Did the forum rise up as one in to protest feeling intimidated by this pseudonym?
Did one forumite raise so much as a whimper of complaint to the mods about how this pseudonym made them feel and ask it be changed?
Of course not – British culture is globally famed for its dark humour and satire.
Should I feel offended by its use as a humorous pseudonym?
Of course not, I may believe I have been robbed of my dignity, respect and justice but I still have my sense of humour and most importantly I can still laugh at myself!
All around me I see posters, phone numbers and even road shows to support the bullied and harassed. To be fair to employers, new employment law that came into force in October mean employees can sue the employer if they do not protect them from bullying and harassment form both fellow employees and customers.
Personally I wish politicians thought these things through, banter and humour are great stress relievers and I fear we are in danger of losing our British sense of humour – I feel I am being turned into a drone, Stepford like, smiling on the outside and screaming on the inside. No wonder so many workers complain of stress!
I feel that instead of dealing with the underlying cause of issues such harassment and homophobia, many employers find it easier just to sack the culprits. I believe this removes the symptom of the cancer, without addressing the root cause and successfully changing behaviour.
This dispute did feature homophobia and the feelings among the Cabin Crew were so high that, although they felt gagged from talking to the press, they organised a Silent Pink Protest on the last strike day , even Len McKlusky turned up in a pink shirt to support it.
In frustration at my own and my gay friends’ personal feeling that the underlying homophobia has not been satisfactorily addressed, I do the only thing I can do. I carry a pink pen.
Perhaps Yellow Pen would like to take a step in building bridges between our communities and change their pseudonym to
PINK PEN
The postings made by Dingbaticus on this site are my own thoughts, feelings and beliefs and don’t necessarily represent my employers positions, strategies or opinions