Morally Correct?

[Rosebolt]

So today at work a situation happened.

There's this girl i work with. Young and stupid is probably the best fitting description. She tends to say alot about other people (negatively, that is.) The last hour she and i had to stay in the store, together with its owner, who is a stronger person.

There are some parakeets outside that the facility is keeping, since not so long ago. There's a man who's in charge to feed these little birdies. The store has a window overlooking the volar. So the man comes in, and feeds the birdies. So the girl, comments on that, and says that she thinks the man is ugly. Last monday she also called the people from the bakery (which is inside the facility) retarded. The bakery is basicly there for mentally retarded people to have a job. It probably has a better word, but it's a program of a sort. Anyway, she of course said that when they were gone, and that was very disrespectful, in my opinion. Another girl i work with pointed that out, i decided to stay quiet.

However when she called the bird man ugly i decided to say something about it. And the gall who runs the store agreed with me and added her two scents. Later the girl leaves to go home, and i decide to stay for a couple more minutes, the gall from the store thanks me for saying something about it, saying she really can't stand it and felt like hitting the girl. We continue to talk about how that girl is weak for doing so.

So, after this extremely long intro, my question is, are we morally right, in your opinion? I mean, we also talked bad about the girl after she left. But for different reasons. Is that still weak of us, or is it justified?

Eagerly awaiting your opinions.

 

[Broken_Doll]

I'd say this was justified of you - she sounds like she brought that on herself, the other girl you work with is probably relieved you brought it up as it may have been causing tension or something.
Talk **** don't expect not to get **** back *shrug*.

 

[Sci-Fi]

I'd say justified. As for talking bad about her after she left, you were basically doing the same thing she was doing. It's completely normal for people to talk bad about someone who was being rude as that girl was though. Just fyi the word retarded isn't used like that anymore, most around here use mentally disabled or handicapped. Different areas have different terms, when I was in high school the students were referred to as TMR then it was changed to Life Skills, now it's something else I don't remember what though.

 

[Oniseke]

As with some other hairy conflicts of discrimination, I feel it is often best to confront the perpetrator, but in the most polite manner at first. Usually, asking them why they have said something is enough for them to second guess themselves, or if they lack an open mind, it might throw a bit of fuel to their tirades. I do not think making remarks of the perpetrator behind their backs is an issue provided it is constructive. When it turns into disparaging comments, that is when it becomes highly irrelevant.

Like Gandhi says, an eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.

 

[ladyforsaken]

I'm not sure if it's justified. I'll admit I'm guilty of it too. it's a lot easier to fall into speaking negatively about someone. But to actually just discuss the behaviour she had about it without falling onto the level of discriminating the girl is tougher, especially when you have another person you're discussing with agreeing with you. There are reasons why people are the way they are.. we just usually don't know their story enough to be able to form a solid judgement.

Is that weak? Well if you called her weak.. then perhaps it is. But within some reason because you were trying to correct a negative situation. Hers was of course, unreasonable and uncalled for. So there's a different degree of "weakness" here, I would say.

 

[Locke]

Maybe not justified, but unlike the mentally handicapped people and the man she said was unattractive, she had it coming. At least you weren't talking badly about someone who didn't deserve it.

Talking behind her back probably wasn't the right thing to do, but I'm sure you were annoyed with her. If she keeps up that behavior, she might learn some hard lessons in life. I'm surprised she's allowed to talk like that at work. I've seen people get written up for less at a few jobs.