About an hour ago I was forced to reflect on the experience at my temp assignment. There was an occasion when I transported some people there in my car. I like to listen to NPR (the San Diego station pales in comparison to the Seattle and Tacoma stations, but I digress…)
When I started the car, someone was doing a parody of some rock tune. I cannot recall what. Later that day, the “Accounting Manager” (present in the vehicle) asked me if I’d ever heard of Mike Savage. I had not and I told him as much, but apparently because I listen to public radio he imagined I would enjoy the ‘hilarious” on-air musings of Mike Savage. He enthusiastically recommended that I tune in. “He’s funny. I think you’ll like him” he said.
About an hour ago, I began to get ready to approach my blog. I stumbled across this website http://thinkprogress.org and read this:
Savage Mocks Robert Byrd’s Tears: We Should ‘Send In Orderlies In White Coats’ To ‘Remove The Old Man’
Yesterday, upon news of Sen. Ted Kennedy’s (D-MA) diagnosis of a malignant brain tumor, “a moment of anguished silence” brushed over Washington, Massachussetts, and the entire country. Many senators took to the floor to express their sadness at the news, including Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV). Byrd, the longest-serving senator, broke down in tears as he paid tribute to Kennedy, the second-longest-serving senator. (Watch his tribute here).
Apparently, king of hate radio Michael Savage found the whole situation funny. On his radio show yesterday, after mocking Kennedy by playing a bizarre montage featuring Arnold Schwarzennegger from “Kindergarten Cop” and a song about liberal facism by the band the Dead Kennedys, Savage ripped into Byrd’s heartfelt tribute as well:
SAVAGE: And if you think that we have a bunch of senile old coots running Congress, what I’m about to play for you will confirm your worst fears. […]
I’m asking you, would a sane nation permit a senile senator to hold his seat? You gently send in orderlies in white coats, and they gently remove the old man, and they put him in a chair — strap him in — in the Senate retirement home, and wheel him over next to a curtain facing a nice outdoor window, and three times a day they feed it.
If “sputtering invective” against Holocaust survivors, Latinos, African Americans, U.S. soldiers, immigrants, and Muslims — to name a few — isn’t enough to keep Savage off the air, perhaps slurring two respected public figures will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
Since May 2, I have been hearing Bruce Hornsby’s The Way It Is over and over in my head. I wonder why “The Accounting Manager” who is Mexican, would think I would appreciate ““sputtering invective” against Holocaust survivors, Latinos, African Americans, U.S. soldiers, immigrants, and Muslims — to name a few.” I wonder how he could equate the content of NPR with the ““sputtering invective” against Holocaust survivors, Latinos, African Americans, U.S. soldiers, immigrants, and Muslims” attributed to Mike Savage.
For five of the six months I endured in that assignment, I felt I was the object of derision and racism. I came to this conclusion when The Controller began almost daily to actually scream about in the office her feeling that the employment agency was sending people whose backgrounds they had not checked. This in spite of the fact that when I arrived, there were already two temps there who were clients of the same agency I was, one of whom “The Company” was prepared after six months to offer the position in payroll.
This young lady had repeatedly and often confessed to me she had no previous payroll experience, felt frustrated and incompetent in her role in payroll and intensely disliked working with the HR Manager. She was frequently absent. She also shared with me that her real ambition in life was to join the military. She subsequently quit without notice and by phoning in that very day. The other temp was asked to leave. The Controller did not like her.
Every other person before me who was assigned to work that desk was immediately assigned a personalized e-mail address with the company name as the suffix. I was not. Systems logins assigned to me were “Not again,” and “so far so good.” The Controller thought this was funny. The Controller characterized the position to me as “low level.” I immediately visited the HR Manager in her office and was told the position was not “low level” but essential.
A data entry function of the desk was reassigned to the “Staff Accountant,” yet on Friday, May 2, I was told that was one of the reasons I was not going to be offered the position, this after repeated verbal and e-mail reassurances by “The Accounting Manager” that I was doing a terrific job and that I was being considered for the position. He even said directly to me “You have the job.”
In March, The Controller’s step-daughter was hired as a part-time temp. She herself was a client of the same employment agency as I. Although I performed the same tasks as she was when I initially came aboard, The Company compensated The Controller’s step-daughter by paying her $3.00 more an hour than me. She left after several weeks.
Now, after discovering this article about Mike Savage, I am more convinced than ever that I was discriminated against and denied employment based on my race.
I have decided to pursue this with the local EEOC here. I’m sorry. Only Dave Chappelle can make the experience of racism funny.
