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-   -   Accent complaint (https://britishexpats.com/forum/canada-56/accent-complaint-282660/)

Glaswegian Feb 8th 2005 1:43 pm

Re: Accent complaint
 

Originally Posted by willmore
And yes, I've learned the hard way......about Glaswegians when they stop being friendly and start being very very polite.......

And pray tell dear lady ... which Glaswegian taught you this??

willmore Feb 8th 2005 1:48 pm

Re: Accent complaint
 

Originally Posted by Glaswegian
And pray tell dear lady ... which Glaswegian taught you this??

I've learned everything I know from the "master"........ :p

iaink Feb 8th 2005 2:02 pm

Re: Accent complaint
 

Originally Posted by Glaswegian
Wee wirey Scotsman? Not Mr G!

Sorry, I guess I had Begbie in mind, but he said something about being a hooker (at least I think it was Mr Gs post :eek: ) so I assumed short...and the 6am runs led me to believe not a fat b@$tard...but I guess the hooker thing doesnt tie into that wirey thing. Oh well...Never mind!!!

From my perspective most people are wirier (is that a word?) than me!

iaink Feb 8th 2005 2:04 pm

Re: Accent complaint
 

Originally Posted by willmore
I've learned everything I know from the "master"........ :p

I didnt teach you EVERYTHING surely???:D:D:D

Glaswegian Feb 8th 2005 2:24 pm

Re: Accent complaint
 

Originally Posted by iaink
Sorry, I guess I had Begbie in mind, but he said something about being a hooker (at least I think it was Mr Gs post :eek: ) so I assumed short...and the 6am runs led me to believe not a fat b@$tard...but I guess the hooker thing doesnt tie into that wirey thing. Oh well...Never mind!!!

From my perspective most people are wirier (is that a word?) than me!

Not exactly wirey ... built like a brick sh*thouse is the usual way I'm described.

When I train really hard and get down to "fighting weight" I can get my collar size down below 18 inches ... I trained too hard in the summer for a 10K and injured my knee, so I'm not running right now ... right now I'm certainly in the fat b@st@rd category.

So to give you the picture ... 5'6" ... built like the proverbial ... bearing the scars of: amateur boxing, rugby hooker, field hockey goalie (in the days before masks) and semi-contact karate ... let's just say my front teeth aren't my own and my nose has a look of its own (despite several attempts, it's never officially been broken) ... my nickname when I worked in the city of London was Pitbull.

Deep down, I'm really a gentle soul ... just ignore the fact I don't usually use a nut cracker when I'm eating walnuts ... I remember watching the Champions when I was a kid and seeing someone crack walnuts with their bare hands ... I aspired to that ... nowadays a just grab a handfull and squeeze real hard ... did I say I'd been a rugby hooker ... if you've ever played rugby, your eyes are watering right about now :eek:

willmore Feb 8th 2005 3:04 pm

Re: Accent complaint
 
[QUOTE=Glaswegian]Not exactly wirey ... built like a brick sh*thouse is the usual way I'm described.

When I train really hard and get down to "fighting weight" I can get my collar size down below 18 inches ... I trained too hard in the summer for a 10K and injured my knee, so I'm not running right now ... right now I'm certainly in the fat b@st@rd category.

So to give you the picture ... 5'6" ... built like the proverbial ... bearing the scars of: amateur boxing, rugby hooker, field hockey goalie (in the days before masks) and semi-contact karate ... let's just say my front teeth aren't my own and my nose has a look of its own (despite several attempts, it's never officially been broken) ... my nickname when I worked in the city of London was Pitbull.



.......and the fact that you're "heading over the hill"..........from someone who just turned 30...... :p

Glaswegian Feb 8th 2005 3:13 pm

Re: Accent complaint
 

Originally Posted by willmore
.......and the fact that you're "heading over the hill"..........from someone who just turned 30...... :p

And??

Clint Eastwood and Arnie are what age ... would you want to get in a tussle with either in the senior's day line up at the local mall??

willmore Feb 8th 2005 3:25 pm

Re: Accent complaint
 

Originally Posted by Glaswegian
And??

Clint Eastwood and Arnie are what age ... would you want to get in a tussle with either in the senior's day line up at the local mall??


A tussle.....well, Clint Eastwood is still pretty good looking for his age....so a tussle might not be a bad thought.....

Knowing that I have now crossed "the line", here, I think it wise that I slip quietly into the nite, until tomorrow of course.......

:p

Glaswegian Feb 8th 2005 5:21 pm

Re: Accent complaint
 

Originally Posted by willmore
A tussle.....well, Clint Eastwood is still pretty good looking for his age....so a tussle might not be a bad thought.....

Didn't know you were into turkey necks and saggy butts ... sheds a whole new light on your kind of guy .... :D

hot wasabi peas Feb 8th 2005 8:14 pm

Re: Accent complaint
 

Originally Posted by Glaswegian
Someone I work with has an issue with the fact I have an "accent" (like Canadians don't, eh?) ... in the UK I could smack him around the head with a racial discrimination complaint ... anyone got any experience of doing the same in Canada?


Originally Posted by Mrs G
Ignore the people who dont understand him? Well the problem is that he is understood very well but the one main individual concerned just chooses to pick on his accent. And this individual is in a position of power.

Power. That's the crux.

It's one thing to be able to just tell a co-work where to shove it and let them expose their own inability to understand other accents as a potential weakness that others in the workplace obviously don't have. But it's a different ballgame when there are differences in power.

Situations like this are so individual that it's impossible to say what I would do. I have faced discrimination many, many times and I've dealt with it differently each time.

I'm not sure what 'having an issue with your accent' actually means. Is this person preventing you from career advancement, a pay raise, etc or is he just being a dickhead? Obviously if he's messing with your employment because of your accent that is workplace discrimination and yes you could complain --- buuuut, I'd really weigh-up the pros and cons of doing so before you do, if you decide to. I have found that there are a variety of different ways of dealing with discrimination - sometimes dealing with it through official channels is beneficial, sometimes it is anything but.

Good luck though, whatever you decide to do.

willmore Feb 8th 2005 9:10 pm

Re: Accent complaint
 

Originally Posted by Glaswegian
Didn't know you were into turkey necks and saggy butts ... sheds a whole new light on your kind of guy .... :D

Well, you only gave me two choices, - Arnie is difficult to understand......and you're already taken....... :p

Rich_007 Feb 9th 2005 12:28 am

Re: Accent complaint
 

Originally Posted by Glaswegian
Someone I work with has an issue with the fact I have an "accent" (like Canadians don't, eh?) ... in the UK I could smack him around the head with a racial discrimination complaint ... anyone got any experience of doing the same in Canada?

Got mistaken for an Aussie whilst on hols in Vancouver. Most odd.

And got served a styrofoam cup when asking for a sachet of salt (oh how we laughed), mind you that was the servers lack of English language skills rather than mine.

All the fun of the fair. :)

Rich.

SirTainly Feb 9th 2005 12:35 am

Re: Accent complaint
 

Originally Posted by Rich_007
Got mistaken for an Aussie whilst on hols in Vancouver. Most odd.

And got served a styrofoam cup when asking for a sachet of salt (oh how we laughed), mind you that was the servers lack of English language skills rather than mine.

All the fun of the fair. :)

Rich.

Easy mistake to make..Aussies are everywhere!!!! ;) I met 2 at the top of the Calgary tower!

iaink Feb 9th 2005 12:36 am

Re: Accent complaint
 

Originally Posted by Rich_007
Got mistaken for an Aussie whilst on hols in Vancouver. Most odd.

You get used to it...happens all the time to me :confused:

AnyaT Feb 9th 2005 1:34 am

Re: Accent complaint
 
Regarding the original point of this post...

Yes, you technically would have legal recourse if a fellow employee is making disparaging comments about your accent. If you were South Asian, Chinese, Carribean, etc, then you could have them for lunch. You could investigate options with the provincial Human Rights Commission, however since you are British, I'm afraid it likely won't be taken as seriously. Sorry.


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