I have a problem with some people offering their unsolicitated political opinions

[cantdrv55]

Went to a company retreat last week. It was a big to do with the CEO, CFO, legal counsel and the rest of the higher ups. They hired a comedian and a motivational speaker to entertain and educate the more than 600 people that make up our team.

At one point though, and I know he is just trying to be funny, the comedian starts making jokes about GW, Cheney and Iraq. I felt like I should have boo'd the fucher but chickened out. He didn't make any jokes about how dumb some people find Pelosi to be or how repugnant the idea of a Pres Hillary Cinton is to some folks. No, he focused on what's in vogue; making fun of the current administration.

I've had enough. I see it on TV, during the ******* Oscars. I hear it on the radio on my morning drive. I don't want to hear it at work too. I couldn't have been the only one seething while the jokester is up there yakking it up. I'm sure I wasn't the only one afraid for his/her job to boo as well.

[on-ramp]

even though I would've laughed at the GW jokes, I agree with you that the workplace is not an appropriate forum for political commentary.

[911boost]

I agree. My team is a small knit group of about 11 people (the company is over 120K employees), and we all have an understanding. Politics is not a conversation we ever have in the office.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Mom was right - don't ever talk about religion or politics in the company of people you're trying to make a favorable impression on. ESPECIALLY a first impression.

[Rick Lee]

When I worked at the Rep. Nat. Comm. we did hire a dead ringer Clinton impersonator for a party and I guess that was appropriate there. But I agree that politics shouldn't be part of the workplace.

[wludavid]

Politics should never be discussed in any scenario where people don't feel free to get up and walk out. That includes any business stuff, air travel, car trips. There's too much potential for volatility. There has to be relief valve.

[stevepaa]

+1 to all above

[tabs]

Did ja hear the one where Cheney pulls his pants down and sticks it in GWs a$$....

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally posted by stevepaa
+1 to all above

Yup. Totally innapropriate. +2

[fastpat]

Originally posted by cantdrv55
Went to a company retreat last week. It was a big to do with the CEO, CFO, legal counsel and the rest of the higher ups. They hired a comedian and a motivational speaker to entertain and educate the more than 600 people that make up our team.

At one point though, and I know he is just trying to be funny, the comedian starts making jokes about GW, Cheney and Iraq. I felt like I should have boo'd the fucher but chickened out. He didn't make any jokes about how dumb some people find Pelosi to be or how repugnant the idea of a Pres Hillary Cinton is to some folks. No, he focused on what's in vogue; making fun of the current administration.

I've had enough. I see it on TV, during the ******* Oscars. I hear it on the radio on my morning drive. I don't want to hear it at work too. I couldn't have been the only one seething while the jokester is up there yakking it up. I'm sure I wasn't the only one afraid for his/her job to boo as well.

I can't tell you how much I detest motivational speakers; most appear to me to have been used car salesmen, school teachers, or failed stand-up comics prior to having discovered the "motivational" gravy train.

[Rick Lee]

Speaking of motivational speakers, when I was in college, a lot of the older guys in my fraternity (Sigma Chi) called me Corky because I looked like a very legendary older brother also called Corky who had long since disappeared. His real name was Michael Janke and I did meet him once at homecoming. There were endless stories about this guy, the hogging, summer job cleaning up nuclear waste, drunken debauchery, etc. About five yrs. ago I was at a book store and noticed a self-help book with a guy on the cover who looked like he could be my twin brother.....written by Michael Janke. On the back cover was a photo of him as a Navy SEAL, rapelling out of a helicopter and a long list of his stellar accomplishments. Unreal!!!!! No one in our frat. had heard from him in years and no one knows how to get in touch with him.

[sand_man]

"...well, lah-dee frickin' dah.."

From a motivational speaker who once lived in a van down by the river...

[kach22i]

Originally posted by Rick Lee
Michael Janke

Need more info, too common a name:
http://www.zabasearch.com/

[dtw]

Originally posted by tabs
Did ja hear the one where Cheney pulls his pants down and sticks it in GWs a$$....

That's a pretty scary thought.

[Dan in Pasadena]

candrv55, I'm on the other end of the political spectrum from you and I agree that by hiring a comedian that was going to do an act with political content, your management (or whomever they tasked with hiring the entertainment) pretty much stuck "X" percentage of the attendee's in the corner and told them to shut up! That would NOt go over worth a damn with me or the people that think like I do.

Now, you COULD have heckled the guy, but we all know that would have gone over like a floater in the punch bowl. Maybe you should drop an email; carefully worded, to someone in the position to run with it and tell them that perhaps they should have considered the impact of the entertainment before they imposed it upon everyone. It does'nt have to come off angry or upset to get the point across that others feel like you do. Best of luck, Dan

[fingpilot]

I thought this thread was going to be about the guys in here that offer unsolicited, cut and paste polital comment.

[tabs]

Since most of the people who post on this Board are losers anyway it really wouldn't do any harm to rant and rave at management... well U see its like this if U Boyz were really on the FAST TRACK to super stardom you wouldn't be wasting your time on this Board..you'd be figuring out ways to screw the losers like youselves instead....

He11 Dilbert ain't got nothin on me...

[scottmandue]

It's sad that comedians have lost their imagination... seems like all they can do is trot out shock comedy and blurt outlandish political or sexual content.

George Carlin could do a whole set on airplane travel and have you on the floor.

[cantdrv55]

Originally posted by tabs
Since most of the people who post on this Board are losers anyway it really wouldn't do any harm to rant and rave at management... well U see its like this if U Boyz were really on the FAST TRACK to super stardom you wouldn't be wasting your time on this Board..you'd be figuring out ways to screw the losers like youselves instead....

He11 Dilbert ain't got nothin on me...

now Y do U gotta hurt us like dat

[tabs]

Originally posted by cantdrv55
now Y do U gotta hurt us like dat

Misery loves company