Below is a letter I wrote the general manager of Ski Roundtop after I was forced to overhear a staff member of the Fireside Pub make an extremely offensive comment about Jews in the Holocaust. I am sharing this because it is all of our responsibilities to help foster communities of tolerance.
January 26, 2011
Dear Mr. Hawkes,
My name is Sarah Taby and I am a season pass holder at Ski Roundtop. This afternoon I came to Roundtop and had a lovely time skiing for several hours. When I called it quits for the day, I decided to head up to the Fire Side Pub and wait for my partner to finish his ski day. The waitress had just brought my beer and took my food order when I was forced (he was speaking loudly) to listen to a very offensive comment made by one of your employees. “It is coming down like a Jew out there.” Clearly this is a confusing comment and the individual’s sister aided him in clarifying what he meant by adding, “I didn’t know Jews came down?” To this the employee responded with, “They do when they’re in the shower!”
Needless to say I was offended, not just because this man was making light of the massacre of 6 million Jews, or that I am a Jew, but also because I am a person who believes in respect, tolerance, and understanding for all cultures. I let the bar staff and employees know that I was deeply offended and left the bar. I walked straight to Employee Services and demanded to speak with the manager on duty. I believe this individual’s name was Roger.
Roger was very sympathetic and tried his best to both comfort me and manage the issue at hand. After speaking with the offending party he let me know that the individual responsible for the comment wanted to personally apologize to me and he also offered me a free meal for a future visit. I declined both of these offers and thanked him for his time and effort.
I thought a lot about these events today. My feelings ran the gamut of sad and teary, to extreme anger. However, I could not shake the thought that if this individual is fired he may only learn from this experience that he should think before he speaks, this is obviously true, but I feel he and possibly your staff (because no one attempted to stop or correct his behavior) is in need of a bigger lesson here. In lieu of a free meal, a personal apology, or the loss of an employee’s job, I feel better knowing that Ski Roundtop incorporates a Diversity Training into its 2011-2012 Employee Training Program and in the interim creates and enforces a diversity policy, that would foster an environment of acceptance in the workplace.
By teaching and enforcing a culture of tolerance at your facility I believe it will both benefit your employees and your patrons. This training and policy would tie in nicely with the fifth pillar of your mission, Professionalism. Thank you for any time you could afford this matter and I look forward to hearing from you in the future.
Sincerely,
Sarah Taby
Good for you, Sarah.
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