You people!!

Post Reply New Topic

What would your reaction be if someone was to address you as "You people".

My usual work is on the phones as a cold caller and I get addressed as "you people" quite a lot.

It's when the person on the phone is a bit annoyed and they say something like "I'm fed up of you people".

My response is usually "what do you mean, you people?" or "There's no need to be racist". It does shut them up.

My point is, the person on the other end of the phone can't see me. They don't know what colour I am or if I'm disabled, disfigured or even if I might have dwarfism. I might do for all they know.

Do you think the term "You people" is derogatory?

Just a question, that's all.

If you're a cold caller, I would assume by "you people", they mean cold callers, and not anything to do with race or disabilities. Although you're on the phone with them, so maybe it's the way they say it or something that implies they mean something besides cold callers.

I actually use "you people" quite a bit, but not in the same way or type of situation you describe. When I say it, I just mean any group of people other than me. Like I might say to my parents, "I wish you people would stop talking because I'm trying to hear this TV show." I guess I sometimes use it where I might also say "you guys" or "all of you" or whatever. Just a generic term for people outside of myself. I've never had anyone misinterpret what I mean by it or be offended by it. I've actually never thought much about it, really.

I'm not personally offended by it.

It's because they do say it in quite an aggressive manner that I turn it back on them to shut them up.

That's good then since it works! I always thought that would be a hard job to have.

"You people"?????????????

A person who says that to a phone solicitor could mean "you phone solicitors", or "you people from the Acme Insurance Company[or whoever you work for]", or one of any number of things other than what race they think you are.

Phone solicitors are a widely disliked group themselves.

How do you know that they are being racist?

It's my way of making them think about what they are actually saying and the manner in which they are saying it.

They are saying it in a derogatory way.

But how do you know that they are referring to your race and not your employer ? I would think that it is quite difficult to detect race over the phone by merely your accent, isn't it (especially if you grew up in America and sound like every other American from your neck of the woods) ? Or are you giving them a very ethnic sounding name ? Even if so, it is entirely probable that by "you people" they are referring to individuals who make a living through telemarketing or people who work for the XYZ Company, and not to people of a particular race / ethnicity.

UNLESS they are saying something like "You bloody South Asians, stop calling and haranguing me... blah blah blah" ? Is that what they are saying to you ?

Ok, I think my point is being missed here.

I don't think for one minute that they are referring to my race. I am white and for as far as I'm concerned the person on the other end of the phone could be blue with yellow spots.

What I am saying is...Is the term "You people" a derogatory term when it is used to categorise people of race, disability or what ever else?

When I say it to people down the phone, I say it to stop them and to make them think before they go down the route of verbally abusing me. My tactic does work.

I have only used my work as an example.

So you both say "you people" to others and get told "you people" a lot ?

I don't think the phrase "you people" by itself is per se derogatory. A lot would depend on what follows and qualifies that phrase.

This.

When I tell off a cold-caller with the words "you people", I am addressing cold-callers in general, without regard to race, religion, sex, gender preference, politics, or any aspect that would identify the cold caller as anything other than a cold caller.

As in, "Will you people stop calling me?" or "You people seem to have nothing better to do than to annoy others." or "If you people don't stop harassing me with your stupid surveys and sales pitches, I am going to sue you for the the value of my time that you people have just wasted!"

"You people" is only a derogatory term when the people being addressed are doing something annoying and that is wasteful of other people's time. Obviously, it's nothing personal.

I would say, yes, probably, although the context would likely make a difference. "You people" indicates some group that's being lumped together as a homogenous class, whether it be "you telemarketers" or "you {insert race here} people." It's shorthand for "you people are all the same" which is of course not true. Many years of therapy have told me to avoid "you" statements because they tend to get people into a defensive mindset. In your case though, it sounds effective--shutting down their tirade before the conversation gets completely hostile. Do you find it works?

It would be fair to point out that "you telemarketers" are as annoying as "you door-to-door salespeople", "you panhandlers", and "you dog-owners who let your dogs bark all night".

"You people" should stop bothering me.

Yes it does work.

I know all too well that as a cold caller I annoy people, especially when they are having dinner or seeing to the kids. In fact all the time. That's part of the reason why I enjoy it so much.

There could be a part of me that is a bit resentful to the world and it's my way of getting my own back.

Who knows.

It depends on the context whether it is offensive. If it is meant to mean 'you black people' then that would be racist. I don't find it offensive in the context you describe. Cold callers are annoying and that is coming from someone who used to work in a call centre. I was usually told to f-off or called a c*** so 'you people' is quite tame in my opinion.

Like I said before, I don't personally find it offensive. I question it to stop them from going any further.

I have quite a good manner about me personally and I don't get abused too much.