Halloween at the office. Help!

[legeorge]

My husband works in a county office. Yesterday he came home and told me that some bright person thought it would be a grand idea for everyone on the 3rd floor (the one he works on) to dress up like priests and nuns for halloween. :ehh: He is a good and devout man. He has no idea what he should do about this, if anything. Should he complain? He should definitely refuse to participate, right? He is really sensitive about people offending his faith and has to endure much suffering at his office because of the attitudes of many of his colleagues (especially around election time ). Does anyone have any good advice? I told him I would ask everyone on the forums. He thought that was a good idea. Please help!!

 

[La_Chiara]

This is completely inappropriate. He should talk a manager above these people and calmly note that this is inappropriate.

Besides, Halloween is a CHILDREN’S holiday and the county offices are PUBLIC offices (funded with taxpayer money). It is ridiculous for employees in county offices to be dressing up at Halloween at work. Would not look good if reported in the paper, it seems to me.

 

[BLB_Oregon]

I would go to the supervisor in charge, and the phrase “hostile work environment” would come up. There is no way this same Catholic man could install a nativity set in a county office over Christmas, is there? To tolerate parody of religion where exercise of the same religion is forbidden is inexcusable.

And yes, these people are grown ups with a job to do. Unless something is planned that can be expected to be a morale-booster for everyone at the job site and is not going to involve significant out-of-pocket expenses for the workers, let them dress up on their own time.

 

[legeorge]

Thank you. We thought it was horribly inappropriate also, but then wondered whether we were being too sensitive. He will be relieved that he is not overreacting. Of course, if anyone were close enough to dress like a holy man, it would be him!

 

[SMHW]

Just curious… Was the person who made this suggestion a Catholic or a former Catholic?

Now personally I don’t think there is anything intrinsicly wrong with people dressing up in costumes of priests and nuns any more than there is anything wrong with dressing up as firefighters, police officers, or doctors. But in this particular case,if EVERYONE dresses up that way, the point seems to be mockery, not just portraying a profession other than that of the personnel in the office.

Personally I don’t think that public figures should dress up in costume at all but that seems to be a lost cause in today’s society.

I think I’d go see the supervisor but I’d be calm about it. (Hopefully the supervisor is a rational person.) And I’d point out, as BLB_Oregon stated, that it is inappropriate to allow religious figures to be parodied if they are not at the same time allowed to be given honor. I’d mention that the point is not to eliminate fun, but to avoid making fun of a specific group of people.

To be fair, the office would have to have similar policies about dressing up as other religious figures such as rabbis, Buddist monks, imams, etc.

 

[Island_Oak]

La Chiara:

This is completely inappropriate. He should talk a manager above these people and calmly note that this is inappropriate.

Besides, Halloween is a CHILDREN’S holiday and the county offices are PUBLIC offices (funded with taxpayer money). It is ridiculous for employees in county offices to be dressing up at Halloween at work. Would not look good if reported in the paper, it seems to me.

. Set aside the rabid indignation over the priest/nun costumes–just point out how ridiculous the thought of everyone in an adult, government office dressing up like 6 year olds really is.

 

[dhgray]

legeorge:

My husband works in a county office. Yesterday he came home and told me that some bright person thought it would be a grand idea for everyone on the 3rd floor (the one he works on) to dress up like priests and nuns for halloween. :ehh: He is a good and devout man. He has no idea what he should do about this, if anything. Should he complain? He should definitely refuse to participate, right? He is really sensitive about people offending his faith and has to endure much suffering at his office because of the attitudes of many of his colleagues (especially around election time ). Does anyone have any good advice? I told him I would ask everyone on the forums. He thought that was a good idea. Please help!!

It’s very simple, drop a annomious phone call to the local EEO office or tell a manager that some might find it offensive as well as some of the customers might find it offensive. That way he is off the hook.

 

[EsclavoDeCristo]

Please let us know the outcome of this situation. Prayers for you and your husband.

 

[La_Chiara]

. Set aside the rabid indignation over the priest/nun costumes–just point out how ridiculous the thought of everyone in an adult, government office dressing up like 6 year olds really is.

“Rabid indignation” ??? How do you get “rabid indignation” out of this:
La Chiara:

He should talk to a manager above these people and calmly note that this is inappropriate.

It must be the “calmly” that is throwing you off. And this is so much better:
Island Oak:

…just point out how ridiculous the thought of everyone in an adult, government office dressing up like 6 year olds really is.

Hmmmmmm.

 

[KCT]

legeorge:

My husband works in a county office. Yesterday he came home and told me that some bright person thought it would be a grand idea for everyone on the 3rd floor (the one he works on) to dress up like priests and nuns for halloween.

Big no-no. What about separation of Church and state? —KCT

 

[LSK]

Not only is it innapropriate, what is the purpose of picking on a particular Church group to make fun of? Sounds like Anti-Catholicism to me and that is illegal to single out a specific group.

 

[KathleenElsie]

LSK:

Not only is it innapropriate, what is the purpose of picking on a particular Church group to make fun of? Sounds like Anti-Catholicism to me and that is illegal to single out a specific group.

I agree.

 

[legeorge]

KathleenElsie:

I agree.

Me too! :yup:

We have someone who offered to make an anonymous phone call about the situation. I know it seems like a cop-out, but he is already so persecuted there, for never accepting the nonsense, and holding his ground on his principles. He is really afraid of what the repercussions might be if he took a stand on a personal matter where he doesn’t feel like he has a legal safety net. I know he does in theory, but around here, they play nasty politics, and we really can’t afford for him to lose his job. Although if the complaint isn’t enough, and he is forced to work with a bunch of people dressed like that, I plan on contacting the news media and exposing this ridiculousness. With all the corruption in the local government, maybe the huge embarrassment that results would be enough to put them in their place.

 

[Monicathree]

It is not right. It sounds as if it is being done to mock. MMM, I wonder if they’d suggest breaking out the burkas sp? and yalmulkes. No, it’s just more fun to rip on those catholics…

peace