When Liberal leadership front-runner, Michael Ignatieff lost to Stéphane Dion, many speculated it had to do with his political gaffes; that is, the specific words he used that turned people off. Can words make a difference? How about one word?
If we look to our neighbours to the South, we can learn that one word can change the entire political landscape of a country. The American elections are over and in January, when the changing of the guard takes place and the Democratic Senators take control by the slimmest of margins, 51 to 49, hopefully all politicians will learn a valuable less about the impact of one word.
After Republican Virginia Senator George Allen was caught on tape referring to a Democrat volunteer as “macaca” or monkey, his racist slur took him from a 24% lead in the polls to losing by less than 9,000 votes to Senator-elect Jim Webb.
As a result, President Bush will have to get approval for cabinet, sub-cabinet, diplomatic and judicial appointments from his political opponents. In fact on December 4th, the American Ambassador to the U.N. Michael Bolton resigned as he knew President Bush could not get his appointment past Democratic Senators. Hence one word, one slur, has changed the political landscape of the United States.
In the world of politics, George Allen isn’t the first to make inappropriate comments with negative consequences. In 2002 U.S. Senator and Majority Leader Trent Lott lost his Leader’s job for suggesting Americans should have voted for segregationist candidates decades earlier.
Closer to home, former Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman in 2001 said, “I just see myself in a pot of boiling water with all these natives dancing around me” when he was on his way to Mombasa, Kenya. And a politician of a different kind, former Assembly of First Nations leader, David Ahenakew, is still before the courts due to his outrageous racist and anti-Semitic comments made at a Saskatoon Aboriginal conference in 2002.
It would be easy to point fingers at politicians and similar public figures, thinking they are the only ones getting caught making inappropriate comments. Yet there are many in the world of business who suffered embarrassment, or much worse, for their spoken words.
In 1996 Canada’s gold baron Peter Munk praised former Chilean dictator Pinochet. Munk suggested the cost of Pinochet’s wrongfully imprisoning Chileans was reasonable, “because it brought wealth to an enormous number of people. I mean in my terms. If you ask somebody who is in jail he’ll say no. But that’s the wonderful thing about our world: we can have the freedom to disagree.”
In 2004 Via Rail Chairman Jean Pelletier responded to allegations of corruption charges by Canadian Olympic gold medalist and former Via marketing executive Myriam Bedard. Pelletier told a reporter, “I don’t want to be mean, but this is a poor girl who deserves pity, who doesn’t have a spouse, as far as I know….She is struggling as a single mother with economic responsibilities. Deep down, I think she is pitiful.” He was fired for cause and the legalities continue.
In October 2005, Neil French, one of the world’s top creative directors of advertising, was in Toronto speaking to a large crowd in advertising. A woman asked French why more women aren’t creative directors and he replied, “Because they’re crap.” He then said women eventually “wimp out” and “go off and suckle something.” Shortly thereafter French resigned from WPP Group, the world’s second largest marketing company.
Vancouver Police Chief Jamie Graham’s picture was gracing the front pages of newspapers for putting a shooting range target with bullet holes in the head and heart on the desk of Vancouver City Manager, Judy Rogers. Graham wrote across the target “A bad day at the range is better than the best day at work.” Vancouver’s mayor asked the Police Complaints Commission to investigate, but it ended with an apology.
Gwyn Morgan, former CEO of Canada’s largest oil and gas company, Encana, was rejected by a federal government committee in May 2006 to become the chairman of the government’s Public Appointments Commission.
Opposition members of parliament were upset with Morgan for his comments at a Fraser Institute function five months earlier. During his speech, Morgan said certain immigrants from Caribbean and Indo-Chinese countries cause crime in Canada. “The vast majority of violent, lawless immigrants come from countries where the culture is dominated by violence and lawlessness.”
What would motivate a person at a senior level, or at any level of management, to make comments that make many Canadians furious?
Not being challenged
People in positions of power may be out of touch with basic Canadian sensitivities when they are rarely, if ever, challenged due to their position of power.
Being in the company of like-minded people
Advertising guru Neil French was speaking to a predominantly male audience. One has to presume he and other men hatched the idea of having a woman in a skimpy French maid outfit come on stage to refresh his drinks.
Nothing personal, this is business
Many statements don’t come from a place of malice, but instead from a lack of simple sensitivity. “I’m as tough as nails and if you want to get ahead, you’ve got to have a thick skin!” People in some industries might want to apply this to their work in a rough, competitive, business environment, however when comments apply to issues related to workplace human rights, that doesn’t fly.
Fitting in
Almost everyone, regardless of power or rank, and to varying degrees, wants to “fit in.” But sometimes the desire to fit in and get approval leads us to say things we regret later.
What’s a person to do?
Get “no” men and women
If you surround yourself with “yes” people, you’re asking for trouble. Having “yes" people is bad for business as a whole, but it’s even worse when it comes to correcting predictable gaffes. Talk is cheap. If you say “I want to be challenged” but then bite the head off the first person who challenges, everyone will give you a nod, a smile, and a “yes sir” from then on.
Get with the times
People kept up with the times when their kids started saying “eenie meanie, miney moe, catch a tiger by the toe” instead of a different word I used as a kid. If you’re smart enough to know that, then you’re smart enough to know many women don’t want to be called “girl” or need a massage as you pass by her desk (note to George Bush: German Chancellor Angela Merkel didn’t need a massage at the G8 summit). But if you’re not sure what is appropriate, then watch and listen to people different from you and your upbringing. When in doubt, talk to your daughters and sons, or others. After all, they picked up a thing or two after you taught them “eenie meanie…”
Look at life outside the locker room
Locker room mentality often allows for sexist comments and jokes, but the locker room mentality can include any like-minded group reinforcing unacceptable behaviour to those outside that group. When you find yourself in the company of like-minded people, resist the urge to say something to get a cheap laugh or standing ovation when it’s at the expense of those you think are not in attendance. Besides, with tiny cameras, recorders, and immediate access to the web, your audience becomes the world (Michael Richards aka “Kramer” take note).
Give a damn
It’s so easy to go along with the loud complainers who say, “that’s all politically correct bunk” or “I can’t keep up with the latest terminology.” But it takes real guts and caring to speak up to sexist jokes, racist comments or cheap stereotypes. If you are a boss and you speak up in a crowd, it sends a clear message to others that inappropriate comments aren’t appreciated.
If you make a comment that makes others furious, don’t get defensive. Listen to what is said and learn from it. Not every criticism is valid, but then, not every word you utter is gold, just because your business sense and career have been impeccable. If it was stupid, say so and apologize. If it was insensitive because you truly didn’t know better, then explain how much you have learned and how sorry you are.
Those gunning for you will rarely be satisfied. But for those who want common decency and a reasonably sensitive person, your sincere and personal comments will stop most of the fury.
Stephen
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Stephen Hammond, B.A, LL.B, CSP, is a speaker, trainer and author working in the field of workplace human rights. Articles, tips and his books Managing Human Rights At Work: 101 Practical Tips to Prevent Human Rights Disasters and Steps in the Rights Direction: 365 human rights celebrations and tragedies that inspired Canada and the world are available on his website www.stephenhammond.ca. Contact Stephen at 866-685-8338 or stephen@stephenhammond.ca
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