Slightly Controversial

[customersruinmylife]

OK, what is going on with the SC's at my bar?? Last night we had the lady who wanted a job so she could take over the bar, and now this guy! Now I must make it clear that I am in no way making fun of anyone during this story.

There's a group of people that come into the bar once a week. Most of them have some kind of disability. With them are three carers who order their food for them and take them about ect ect.

One of the carers comes up to me.

SC: Hmmm, I notice you don't have any disabled people behind the bar.
Me: Ermm...

I was speechless. I didn't know what to say.

SC: That's discrimination.
Me: Well, to be honest, I don't think we've ever had a disabled person apply for a job here...
SC: I bet you have, and I bet they weren't hired because of their disability.
Me: Well, like I said, I don't think I have ever seen someone with a disability ask for a job here. The problem is that it can be quite a demanding job behind the bar and on the floor when it gets busy.
SC: Well how do you know until you hire them?
Me: OK, I don't want to get into a debate or anything here, but I just don't think it would work out. I am not being cruel or anything...
SC: Just discriminatory.
Me: No, it can get crazy behind the bar, and I just don't believe it would be a very good idea.
SC: OK, well I think you need to rethink your hiring policies. It's wrong that disabled people can't get a job here.

He walked away.

Like I said, I don't want to be cruel, but there is no way anyone with a physical or mental handicap could work behind the bar. It gets so busy behind that bar, that people are usually non stop serving between the hours of 5pm and 11pm.

[Peppergirl]

Ok - I just wanna be the first person to say ????

It would seem to me that if he were being a decent carer, he would have spent more time looking after his charges than he would harassing you about imaginary discrimatory hiring practices.

What a freakin' prick!!

[AngryCas]

And you'd think that whole argument would have been stopped by the honest answer of "No one with a disability has ever applied here."

This is coming from a girl who is partially blind and once worked in a bar. No, I didn't have a mental disability, but the lighting really affected what I could do. Needless to say, I didn't work there very long, because if I couldn't see, I wasn't helping much. And I realized that.

People need to quit complaining and grow the fuck up. If life hands you lemons, you don't throw them in a blender whole and hope everything comes out OK. You make fucking lemonade. GOOD lemonade.

(wow I'm bitter today!)

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Methinks somebody is taking their job a little too seriously. Saying that you've never had a disabled person apply for work at the bar should've ended that argument.

Methinks somebody also has horribly misplaced priorities if they're leaving the people in their care alone to hop up on their soapbox.

[myswtghst]

I'm all for equality. I have more than one friend with a physical disability, and I adore most of the people with mental disabilities that work at my local McDonald's (they're all super sweet, and actually super cautious about making sure that my order is right!), but I think it would be far more cruel to throw someone with a disability in a working environment that basically guarantees harrassment by drunken fools.

Oh, and yes, should said carer be with his/her charge? Instead of getting up on his/her severely warped soapbox to mouth off about this?

[Shards]

I'm all for equality. I have more than one friend with a physical disability, and I adore most of the people with mental disabilities that work at my local McDonald's (they're all super sweet, and actually super cautious about making sure that my order is right!), but I think it would be far more cruel to throw someone with a disability in a working environment that basically guarantees harrassment by drunken fools.

Oh, and yes, should said carer be with his/her charge? Instead of getting up on his/her severely warped soapbox to mouth off about this?

Actually, I think the care-ee was lucky.

After all, if your carer has priorities this skewed, and an inability to shut up that runs as deep as this one seem to have, just imagine having to deal with him, and not being able to get away on your own. Poor disabled guy was probably sympathetically looking over at you while he silently thanked whatever god he worshiped for a moment to himself.

[Foxglove8778]

not all disability is visible or obvious... his disability seems to be identifying the appropriate time, place and audience for his rant.

[Imprl59]

Be real careful what you say in those situations. There are a bunch of people who are suing over things like this and they are not the actual handicapped that may or may not be wronged. These people are taking advantage of the new federal reuglations to make themselves rich.

Steve B.

[CancelMyService]

Be real careful what you say in those situations. There are a bunch of people who are suing over things like this and they are not the actual handicapped that may or may not be wronged. These people are taking advantage of the new federal reuglations to make themselves rich.

Steve B.

Judging by how the person wouldn't let it drop after the first mention of "no one disabled has applied for a job" it would seem the real intent was to goad customersruinmylife into saying something actionable.

[edible_hat]

It all depends on the disability... I've been to a bar that has a couple of Deaf staff, and they're actually better at the job (than the hearing staff) when there's a really loud band playing and everyone has to lip-read.

[marasbaras]

(Fratching-destined post deleted before posted)

Everyone deserves an equal shot. But, if you don't qualify or can't do the job, you shouldn't get it.

That's why I'm not on the cover of GQ.

[Polenicus]

Thank god stupid like this hasn't been covered under the equal-opportunity employment laws yet.

Could you imagine if you were required by law to hire a certain percentage of applicants who are self-important morons? Where would you put that many managers!?

[cinema guy]

Could you imagine if you were required by law to hire a certain percentage of applicants who are self-important morons? Where would you put that many managers!?

As has been said previously, there are plenty of forms of disability that cannot be seen - clinical depression is considered a disability in the UK.

[RayvenQ]

I bet the fact that nobody who is blind is hired as a CCTV operator absoloutely screams discrimination to that person.

[queenbb]

having a phyiscal disability my self i know how hard it can get to apply for jobs and constantly get turned down.

i have had 8 pelvic reconstruction surgeries and walk with a pronounced limp, i worked as a mechainc in this condition in both auto shops and at a bowling alley. yet it has been a hard road trying to get people to get past the limp. i have tried being honest, not mentioning it at all and several other tactics. when i was a temp i wouldnt last more than a few days, and the only people that seemed to want me around were the people that didnt actually need me to stay.

i work in an auto shop now, they are aware of my condition and are fine with it.