Racist client, but I need the money..

[noodle650]

just grin and bear it unfortunately, you either have the money and deal with the sh*t or have nothing.

[Jolly_Rogers]

I suppose he is just ignorant, there isn't much you can do. A person like that can't be reasoned with. You can take a moral high ground and quit on principle, or do what is best for you and make the money. The best bet is to take your bosses advice when in doubt. So his girlfriend works with him or is in the studio just hanging out? I have heard racial jokes, but never dealt with serious racism. Is he seriously hateful or just crass and obnoxious? Maybe you can half-ass the engineering and deliver an average product just to spite him, kidding . . . or am I?

[KRStudio]

Every time he makes a racist remark, just remember he is paying you money for you to listen to him be an ass. Most people have to tolerate an ass, you get paid for it! Next time you have to work with him (he WILL be back) charge him extra for combat pay. It's easier to enjoy stupidity than to fight it.
Good luck.

[TheBrightSide]

Dealing with idiots is NEVER easy.

Next time he say's something moronic, just picture Mike Tyson beating the poop out of him.
You might get a giggle.

[M2E]

A funny way of dealing with that would be, if you have any, friends that are black and mean looking. Have them come through to the studio before he comes in. When he does come in, introduce them as some of your close friends. If you had about 5 to 10 of them there, that way it's intimidating
and look at his reaction. After that, you shouldn't have no more issues.

Another way is just ignore it man. He's ignorant and has no morals as it is.

Make that money and on the last day, after he pays, then have the guys come over. Hahaha, jus kidding. Don't do that man.

Marc

[John T]

In any service related industry you end up dealing with really messed up people. You can try and make a change by your own attitude, but someone like that is going to just be an idiot anyway.

Work fast...

[naz]

Originally Posted by Jolly_Rogers

I suppose he is just ignorant, there isn't much you can do. A person like that can't be reasoned with. You can take a moral high ground and quit on principle, or do what is best for you and make the money. The best bet is to take your bosses advice when in doubt. So his girlfriend works with him or is in the studio just hanging out? I have heard racial jokes, but never dealt with serious racism. Is he seriously hateful or just crass and obnoxious? Maybe you can half-ass the engineering and deliver an average product just to spite him, kidding . . . or am I?

His girlfriend is just hanging out half of the time.

He is all of the above and has the tattoos to go with it.
I just keep thinking, if I was black he wouldn't even work with me. So by working with him I'm actually doing a diservice to all the black engineers out there. Makes me feel sick.

[Call_me_Switters]

Before the session play tracks from Chuck Berry, Dr Dre, Louis Armstrong or whatever black artist that is close to his music. If he makes a racist joke, tell him that this song is by a black artist. He might realize that whatever is doing was probably invented by this people...

[rocksure]

If it's serious rascism then Personally there is no way I would have someone like that recording in my studio. I'd rather lose the money than tolerate it. However, since it's not your studio and you are working for someone else, I suggest you tell your boss how you feel and perhaps ask him/her to say something to them along the lines that it breaks studio rules or something. Explain to your boss that you are at the point of getting ready to walk. If they value you as an engineer then I suspect they would rather talk to the client than risk losing you.

[Empire Prod]

You should try being way more racist than him until he is so deeply offended to the point that he can't take it anymore and is so revolted that his eyes are opened and he changes his ways.

[the fxs]

your boss is an idiot if he's letting this happen to you.

[siniarch]

naz,
First of all I'm sorry you are dealing with this. It's sad how people can be so ignorant and stupid. But it is what it is.

In any case, I think I have an idea that might help. I think people like this cannot be reasoned with and no matter what you say will not see your point.

How about you tell your boss that this is really disruptive to your work and that you cannot work like that. That you are willing to take $300 a day with no racist remarks at all. But if he so much as says anything racist again, you will give him a warning. The second time, you walk.

No matter how racist he is, I think he'll take the savings. I know it sucks, but I rather take less pay for being happy at work. (I was going to suggest to charge him for every racist remark, but that just feels like he can buy his way out of it. ) This way he is not getting a benefit for being racist, he is getting a benefit for not being (or rather acting) racist.

Just a thought. Doesn't hurt to run it by your boss.

edit: Perhaps put it in writing that if he continues to make such remarks, that you will walk and he has to pay you $300/day for the remainder of the days whether anything is complete or not. This can give him a real incentive not to do it. He gets savings if he keeps his mouth shut, but gets penalized if he doesn't

[machoboy]

I'm not sure what you mean by advice on "dealing with it".

Either handle it for the money or call it off.

What else are you going to do? Thrown down with him in the studio?

I was a Deputy Sheriff for a short period before I changed careers and if I "dealt with" every attention starved loser to called me a cracker or a white boy (and I'm middle eastern..) I would have ended up in prison in a month.

Thing is, that's exactly what they were hoping for, that they would get 5 minutes of attention and I would get myself in trouble.

Just be professional. Nobody ever really looks back and regrets being professional. They look back and regret being overly emotional.

[loujudson]

Hey Naz, I feel for you. Studio I used to work had a client who made promotional tapes for (adult) people to wear diapers for fun - he told the guy to stop coming there. Not the same, but your boss needs the balls to make a statement! You do need to make the choice to give up the money to make your own statement, but if it means losing the gig that's hard to do. What part of the country is this in? California is a lot different form say Alabama as to what folx can get away with. My Mama was from Mississippi, and was th eonly one who married a soldier and moved away so I was raised in California - I cannot deal with my sixteen cousins, so I just don't. They were people I knew as a kid and grew out of.

Think about the Nazz - if you know about Lord Buckley, you could use his riff to let the fella know he's being an asshole, but by opposite example. You know Lord Buckey? He did a comedy routine sounding like a black comedian, but he was a white as anyone, and kinda British to boot and wore a pith helmet on stage:
Lord Buckley's "The Nazz" and Lord Buckley - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - learn some of his routines and try them on this gross cat!

Or maybe talk about the next session, a bunch of rappers who have a song about killing whitey and you gotta move on...

or maybe not that...

Best luck whatever you do.

[Strange Leaf]

I agree with your boss, just ignore it.

[Caramel]

Complete the job . This will not be the last racist you encounter. See it as an opportunity to learn how to manage it.

I live in South Africa. I have to work and deal with racists everyday throughout my whole life.

Tell him the reason you are not comfortable is that your grandma is black. That may make him think twice. Play him.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

[raymondwave]

Add $50 extra for every racist remark and tell him it goes to childrens multicultural education fund, uncut.

[thehightenor]

You can choose your friends, but you can't choose who your customers are sometimes, and we all need to earn living, there's no shame in your need to earn money.

I hate saying ignore him, because this sort of BS should never be ignored, but educating people isn't your job in this situation.

[gonklives]

How many more jobs like this would you have to take before you started saying no thank you?

You either make a firm stand and say "Leave" or you be quiet as the more uncomfortable you get ( even if you say nothing it will come out in a slight wince or you'll physically tighten up etc. ) He will then do it to just to get to you.


Personally I cannot tollerate, intolerance and twisted people like this do not deserve a piggy back to their dreams.

[richgilb]

Tell him your boyfriend's black.

[gonklives]

Originally Posted by thehightenor

I hate saying ignore him, because this sort of BS should never be ignored, but educating people isn't your job in this situation.

I agree it isn't your job to educate people and the OP certainly shouldn't because "people" like this like the reaction not discussion but it is also not the OP's job to tolerate racism and in doing so, it shows the "recording artist" !!??? that such behaviour will not be tolerated in 21st century.

As someone posted earlier studios have rules and it would be a damn shame to have a no racism sign up that you point to every time this guy makes a comment, it should go without saying.

imagine him to his mates...
"yeah don't worry about getting kicked out of that other studio, I got a guy who recorded for me, he's alright, I was N*&^^r this and that sure he whined a bit but he's alright, you know."

You really want that rep?

[Mark Richardson]

Originally Posted by Strange Leaf

I agree with your boss, just ignore it.

+1 Its not as if you have to socialise with them or exchange christmas cards.

If you take notice of fools you will spend your whole life cataloguing...

[ionian]

Either take the money and do the job or don't take the money and don't do the job.

Obviously you never worked in hip hop / rap!

Regards,
Frank

[The Byre]

Originally Posted by richgilb

Tell him your boyfriend's black.

Bingo!

I had EXACTLY this problem decades ago. Some 'Good Old Boy' musician told me a stupid and very racist joke that had the punch line involving Puerto Ricans and blacks being too lazy to steal.

I didn't laugh. I just said quietly that I though his observation was interesting, as I had never noticed that tendency, as my wife's father was part Puerto Rican and part Black.

There was a brilliant sort of stuffed silence in the studio and we never got any more rubbish like that from him.

[los marbles]

Originally Posted by the fxs

your boss is an idiot if he's letting this happen to you.

I kinda agree with this. If you told your boss that its happening, and he/she says to suck it up, I would be pretty tempted to give the studio an ultimatum.

Is the music racist?

I kicked a guy out for.being misogynistic before. Never regretted it and felt better about myself in the long run. You have to take a stand sometimes. The world has enough hate going on.

[alvagoldbook]

What's wrong with separating an idiot from his money?

[los marbles]

Originally Posted by machoboy

r

Just be professional. Nobody ever really looks back and regrets being professional. They look back and regret being overly emotional.

Sometimes a person can look back and regret not making statement for something they believe in. It's only some money.

[machoboy]

Originally Posted by los marbles

Sometimes a person can look back and regret not making statement for something they believe in. It's only some money.

The client in question is making statements about what they believe in constantly from the sound of it. It has a time and a place and knowing the time and the place is key.

Getting into a dramatic "it's me or him!" showdown with some drunk at work just isn't productive, from an objective standpoint.

Now if you own the space and you can just tell the guy you have other people lined up and he's wasting time, that's different, but this guy has a boss and they need to get it done and pay the bills. Is it worth it?

Just my advice from having to deal with everything from black power idiots to skinhead with forehead tattoo idiots to viva la aztlan idiots for a couple years. Most of them didn't even like their own race and just needed something to rave about constantly. Serious racists don't wear it like a fashion accessory. "Taking a stand" against classless drunks will just get you a toothless grin and wasted time. You won't convert them like in the movies.

So I stand by saying... Either call it off completely or finish the project.
Either way be professional and don't "confront" anyone.

[Tom H]

I know it's easy for us to say from here, but you have to stand up for what you believe in. It's one of the most important things in life. Karma will eventually deal with your client, but don't go against your own feelings, it will only make you feel bad in the end.

Seriously I would kick him out of the studio. It would be the only right choice for me, wich would become obvious if you knew me.