has the climate changed in the office, or is it just me? well, it only seems that way with one person, so i dont want to behave as though it were everyone. so maybe it isnt just me then. not my imagination, and perhaps not my subconscious doing.
a couple of weeks ago i played a video at work of a ventriloquist with a very funny puppet for the girls at work who hadnt seen it. the puppet is a dead suicide terrorist, and the act deals with terrorist racism, but in such a funny way. the office manager was among those watching and laughing as much as the rest of us. we laughed at the fun made of muslim extremists. we laughed at the fun made of an anorexic celebrity, and the suggestion that another was gay. we laughed when certain muslim beliefs were joked about. we laughed when the jews were the target of the jokes. but when pedophilic priests were brought up, the room went dead silent. two or three of the women i work with are catholic, and two of them were among those watching the online video. one of them was the office manager. her demeanor toward me hasnt been the same since. i really think she was personally offended.
the thing is, catholicism wasnt made fun of. pedophilia among a well known religious leadership was. and why was it ok to laugh about other peoples religious beliefs, especially when it was the belief itself that was the joke, but not ok to laugh at the abuse of power by leaders in another belief system, when their beliefs werent even in the equation? why was it ok to laugh about anorexia and homosexuality, but not pedophilia? these same women would not hesitate to laugh about non catholic christian leaders who have been publicly reprimanded for misusing organizational funds.
of the two women who didnt like the joke about pedophilic priests, only the office manager has changed her attitude towards me. and i didnt write the guys material, i just played the video because overall it was a pretty funny gig. the other one hasnt changed towards me that i can tell.
truth is, the office manager hasnt been herself since she came back from her last vacation. the general consensus is that its her daughter that is on her mind. she has a daughter that has an addiction to alcohol. given what ive heard over time, i sort of wonder if she is bipolar. i know it wears on her mother deeply, and has been going on for years. her mother is broken hearted over it. i feel for her, because being a mother i can understand what it must be like.
id like to reach out and just turn the whole thing around for her.
still, its hard working with her with this weight on her, because its making her a little crazy.
guess im just rambling on. this started out on one direction, and as often happens, has worked itself into a whole other light. thats what i like about talking things out.