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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsPhoto of White Man, Friends Posting Racist Comments About Black Co-Worker’s Child Goes Viral
http://newsone.com/3200466/photo-of-white-man-friends-posting-racist-comments-about-black-co-workers-child-goes-viral/Photo of White Man, Friends Posting Racist Comments About Black Co-Workers Child Goes Viral
According to the AtlantaBlackStar, the man known as Geris Hilton (real name Gerod Roth) on Facebook has been terminated from his position at Polaris Marketing Group after a picture he posted on his page spurred hurtful and racially-charged comments about a co-workers Black child.
The company released a statement via Twitter to address Roths termination:
This morning I was disgusted to learn that one of my former employees made several racially charged comments on his personal Facebook page. Even worse, the comments were directed toward the son of another employee.
It breaks my heart that Sydney and her adorable son Cayden were subjected to such hateful, ignorant and despicable behavior. Cayden visits my office almost every afternoon after daycare, he's sat at my dinner table and I consider him a part of the PMG family.
The atrocious lies, slander and racism he and his mother have been forced to endure are wholly intolerable. Myself and the entire PMG family in no way condones this kind of behavior and would never willingly associate with anyone who does.
It has no place in the world.
PMG has terminated the employee responsible and will ensure that none of the businesses that we associate with will ever do business with him again.
Sincerely,
Michael Da Graca Pinto
President
Polaris Marketing Group, Inc
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)patsimp
(915 posts)bettyellen
(47,209 posts)promote and encourage discrimination with their boys club bullshit. God knows how many careers suffer because of douchebags like them thinking they are better.
patsimp
(915 posts)Oneironaut
(5,494 posts)this was a self-imposed black-balling from an industry that relies on good public relations. The truth is, his name is on the web now, and no marketing company is going to hire him now. It's akin to dropping a tactical nuke on your reputation.
I feel bad for him, because it might have been momentary stupid mixed with poor judgment and immaturity. He permanently destroyed his career and reputation. Same with the other responders.
marmar
(77,080 posts)I don't.
Oneironaut
(5,494 posts)This one was especially egregious, but people can change. The poster will face (self-created) serious consequences for this particular horrible decision. This is a bell that can't be un-rung.
I can't take pleasure watching someone destroy themselves, no matter how bad their actions were. I hope he apologized to the mother of this child.
GeorgeGist
(25,321 posts)kelliekat44
(7,759 posts)Oneironaut
(5,494 posts)Some people choose to test that concept and learn that actions do indeed still have consequences.
JI7
(89,249 posts)Oneironaut
(5,494 posts)Him and his friends are jerks. That sort of behavior doesn't pop up overnight.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)Chemisse
(30,811 posts)Hopefully he remain in the dark about what happened.
gollygee
(22,336 posts)Nice people don't have to actively decide not to make racist comments about black children. Only horrible people are faced with a decision like this when they see a black person.
Oneironaut
(5,494 posts)had he chosen to keep his mouth shut. That was his bad, life-ruining decision.
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)less racism, covert and not, because these assholes would not find each other as easily if they knew it could cost THEM, instead of POC.
artislife
(9,497 posts)cui bono
(19,926 posts)And that's the point. It's not like he got drunk and posted a pic of himself at a strip club or something.
This is serious shit. He deserves what he gets for spewing hatred.
jtuck004
(15,882 posts)Seems like ignorance and stupidity are the rule, rather than the exception.
They couldn't do what they do without everyone else's help. Especially those who make excuses for them.
classykaren
(769 posts)If a co-worker pulled this shit with my son, unemployment would be the LEAST of his fucking worries...
trumad
(41,692 posts)Fuck this piece of shit.
Oneironaut
(5,494 posts)I resent the hostile tone of your post. It is possible to hate what this guy did, and at the same time feel pity for the destruction he caused for himself. He pretty much destroyed his life. It's a teachable moment on how not to use social media.
If you're going to respond with another mean-spirited post, please don't bother. I won't respond.
JI7
(89,249 posts)and getting caught rather than the racist shit being said.
brush
(53,776 posts)If it was POC doing something this egregious, yeah.
But white guys get multiple chances when they fuck up. Unless there's a video of him shooting a black guy in the back like that cop in North Charleston (and that's only very recently), it might take a while but he'll get hired.
Oneironaut
(5,494 posts)If you're going to be stupid, or a racist idiot, at least don't do it on social media. This guy learned the hard way.
Midnight Writer
(21,762 posts)To me, that is the bottom line. He made a bad choice and is suffering the consequences.
But the child he is ridiculing did not make a bad choice. He had no choice. He is living out the hand he was dealt with, and he will suffer for the rest of his life the consequences of being born black. And those consequences will be dealt out by people like the racist who outed himself here.
And this racist A-hole will go to his grave believing he was unfairly persecuted.
Kinda ironic, ain't it?
yardwork
(61,608 posts)Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)If I (white) posted a photo with an AA kid and a "friend" made a comment like that I would be completely shocked. I'd call them out then de-friend them and tell them to not associate with me anymore.
Gormy Cuss
(30,884 posts)and he's radioactive now. I'd also vote for extreme immaturity and a pile of bigotry that the weasel chose to aim at a young child who probably viewed him as a safe adult.
Somehow this young man got to adulthood without understanding that this isn't edgy, it's just backward and hurtful.
Ed Suspicious
(8,879 posts)This makes it particularly heartbreaking.
+1 to your post.
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)as opposed to racists.
I don't feel bad for this guy in the slightest, and I'm happy that he got fired.
Oneironaut
(5,494 posts)Just that feeling you would get if someone was being an idiot and fell into a tiger exhibit at the zoo because of it. It's more "pity" with an ounce of "that was pretty stupid."
JI7
(89,249 posts)Isn't hurting others.
Oneironaut
(5,494 posts)The harm he caused to a child and his mother are a different matter entirely. I was more talking about the damage he did to himself and how I'm reacting to it.
Do I think this guy is a jerk? 100% yes. Does he deserve what's happened to him? Absolutely. Will he regret this forever? Probably.
As I said above, I hope he apologized to the mother and the child. I doubt it, but he should. On the other hand, I pity him for making such a moronic decision.
malaise
(268,993 posts)The vast majority of DUers on this thread do not give a flying fuck what he did to himself - it is what he did to his co-worker and her son that is our concern - fuck these racist scumbags - the sooner they out themselves and are ostracized publicly the better. That it hurts them financially is even better. Racism is not OK - we will not accept it in 2015.
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)That was his first big mistake, first of several.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)seems like the appropriate outcome, one to be celebrated
Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)ScreamingMeemie
(68,918 posts)No, no, I don't "feel bad" for him at all, and I wouldn't care if he shoveled crap for a living.
JI7
(89,249 posts)Oneironaut
(5,494 posts)freeplessinseattle
(3,508 posts)So I pity anyone else who interacts with him, not some dumbass. If he i making such major poor decisions anyway, he might not be that great at his job anyway.
People get fired for dumb decisions all the time, where's the pity for them?
maxrandb
(15,330 posts)we would call that "dropping a turd in the punch bowl".
Hard to recover from something like that.
valerief
(53,235 posts)MineralMan
(146,306 posts)He's a racist asshole. Let him pay the price for it, and maybe he'll learn something. Screw racist assholes.
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)Racism is rarely if ever, simply a "momentary stupid." Racism too, is also "akin to dropping a tactical nuke on your reputation."
Additionally, racism is quite often a "self-imposed black-balling from an industry that relies on good public relations."
Sometimes, bias compels us to label a thing "stupid" to minimize what it in fact, really is-- racism.
Oneironaut
(5,494 posts)A racist can be a racist but not spew their bile on social media. This guy decided to destroy his life instead. Shame.
frylock
(34,825 posts)Oneironaut
(5,494 posts)padfun
(1,786 posts)car wash joints don't care as much about things like this. Plus he can get a nice minimum wage.
NOLALady
(4,003 posts)Law Enforcement Officer.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)magnified the blowback -- I'm not sure. It seems he did use his Communications Age ability to connect with others who share his contemptible attitudes to avoid conforming to dominant, face-to-face culture.
I'm not sure the size of the backlash is larger, though, than, say, it would have been 100 years ago when a butcher's antisemitism might have gotten out in a local industry that valued its Jewish customers. That employee would have to physically move to escape his bad reputation. In any case, modern communications may be working for this guy also -- I wouldn't be surprised if a number of sympathetic racist employers were already contacting him.
blm
(113,059 posts)from their parents.
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)Is that a state or federal law?
NOLALady
(4,003 posts)He's grown. He made a conscious decision to ridicule a child. I do not feel sorry for him.
mopinko
(70,102 posts)marketing. reputation is his BUSINESS. his JOB.
he is obviously not qualified for his job if he is this careless w his own reputation, let alone the reputation of his company.
it is a perfectly justified nuke.
fishwax
(29,149 posts)MatthewStLouis
(904 posts)Bravo to Michael Da Graca Pinto! I hope he checked with a lawyer before posting that last sentence. I would hate for him to lose his business due to a civil suit.
I applaud him!
jack_krass
(1,009 posts)I'm going to nominate this guy for a Darwin award:
Though his mistake wasn't fatal, the fact that he'll never work again will no doubt make it difficult for him to find someone willing to have a family with.
Ed Suspicious
(8,879 posts)jack_krass
(1,009 posts)you should read my post again (if you read it in the first place), as it had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with social darwanism
Malraiders
(444 posts)And many seems to be his FB friends:
http://atlantablackstar.com/2015/10/04/multiple-firings-racially-charged-facebook-remarks-mocking-black-child/
Contrary1
(12,629 posts)John Russelman
"Jeanie Rebecca McCrary How does being the worst President in US History prove Blacks are not inferior???"
His Facebook page is full of hate. I'm thinking his days on whatever job he has are numbered too.
workinclasszero
(28,270 posts)Idiot plus racist, go figure LOL
CreekDog
(46,192 posts)you can see the icon in his post.
he posted so everyone could see, not just his friends.
Orrex
(63,209 posts)The embarrassment by association is getting to be to much for me.
malaise
(268,993 posts)Good fucking grief how do adults demonstrate this kind of hatred towards not only an innocent child, but also the child of a co-worker just because of his color - what the fuck is wrong with these people??
I hope they are all fired.
wheniwasincongress
(1,307 posts)are screwed too.
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)They've publicly outed themselves as bigoted shitbags, but the implications arent the same.
wheniwasincongress
(1,307 posts)toddwv
(2,830 posts)"Atlantas Conch Republic Grill announced on Friday that it had fired the commenter known as Emily Irene Red."
http://www.rawstory.com/2015/10/atlanta-man-gets-himself-and-his-friends-fired-by-mocking-black-child-in-racist-facebook-selfie/
MineralMan
(146,306 posts)Until there are consequences for ugly racist comments, they will continue. A job loss will certainly bring the point home to this moron, so lets bring the point to others as well.
Another use for "If you see something, say something," but this time say something to the assholes' bosses.
cwydro
(51,308 posts)Then his racist friends made comments, and he made the stupid feral comment.
But why did he post it in the first place?
The whole thing is so strange, but maybe I'm missing something.
marmar
(77,080 posts)cwydro
(51,308 posts)Did he comment when he made the posted pic?
Hell, I wouldn't post pics of anyone's children without their permission anyway.
I just feel like I missed something here.
marmar
(77,080 posts)cwydro
(51,308 posts)I guess I just don't get the original post. Was it intended to make fun of the sweet kid?
I can see, of course, the racist comments that came after. I just don't get the original post.
I always put a comment when I post a pic of another person (never post kids however)...just confused here lol
Reter
(2,188 posts)His friends made racist comments, and the only thing he ever said was "he was feral." Yes, that's dumb, but I don't see how that was job-losing material. I hear worse every day at work.
JI7
(89,249 posts)Reter
(2,188 posts)Not something I would post. I just see a lot more racism in his friends posts.
MADem
(135,425 posts)posting racist crap on my fb page--and that is the child of a co-worker, so knock it off."
Silence implies consent. He could have deleted the nasty posts and said "Any smart remarks and I'm de-friending people" or something.
I think this was a "thing" with some of his friends, to mock people in the background of selfie pics.
Reter
(2,188 posts)I just think it's his friends that got him fired. Sorta entrapment.
Gormy Cuss
(30,884 posts)Going along with his friends' racist comments and adding the feral remark is only part of it -- exploiting the child is grounds alone for kicking his carcass out the door. The whole lot of them are bigots who think this is acceptable speech.
rpannier
(24,329 posts)He used the company computer which can make the company liable for a workplace harassment lawsuit
The work site allows people to bring their children to work
JI7
(89,249 posts)and just in the moment.
In this case he probably regularly says racist with his friends and has probably talked about the black employee and their son who is that boy.
cwydro
(51,308 posts)I was just trying to figure out why he posted the pic to begin with.
Strange folks.
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)If his purpose was to elicit such comments, then how on earth did he think it would be okay to post a picture of someone's kid for that purpose.
As noted, he then added a comment, but I'm dumbfounded that anyone would think, even in the warpiest recesses of a warped mind, that posting a picture of someone else's child - for any purpose, even a laudatory one - would be in any way okay.
azurnoir
(45,850 posts)progressoid
(49,990 posts)kwassa
(23,340 posts)bettyellen
(47,209 posts)nadine_mn
(3,702 posts)thoughts (which is bad enough) but to have a group of friends that are all equally racist and so comfortable sharing and posting their ignorant hatred blows my mind.
These aren't even anonymous trolls in a comment section...they don't care who knows they are assholes. They are so comfortable with their racism, they don't see anything wrong with it.
You know the assholes that get fired will blame the kid and of course the "PC police" and will say it was just a joke. They will never see why it is wrong.
Initech
(100,070 posts)Marrah_G
(28,581 posts)Dont call me Shirley
(10,998 posts)Stupid adult.
Solly Mack
(90,765 posts)This is one of those times.
vkkv
(3,384 posts)Omaha Steve
(99,628 posts)K&R!
OS
Liberal_in_LA
(44,397 posts)Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)Fire his ass, absolutely.
mhatrw
(10,786 posts)not
lunatica
(53,410 posts)His fucking friends should also be fired.
Who wants that slime working for them?
Liberal_in_LA
(44,397 posts)Guy Whitey Corngood
(26,501 posts)is unfortunate that a "private" conversation got out of hand..... Blah blah blah....... Oh and they actually love "the blacks". I can just read now. They'll tell us that is not what is in their "ever so pure hearts". What a collection of assholes.
BTW I apologize to all anal orifices for the comparison.
CreekDog
(46,192 posts)or that they aren't convinced they were racist...
they mostly aren't here to say that.
they also *mostly* aren't here saying, "wow, that really is racist"
Guy Whitey Corngood
(26,501 posts)Liberal_in_LA
(44,397 posts)Liberal_in_LA
(44,397 posts)ejbr
(5,856 posts)I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE having a 3 year old, ANY 3 year old to hang out with at work! What the f$ck is wrong with people?!
Skittles
(153,160 posts)these people SUCK
NBachers
(17,108 posts)I'm glad to see swift justice for these racist jerks.
etherealtruth
(22,165 posts)VERMIN
kelliekat44
(7,759 posts)Starry Messenger
(32,342 posts)As a teacher I can get fired for posting even a breath of something controversial, so pardon me if this doesn't raise a single tear in my eye.
toddwv
(2,830 posts)He's just rebelling against the libruls' PC culture (IE freedom to be an asshole).
Reter
(2,188 posts)I heard 10 times worse from my co-workers, who have dropped N-bombs while being serious. Yet they are still government employees, because they don't say it on Facebook. Not good logic.
JI7
(89,249 posts)Humanist_Activist
(7,670 posts)At my work, we have a lot of leeway and teasing among co-workers is common, but if anyone did that, that's your last day working, plain and simple. Its a diverse workplace (I would say about half non-white, very LGBT friendly) and they want everyone to be comfortable working there, unless you can't handle diversity, in which case, too bad, go somewhere else.
Reter
(2,188 posts)Workers are pretty damn racist here. Lots of Trump supporters.
Humanist_Activist
(7,670 posts)of some state and/or federal regulations.
Gormy Cuss
(30,884 posts)I worked for government contractors most of my life --one *n* bomb would've meant termination and it would have been hard to be employed elsewhere in the industry because there's so much crossover of employees --word would get around.
I worked with a few racists, they just knew better than to bring that shit into the workplace.
tavernier
(12,388 posts)next to that adorable little big man with the smoochable face?
Thank heaven I have the family and friends I do because I sure would be sad if I had ended up related to a turd like this.
Prism
(5,815 posts)Initial reaction, "D'aww, selfie with a cute kid." Then I got to the comments. And the Sambo book. And the realization he and another baker's dozen were doing this to a co-worker's child. (seriously, one comment was bad enough, but there was a whole group of them!).
It's like an inception of stupid. Stupid within fucking stupid within how-did-you-make-it-to-adulthood?! stupid.
And he's in public relations.
Well, isn't that just a tidy bow on the idiocy.
No Vested Interest
(5,166 posts)The world needs more men/people willing to do right.
Response to No Vested Interest (Reply #103)
Name removed Message auto-removed
JI7
(89,249 posts)romanic
(2,841 posts)What a bunch or racist tools.
Ed Suspicious
(8,879 posts)B.) Not to be hypocritical, but racism against an African American child of a co-worker coming from this waspy fucker is of particularly poor taste.
wheniwasincongress
(1,307 posts)Guy Whitey Corngood
(26,501 posts)dickbag friends to stop with the racist ass comments.
Quackers
(2,256 posts)My wife gets upset if someone post pics of our kids without us knowing. To post a pic of someone else's kid and make fun of the child? To hell with the firing, where's my baseball bat?!
ejbr
(5,856 posts)"You need to pack your shit and get out."
rpannier
(24,329 posts)He's now claiming to be a victim
He's sorry his comments were misunderstood
Guy's a dumb ass
Sometimes it's better to STFU than keep running your mouth
OneGrassRoot
(22,920 posts)The link above has a good summary thus far. THIS is the kind of person who needs to be shamed and out of work, but then he'd just get hundreds of thousands of dollars on gofundme.
fishwax
(29,149 posts)Vinca
(50,270 posts)I don't understand how people can be so mean and hateful.
lykemike
(25 posts)I'm sorry, but the more these things happen, the more I'm inclined to feel that this is just what America thinks about us.
Go ahead and tell me that racism no longer exists;
Tell me I'm being too sensitive. Say that by speaking out against this behavior I'm the one who's a racist.
Land of the (bigoted) free, home of the (cowardly) brave.
tavernier
(12,388 posts)I personally only know one white man who has expressed similar racist ugliness, and I know thousands of people. I'm not saying they don't exist... Obviously they do. But the men and women I know would all be angered and repulsed this.
Response to marmar (Original post)
Name removed Message auto-removed
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)to avoid negative consequences for the things you say.
uppityperson
(115,677 posts)Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)He can make racist remarks without fear of being arrested. Just as his employer has the freedom to decide whether or not to employ a racist.
herding cats
(19,564 posts)It also means others get to say what they think of your speech. Which in this case was, "you're fired."
Guy Whitey Corngood
(26,501 posts)capital 'F'. You might also want to end your sentence with a period.
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)when you publicly speak in a hateful way. Stop pretending to understand the law, while making fun of more successful peoples' spelling mistakes.
Catherine Vincent
(34,489 posts)ScreamingMeemie
(68,918 posts)No? I guess it does exist. Go back to Civics class.