Lold hard

I feel so bad that you all have to live in fearHe should have at least waited til he was sure you were a ******* before reaching. I'm sorry you had to experience that. Luckily he was spot on, and didn't offend you.

I see where you're coming from, but you've gotta understand that there is aHUGEdifference between this "joke" being pulled off by a seasoned firefighter who is tight with their crew...and a rookie on his first day.

If somebody on my crew did this it would absolutely get some laughs, but if a rookie tried this on day 1 he'd be lucky to walk out with a pair of black eyes. When you're family you can get away with someextremelyinappropriate stuff. A rookie is often barely even acknowledged in the firehouse until they've proven themselves.

There's almost no way that this guy was unaware of the repercussions of his actions prior to doing it. He was either hoping to get his ass kicked, or he was trying to lose his job on purpose.

Well, let me ask you. What if it didnt have a bow? Would your public servants give someone that brought a watermelon to you two black eyes? Would that make your firefighters racist?

what if our eyes aren't real? Shut up *******. Tired of grown ass men using this what if nonsense

lol he's usually a smarter poster I'm pretty convinced he's just trying to rustle jimmies.

again NOONE brings a fukin watermelon to the first day of work, unless it's a joke. Come on guys think with your fukin brains. If you got hired at a new place, would you bring anything other than some donuts or candy to work? 100% sure NONE of you have ever taken a full on watermelon to work as a gift to your fellow employees. This is just ridiculous.

The bow definitely makes it an even bigger dick move.

If the "someone" who dropped it off was a citizen, nothing would happen. It might not even dawn on us that there might be a racial component to the gift, especially if the citizen didn't look like the type of person who would be interested in causing trouble at the firehouse. People drop off all kinds of oddball foods for us, and it's often a sweet old lady who we've treated at some point in the past.

BUT, a rookie firefighter is very aware of the crew dynamics and traditions that exist within the fire service. A watermelon isn't a traditional first shift gift, and every rookie is aware that they are the lowest man on the totem pole and have to earn their place within the crew.

Most rookies show up looking very timid and humble. It can be a very intimidating environment, and no rookie who wants to keep his job will risk drawing this type of attention to himself.

You're usually not this triggered. if we are talking what the issues are, what if scenarios are helpful to everyone. Unless you want no one to think about what happened.Didnt the commander in the interview say that it was custom to bring some sort of gift? If so, would have been inherently wrong to bring fruit? I'm asking where is the line going to be drawn? The guy even said this wasn't his first shift, it was a custom where the new guy comes in and meets the team. Damn, poor guy was probably a vet and thought people had a sense of humor.

A software programmer that worked for my company literally brought cookies with bugs in them for a pot luck, and purposefully didn't tell people because he thought it was funny, and even he didnt get fired. This was managing a 100 million dollar contract too.

I'm not saying what he did was right, but all this does by making news is create weird social barriers in my opinion.I get the hierarchy aspect to what you're saying, and I appreciate it. BUT-

If you're saying that a random person dropping off a watermelon isn't racist and no one would have a problem with it, but some rookie comes in, and may GIVE HIS VERY LIFE to save you does it, and its racist?

Fuk that.

edit: lol, I didn't even see that you capitalized your "but". I didn't do it to throw it back at you, just wanted to emphasize my counterpoint, presumably, just like you

The fact that an overwhelming majority pretend like there was no meaning attached has me triggered.

I'm not saying there was no meaning nor defending him. Just posing other questions, and trying to thoughtfully discuss it.

Bro this is not rocket science to understand. Whether or not it's tradition to bring a gift is not important. You don't bring a fukin watermelon to a 3/4 black firehouse on your first day.

And why do you keep ranting about being a vet? Just cause you served with a few black vets who were okay with your racist jokes doesn't mean everyone is. Since your parents failed to teach you manners I'll give it a shot: when you enter a new social/professional situation be respectful and don't do stupid as fuk retarded chit, including possibly racially charged jokes. If and only if you test the waters then MAYBE you can cross that line, but even then it's pretty fukin lame.

I have had plenty of black bros who tried to get me to call them the n word when we're drunk, telling me i'm honorary black for the night, etc. But I don't cross that line because my parents taught me that having respect for racial issues goes BEYOND what me and a few buddies joke about in the privacy of someone's home. This specific scenario is the very definition of chit you don't do as a joke on your first day. You just don't seem to get it.

I think the only issue worth discussion is if he should have gotten fired for it or not. There is clearly a racial undertone to this "joke" and don't understand how people can't agree to this simple fact.

Watermelon isn't even nice

If they ended up eating it he has a solid case for wrongful termination.

Bro this is not rocket science to understand. Whether or not it's tradition to bring a gift is not important. You don't bring a fukin watermelon to a 3/4 black firehouse on your first day.

lol, why? I want you to answer this question.

And why do you keep ranting about being a vet? Just cause you served with a few black vets who were okay with your racist jokes doesn't mean everyone is. Since your parents failed to teach you manners I'll give it a shot: when you enter a new social/professional situation be respectful and don't do stupid as fuk retarded chit, including possibly racially charged jokes. If and only if you test the waters then MAYBE you can cross that line, but even then it's pretty fukin lame.

I dont feel im ranting about being a vet. I'm not a vet (hehe). I also have never served with any black vets, and haven't made any racist jokes to the black vets I didn't work with or the white vets i did work with. I was only trying to bring about the possibility that he was entering a profession with an extreme number of male co workers, and usually at these jobs, i have personally seen a lot of **** talking and behavior that could be taken as offensive, even though it rarely is.

Youre assuming that I am backing this guy, when i am just trying to play devils advocate to provoke thought.

I think the only issue worth discussion is if he should have gotten fired for it or not. There is clearly a racial undertone to this "joke" and don't understand how people can't agree to this simple fact.

That is the core of what I am trying to discuss, easily discernible from my posts in this thread. No one is disagreeing with you that there was potentially a racist undertone to this gift.

You're not provoking thought brother, you're just trying to troll.

Not even a vet and bringing up a "theoretical" scenario of him being a vet, while really you want to discuss if he should have been fired but never brought it up... sounds legit lol.

We ouchea, troll level has exceeded 9000.

It absolutely could be perceived as racist if a citizen dropped of a watermelon, but nobody on my crew is going to act on it. I am a public servant, it's going to take a lot more than a watermelon for me to fly off the handle at a citizen whose tax dollars pay my salary.

I'ts also important to consider the type of person who dropped it off. An 80 year old grandma who drops off a melon and thanks us for helping her a few months back is going to get a different reaction than a guy who shows up with a giant confederate flag flying off the back of his truck.

I'll still act appreciative to both people, but we'll definitely make some assumptions and comments about the 2nd guy once he leaves. Nobody who cares about their job would engage in a conflict with him though.

It is customary to bring a gift, but every rookie knows that there are only 3 options to choose from...it's either donuts, ice cream, or you cook breakfast for the firehouse. That's the tradition.

call it whatever you want, but not everyone wants to deal with it in theworkplacethat's all there is to it.

You seem more focused on the fact that i said vet, than i am. All my original posts in this thread were about if he should have been fired?

All points received, but are you saying that a guy bringing in a watermelon is the same as bringing in watermelon flying a confederate flag through the parking lot? That sounds like youre even trying to make what he did sound worse than it was.

yep, maybe he can enjoy a career other than the fire service instead

Yeah well screw you and your racist 50 posts per page. I bet you use the original white layout too huh, racist.

black skin master race and from the waist down

n--n-no homo

he is kind of a ******* for doing this on his first day on the job. Maybe if he had like 5 years with these guys he could pull that joke.

Lol got negged by a ******* for saying he shouldn't have done that in a professional work environment, specially when he's the new guy in for "not everyone is a snowflake who gets offened by fruit."

It'd be great if you *******s would at least present a counter-argument instead of negging but I guess you autists have a hard time forming arguments smh

Yeah, no one wanted to answer my questions either

No.

What I'm saying is that the presentation/appearance of the citizen who dropped off the watermelon would probably influence whether or not I thought they were trying to be offensive or racist. The context is important.

If it's some random dude who has no connection to our firehouse or crew, and he is flying a confederate flag, I might make some assumptions that his motivation for the gift was not genuine. Maybe I'd be wrong, but maybe I'd be right.

If an old lady and her grandkids stopped by to thank us for helping them on an EMS call a few weeks prior, and they handed us a watermelon as a gift, I'd be far less inclined to think that they were intending to be malicious or inappropriate.

Either way, I'm going to kindly thank them for the gift...but I'm not going to invite the first guy inside for a tour of the firehouse.

This... My goodness, hope he sues the **** out of them.

You can't even agree on watermelons and you think we can share a country. Insanity

Well the only thing left for the guy to do is swab his mouth, send it to get tested and days later find out he is actually 18% oppressed. Bunch of sour scours