Racist, tasteless or good to go?
 

This is a spin off of the language thread. It just happens to be very well timed for my current situation. I am in the Army and my 1SG a.k.a First Sergeant(head senior enlisted boss) is the topic of this next situation. 1SG is black and I am white.


1SG walks into room after all courtesies had been rendered. I am standing around with other soldiers. Admittedly, I'm standing like joe-cool with my hands on my sides staring off into space.


1SG walks up to me.
1SG "You got pistols in your pocket?"
ME- I go to parade rest (military position with hands behind my back)
ME- "No 1SG"
1SG "You look like a teapot."
ME- "I'm sorry 1SG am I not allowed to stand like that?"
1SG "You can stand however you want."
1SG walks away and I stupidly don't take the hint and go back to standing that way and 1SG walks back in.
1SG "Don't stand like that."
ME- "Yes 1SG"
1SG "You know who stands like that?"
ME- "Who 1SG"
1SG "A slave owner stands like that when he's watching his slaves in the field working. Have you ever seen a slave owner."
ME- "No 1SG"
1SG "Well thats how they stand."


I didn't take it too much to heart at that time(happened 2 months ago). But many circumstances that have happened after that have lead me to believe that he has a huge problem with me. My direct supervisor is aware of the situation and I think some stuff is brewing about this with my unit and am not really sure what to be expecting now.

What do you think about the exchange?

Stop standing like a teapot then.

Ask him if he's ever seen a slave owner? Because slavery ended 200 ****ing years ago.

And then ask him if he sucks dick......then tell him bullshit and that you bet he can suck a golfball through a garden hose.

Then call him Private Snowball.

Just sounds like one of those fellas who is gonna find a reason to not like someone.

......LMAO

LMAO

Slap his ass like Kunta Kinte!

My big thing is, what if it was an older white guy, telling a young black man to stop standing like a slave. Would this have been a jaw dropping event?

I'm too enthralled by your avatar to have an opinion.

I think you should have him flogged for getting all uppity. :p

Seriously, I don't see any problem with it.

so why do you hate black people?

You should've told him that your family owns slaves, and you were taught that it's a stance of power to keep them from revolting.

Its tasteless but its in the military so its probably good to go. But if a black guy can say something like that so should anyone. The rules should apply to everyone.

I would have turned the tables on him: "Yassah, boss man! Me don wan noes troubles! Me big a good boy and does what massah say!"

In retrospect, it was probably a good thing that the military wouldn't hire me. I'd probably be dead now.

Did you insist your name was Toby?

White, black don't have a thing to do with it. In my experience a full 50+% of senior enlisted military types were complete incompetents with very few natural leadership skills so they overcompensate with the little power the stripes provide. This sounds like one of those cases. It's borderline abusive and I couldn't tolerate being treated like that by idiots so I lasted one enlistment. Certainly do value my five years and wouldn't really change much about my decision but this is truth.

I completely concur with this. Although I would say the percentage is closer to 60 - 70. White and Black absolutely had nothing to do with it. The military is truly a life experience that transcends the racial divide in our country. I gained black and white friends that I might give my life for and meet black and white people that I wouldn't piss on if they were on fire. BTW I just retired a couple months ago. 10 years active army, 10 years army national guard. Served in Desert Storm active and OIF in the NG.

ROFLROFLROFL

I think it's bullshit period, the guy was a dick

LEAN FORWARD AND CHOKE YOURSELF!

Thanks for your service!

You should start humming, "I'm a little teapot" every time you get within earshot of him.

It's the military, you're going to find all kinds of "racism" if you look hard enough. I enlisted in the Army Reserve. At the Army hospital where I was getting all the testing done, I ran across a rather obnoxiously rude Marine Lance Corporal. He did the whole "where are you from boy?" act on me. I told him and then the old "steers and queers come from there and I don't see no horns on you, boy" act. He kept pressing trying to get me to say something like I was a bundle of sticks or something. I had just turned 18 and hadn't been exposed to such nonsense and was a little freaked out by it. The worse part was this Lance Corporal weighed maybe 130 soaking wet and had braces. I would have loved to knock his braces down his throat but resisted.

You don't have to look very hard

OOPS! ROFL that's what I meant to say.

Tell him if you owned his negro ass, you wouldn't stand at all. You'd sit in a big comfy chair while he brought you beers.

ROFL

LMAO

ROFL

Well, this situation has made it up to my commanders ears. He is white, and he investigates everything. Not sure what is going to happen. EO is a big deal in the Army and I could be in for some shit if I have to speak against my 1SG about this.

Wish me luck.

Are you short and stout?

Stupid, tasteless comment, but if an isolated event, probably not that big of a deal.

In the same situation, I was once told, "Get your hands off your hips, you ain't in charge of nothing."

The first clue that he wasn't a good first sergeant was when he asked you, do you know who stands like that? He should of said, "steers and queers and you don't look like a steer to me".

I really need to ask, what rank are you? Because I never went into the orderly room in uniform until I was an E-5, I always wore my civies. Secondly, even though I wasn't married I would still live off post, that is also good for your love life. Thirdly I never hung out in locations that the first sergeant or C.O. would likely show up, as in the orderly room, arms room, day room, mess hall (eat off post), NCO Club (go to civilian bars), and so on. Lastly, never sleep in late if your in the barracks, go to the movies on post and sit in the back, it's a great place to sleep.

Yes i've watched Roots, hasn't everyone?

I'm not a 1SG yet... I live in military housing(not the barracks), only because it is in Italy. He doesn't live where I live. He actually said this to me at a promotion ceremony.

Just found out he told our S1(finance/Human resources who happens to be my friend) .....

"You better tell your boy to watch his mouth cuz I know people."

I don't know what this guy is thinkin...but I might take this to a new level now that I know that.

i probably would have asked him if he had seen a slave owner. i'm a smart ass though, and know this. why i probably didn't enlist. thanks to all those that did though.

I was thinking that... like damn, im not fuggin 200 years old...

Things are gonna blow up for me on monday. My job is in jeopardy and I'm not sure how this fugg is gonna try to tear me down...

Maybe he was just looking for a date.

I wouldn't last 10 minutes in the military.

Kudos to y'all that serve(d).

Obnoxious and tasteless. A Senior Enlisted Advisor for any unit, and I have been one, should never use or refer to race to correct or attempt to motivate troops. I'm gonna say this guy is either a bigot or a dumbass, I'm leaning towards dumbass.

Not to say that I was ever above a tasteless joke in the interest of motivation.

Damn man.. best of luck. You just reinforced to me why I want nothing to do with the military. I deeply respect the bullshit ya'll put up with to do the good work you gotta do.

If you were talking to me, thanks, but I'm beyond luck, I retired a year or so ago.

You made it out then lol. No it sounds Mike's having a hell of a time.

Sounds like Mike has a jackass 1st sgt who has a hardon for him. The beauty of the military is, one of them will transfer before too long, and everyone gets a fresh start.

After a few years in a military academy and a tour in the Navy, I'm convinced that all 1st Sgts and their intra-force equals have to go through 6 weeks of Douchebag Training, in which 2 weeks has to be devoted to close combat douchebaggery.

As for the guy mentioned in the original post, he probably spent 5 hours the previous night scripting that one up.

Aw hell say hello to latrine duty. :)

Believe me, it's much worse having a 1sg that is white but is too affraid of black soldiers to discipline them. I had a private tell me to **** myself and my coward for a 1sg refused to do anything about it. I ended up having to beat the shit out of the kid just to maintain respect.