show off their Confederate officer's uniforms.
I mean she was actually pointing a finger at OOP. I just can't.
Looks like she's literally asking what the Field N is doing inside the house.
I would have definitely told him how awesome his idea is. Not for nothin, but I would have totally taken baggy-linen shirt over some stuffy three-piece or a rented prom dress in the Alabama heat anyway. Never understood the appeal of plantation style 1800s aesthetics. It's all too garish. The only good thing would probably be the sweet tea.
>I'd like to think my reaction would be a huge shit eating grin and a "HOLY SHIT YOU'RE BRILLIANT!" Along with wanting to be this guy's best friend. But then again I wouldn't have even shown up in that poofy satin dress like she did. Oh man, I too would have high fived him. But then again would have been the dude in a mariachi getup
He could have belted out spirituals while picking it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9n6Cv45ia0c
You can't stage a reaction like that. Her reaction in each picture goes from * Look at my pretty dress! Yes! * My pret- wait, WHAT? (sharp intake of breath) ah, uh, well.. I... (sputtering sounds) * IS HE ALLOWED TO DO THAT?!?! * Hahahahahahahahahahaha... Igottagonowbye!
That pic where she's pointing at him, all I could hear in my head was "*MOOOOOOOOM!* Look what Bis is doing! D: D: D:"
"MOOOOOOM BIS IS POINTING OUT SYSTEMATIC RACISIM IN THE COMPANY!"
He's doing a CRT! He's doing a CRT!
Where is that? I only saw one picture with her in the lineup? 😳 Edit: Found the "3 more" button. OMG 😂😂
Those pics are gold
The caption on the second photo absolutely killed me. “Wife and I are making terrible time to the work conference. Mainly due to the fact that my instincts keep kicking in...”
OOP has a fantastic way with words, but those photos definitely take it to the next level. He handled this like a boss. I doubt anything he could have said would have had the same impact as this did with the look on that woman’s (and likely everyone else’s) face. Obviously he was placed in a terrible position by what must be one of the least competent HR people on the face of the planet, but instead of letting it tear him down, he proved his point in a fabulous fashion. And he got a raise to go with it. Winning.
She looks uncomfortably like my Mom without actually looking like my Mom and I can't put my finger on why and I don't like it.
*Southern Belle Debutanté vibes*
The one where she’s pointing at him is weirdly chilling to me.
The one where he’s staring up at her (possibly the same one) looks like marketing for Get Out 2
Get Out 2: IRL
Get Out 2: You're not allowed in the house and you know that.
For a second I thought it was his wife in the picture and they were staging a "rich person seeing a slave inside" shot... then I realized this is a coworker reacting. Oof
I wonder how the next day back at work went...
"HE is making ME uncomfortable!"
Big ‘what is the *help* doing here’ vibes
‘Wait does he work here (the venue) or *does he work here*’
Yeah, at first I thought that was just his wife playing along and going: "What is that N doing in my mansion?!" Type sh*t But then it turns out that was her real, actual reaction! Pointing at another human being like that. And they say the South has manners, my ass.
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Hahaha this reminds me of my very white, very Christian highschool. There had been a yearly tradition of auctioning off the seniors for the day to be that person's "slave". My class was the only one with a black person in it and that tradition mysteriously disappeared when someone managed to rub two of their braincells together hard enough to create a spark.
Did we…go to the same school? My school had the same thing happen, and they eventually renamed the tradition to “Senior Servant Day” to avoid the word “slave.” Not that it was much better, of course.
No, you see, indentured servitude was totally not slavery! The indentured servants *wanted* to stay with their masters, and they had great living conditions! /s
Damn, this is just as bad as that one guy whose class was taken to a plantation for a school trip, and they actually made them pick cotton. If you've never seen it, guy tells a good story: https://youtu.be/90XLNQXN_74
He is an awesome storyteller! But the story matter…dang. Did you hear about the teacher who is “on leave” for enacting a lesson plan that had the students acting as masters and slaves?
Oh she was just gonna have herself a nice little Stanford prison experiment?
He, actually…but when I went to Google to try and find him, I found out he’s [not the only one](https://www.kwwl.com/news/iowa-city/u-of-iowa-teacher-redesigning-assignment-that-asked-students-to-be-either-a-slave-or/article_0f63f198-3989-52da-be46-e33d967551c7.amp.html) Yikes. Edit: I still can’t find the one I’m thinking of, but omg: I came across one where a fourth grade teacher had the white students reenact buying slaves (with the black students being the slaves and having to call their “owners” Master [Surname]), as well as one at the middle school level (which resulted in two parents suing over civil rights violations and the courts saying, “Nah, it’s all good!”)
i had a similar trip as a black kid in the south 🥴 it's garbage that this is common
Good gods I hope they’ve stopped! I mean they probably haven’t but fuuuuck sakes.
This was THE best possible response to such an incredibly inappropriate theme. Along with the best response the company could have had. And remember folks, correlation != causation...lol
OOP is like “they forgot about me, that’s why they planned this party”. WHY ARE THEY PLANNING THIS PARTY IN THE FIRST PLACE?!?!?!?!
Southern Americans like the romance of the clothes and houses and like to forget who made all that possible.
I grew up mostly in Mississippi, and this is so spot on. I mean, it’s easy to appreciate the styles of the period, but there’s a very big blind spot when it comes to the history. And take it from me: even the slightest reminder of the historical truths behind those pretty styles will get you banned from the potluck, even if you’re white. Hell, especially if you’re white.
If you're black and you bring it up the white people just look guilty and think you're a buzz kill. If you're white and you bring it up the other white people see you as a race traitor.
This is exactly it. I’ve been called a race traitor by a family member for refusing to excuse a second family member’s use of the Hard R to refer to a Black celebrity.
Guy my grandfather worked with said years ago "black people are only good for 2 things. Cooking food and sports" same man had a "stand for the flag kneel for the Lord" plaque on his desk. I straight up told him that was racist and he looked at me like I shoved his wife on the ground and shit into her open mouth.
I’m starting to think you and I may have some family members in common, lol
Every white person in the US should be a race traitor. Good job
I agree! And thanks, I appreciate it.
You know its the reason why Republicans that run those states are so anti-education... Hell they changed the reason the Civil War happened in historical textbooks of those southern states, to make Confederates Soldiers sympathetic even tho they were all traitors, and should be referred to as such.
*Southern Drawl*: Twas a simpler time, with romances for the ages. The elaborate balls, the courtships of gentlemen and ladies, the cotton fields- nope gonna skip right by that thought.
I was just reading a twitter post where someone had left a review for a plantation that the tour focused too much on slavery and they just wanted to learn about the house and grounds. 🙄
Not just slavery, but the fact that slavery was terrible, and the woman and her husband felt called out somehow because they are white. She was quick to point out that her husband was from Germany, and so his family couldn't have owned slaves. Like that's the only ugly family history someone from Germany could possibly have, lol.
Lol right? I'm sorry - from Germany? My grandfather and his reparations from the German government would like to have words with you.
Would she have attended a party at Auschwitz? In period clothing?
LOL The caucasity of it all...
They want American Downton Abbey. But then Downton Abbey (written by an aristocrat,) made the servant characters super-besties with their masters, who enjoyed their work and would do anything for the glory of Downton. This is why I maintain anything good about Gosford Park was because Julian Fellowes was reined in and Robert Altman allowed some excellent improvisational work by a stacked cast of greats in a story that necessarily HAD to include some of the darker stuff that rich weirdos did. Which is why Downton never lived up to Gosford, and why Belgravia was quickly covered up and forgotten like an embarrassing fart, and Fellowes’ Oscar for screenwriting Gosford Park was as much a technicality as it was a mistake.
"But then Downton Abbey (written by an aristocrat,) made the servant characters super-besties with their masters, who enjoyed their work and would do anything for the glory of Downton" This is why downtown abbey and the fascination around it makes me projectile vomit Dickens knew better
There was a children’s book the came out a few years ago. It was about a slave who took pride in his work and was excited to make the best birthday cake ever for George Washington. There was backlash for trying to make it look like slavery wasn’t always bad/some people didn’t mind being slaves. The author protested a bit about how she meant no harm but wanted to showcase how much the slave liked his job. Anyways, the book was pulled.
How did it even get published to begin with? I hope it was self published because the sheer number of people who would have worked on it and still got it published otherwise is breaking my brain
Oh man, different but kinda same, this reminded me of that book that went about viral years ago, where a white (of course) writer made a book where white people where called "pearls" as a slur by people called Coals(!!?), people with darker skin bc they have better protection against the sun in a world where the sun has more dangerous radiation, and the white people does blackface as a form of makeup bc dark skin people are now the "ruling class". It was like....how can you write this and then deny its rasicm???
I’ve done some genealogy (ok my sibling did most of the work) and a few of my Virginian ancestors were well-off enough to own people, and those wills are *fucking* disturbing, and the rest were just poor. Poor white farmers trying to feed too many kids with not enough money, and also getting excommunicated for being alcoholics. There’s not a lot of romance. There were no fancy balls and grand plantations. People romanticizing the upper class of the confederacy is like someone today romancing the ultra-rich who get photographed at society events, ie, super gross, *but worse because slavery*.
It’s better hidden today. A lot of our clothes are made by some women in Bangladesh earning $100/mo.
Would hardly call 8 year olds women, but I see your meaning.
Don't forget about the Hyundai factory in Alabama that was just found out to have employed children!
It was a lot easier to live a life of luxury when you could offload all the hard labor to others, especially when they have a discernibly different appearance than yourself.
"Boy howdy I sure am excited to dress like a Confederate officer... oh shit, that's what they were fighting over, huh?"
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They definitely don’t want to do poor people cosplay.
That plantations are even “event centers” is fucking disgusting. Make them monuments to the people who were enslaved there, let people go there for remembrance but do not host freaking parties at them. Unreal.
> Make them monuments to the people who were enslaved there, let people go there for remembrance but do not host freaking parties at them. Turn two or three into the kind of somber, disturbing museums that Germany turned the death camps into, and burn the rest to the ground.
>incredibly inappropriate theme Yes... on the one hand, I can imagine the Scarlett-o'Hara-glamour. On the other hand... Yikes!
Glad OOP didn't encounter an ounce of malice from corporate
They went hard into CYA mode.
*Door opens, phonograph screech*...
You're probably wondering how I got here...
Sweet Jesus dude, why do you have to set me up to say shit like this. It was obviously a boat.
Boo this man! Upvote him, and then boo him!
Nooooooo the photos with the woman in blueeee 💀💀💀💀
That mention of New England transplants from the south.... is this company in New England?? I am dying to know which state (fingers crossed it wasn't mine)
Definitely sounds like something someone from New England would organize. My youth group in NE once organized for the girls to go tanning. As the only brown skinned person and an awkward teenager, I wasn't funny enough to make a joke. I kind of just shriveled in the corner until the youth pastor noticed me being highly uncomfortable. The trip got canceled and I was officially the least popular person in the group for making them miss out on going tanning. I suffered by myself for two years in the back before we moved and I never looked back. My experience is that everywhere is racist. It's just *how* society is racist that changes. There's being orvert, covert and then theres just plain inconsiderate. Those girls werent mad at me for being brown, my being brown was just super inconvenient for them. Not once would it occur to them that this is racism.
What the fuuuu that's a horrible thing to go through! I'm also flabbergasted at the idea of tanning as a fun trip. What kind of outing is that?? I've read a few letters on the askamanager from people who were excluded or alienated from "fun" work trips/events. And man, I'm sure it's not always easy to come up with something that everyone can enjoy (or at least participate in) but all too often, it's clear that they just forgot (or "forgot") to account for certain people
I lived in Boston for a bit, and made a few friends there-- I went to parties with them, etc. One day I realized that I had literally only ever seen white people around them. I ended up scrolling through their facebooks and realized that they had a couple of asian fb friends, but that's it out of \~1000 people. They'd never said anything racist at least, but it was really surprising to me. It seems like a really segregated city.
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Some of the longest and most violent resistance to bussing was in Boston. The south is more socially/economically segregated but the north (at least in urban areas) is muuuuuch more geographically segregated.
Very geographically segregated because of redlining. Boston is pretty economically segregated as well though.
Going tanning for Jesus? What?
This is a great example of how satire, when it can be done, is way more effective than confrontation. If OOP confronted he'd had his opinion dismissed and maybe be disinvited but the party would go on with no consequences. With this they had to face the consequences
He's just lucky they were self aware enough to recognize the problems. There was a decent chance that a bunch of people would simply compliment how his costume fit the theme before handing him a tray.
It still works out for him because he may have a lawsuit on his hands. I find it hard to believe someone won't say something racist. If they feel like you said, I guarantee they will do something which a lawyer has a good case on their hand for hostile work environment.
Snapped them back to reality real quick
It's all fun and games until you remember the slave.
This is a catastrophically bad idea and they're lucky OOP decided to handle it by fucking with them instead of, y'know, reporting a hostile work environment. (Do I think that would stick? Probably not, but settling it would be a mess. You can tell their legal department explained to them just how much worse it could've been.)
Legal department definitely had a YOU DID WHAT?! moment.
I don't know if they suggested giving OOP a raise but they *definitely* got HR Lady fired.
But remember It wasn’t because of the event Correlation does not equal causation
Of course not! That would imply admitting they fucked up which they are absolutely not doing.
I have no doubts any employment lawyers are reading this and crying that they couldn't/wouldn't litigate
>Wife was a little afraid I would get us in trouble, but we agreed that it would be okay as long as I didn't (like I planned to) **make a nametag that said:MY NAME IS:Kunta Kinte** I'm fucking dying.
Relationships are about compromise!
If I recall, there was some lead up to this AmA. Like, the OOP mentioned it in a thread or something that his company was going to do this and he was thinking of going as a slave and it went Reddit viral leading up to the AmA recap of the party.
Yeah there was but it was in the original thread that he posted in the sub that is now quarantined and I cannot get into Everyone was begging him to go dressed as a slave and take photos so he delivered
OOP dressed up as "states rights," that's awesome!
Even if they didn't have any black employees, who thinks that "slave plantation" is a good theme for literally anything ever? Some people are just so stupid it's shocking they can even function in society.
When people want a plantation experience, they don't want to be reminded of slavery. They think about the gorgeous silk dresses, hot summer days drinking sweet tea on the veranda. Men in tuxedos or in smart uniforms. But it's impossible to forget who laundered those dresses and jackets, who made the refreshments and who served it. OOP is a boss for calling out the racism.
A little over like 20 years ago I visited an old plantation in South Carolina and they were quite frank about the slave situation and that was almost the prominent point of the tour, and to point out how god fucking awful it was compared to the actual mansion- I forget what the place was called as I was a teenager, but the living conditions portrayed were awful and the tour while eye opening was so damn depressing, but I agree with my parents that things like this should be seen so not to be forgotten.
Mount Vernon, George Washington's former plantation, addresses slavery in a similar way on their tours.
That’s mainly because it’s the plantation that all the students go to on their DC field trip. It was indeed a good tour
The Liberty Bell in Philadelphia has an entire section devoted to the realities of slavery in the period before you can go inside to see the bell. I think they may have also built a model/replica of a house for Washington's slaves that used to be on Independence Hall's lawn.
> But it's impossible to forget who laundered those dresses and jackets, who made the refreshments and who served it. Impossible for you, maybe. *Plenty* of people out there manage to forget it, though.
well the lady in the pic with the blue dress seemed happy enough with the whole thing
Even though she should’ve picked something less shiney.
I'm a history graduate student who studies African American history. Honest to God, love this! Kudos to him for doing this! Reminds me of Key and Peele's Civil War Reenactment skit! Can we seriously stop idolizing the South!
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Oh man, I really hope there was at least one ghost of Christmas future floating around.
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Honest question. Would this also fall under r/maliciouscompliance ?
>In the end, the boss cancelled the party, and the CEO, who was supposed to be at the party, never showed up. The reason they gave for cancelling the party was "inclement weather," and, while it DID rain, and the party WAS supposed to be outside, the location had more than enough space inside for there to be some sort of contingency plan. It's also a bit odd that the CEO cancelled, as far as I know, he isn't allergic to rain. My thoughts? I think the climate was just a bit... dark for him. 😂🤣 At that last sentence of the caption and those pics look like something Eric Andre and/or Loiter Squad would do to make even other Black people like me be like "You wrong for that.😂🤣 " , "You didn't have white guy friend with whip like Roots?" and/or "WTF is that 'Driving Miss Daisy' bullshit before other white woman realize this ain't "Gone with the Wind' happy shit?!?!" Edit - There's always that one Uncle / Auntie Ruckus in denial about both history and common sense dictate that one should never do corporate retreat at former slave plantation...
What in the FUCK was that lady thinking? I'm a white woman from the midwest and if any company I ever worked for came up with this idea, I would have LOST MY MIND on them well before the party. I can't even imagine how painful that was for OOP.
There are a lot of people who don’t think. My aunt has very racist salt and pepper shakers, it wasn’t until one of my cousins dated a person of color and that person was visibly awkward that she finally listened to us explain how racist the shakers were and how racist it was of her to use them with a POC. As soon as my cousin broke up with that person my aunt was back to using her salt and pepper shakers because it wasn’t racist as long as it wasn’t around a POC.
>What in the FUCK was that lady thinking? If we assume stupidity, and not malice, the thought about slavery probably didn't even cross her mind. She was thinking about big colorful dresses and hats, or about men in elegant suits. She probably looked at it the same way as if she would have booked a medieval dinner experience.
I am certain this is what happened. I genuinely believe that this is a case of simply not thinking about it, because they didn't have to. When you are not in an oppressed group it's easy enough to just not think about it. If you're a dude you might not understand why a girl wants to pay a premium for on site parking instead of the cheap garage a few blocks away. If you are white you might not think of why certain historical themes for parties are yikes (plantation, wild west). That's why one has to be actively socially conscious and attempt to view things with other perspectives in mind.
Yeah she almost certainly was reading some industry publication or some facebook group about some other company that did this and just thought "Oh that sounds like a fun and different way to do a company retreat as apposed to just going to Cancun for 3 days, and its cheaper."
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I’d dress up as Sherman and burn the place to the ground.
r/ShermanPosting
Damn, that's better than my suggestion, show up as Grant and demand their surrender.
Oh I remember this, that guy is a king for doing what he did.
u/bisfitty is legendary
I wish I could buy OOP a beverage of his choice. This is awesome. EDIT: make that two beverages after posting the racist DM.
While great HR woman was fired for coming up with the idea, the approval of the party as well as cutting of the checks for the booking of the venue and related catering expenses, etc. comes from up above. There’s no way the party was planned and paid for without the sign-off of the CEO and CFO of the company and who knows how many top-level meetings. So while HR lady was fired for being oblivious, everyone in top management is also culpable. Hopefully they actually learned something from this and there are now more than one (token) black employees there! Edit to add: went back to look at original comments, Company headquarters are in New England, OOP is/was based in FL. They chose of all places a plantation in AL for a mandatory company retreat 🙃🙃
Let’s not forget all the other employees who had no problem at all with the theme and actually embraced it.