It's 2007, Right?

Today I had what would have been an incredibly awful experience a couple years ago, and now, I'm just overwhelmed with pity.

A coworker was in a workshop with me today, and we were paired together for an exercise. About half of the class was discussing work-related communication issues, and the rest of us were focusing on personal issues, which was okay-ed by the facilitator, though the spin of the workshop was toward work (duh).

So this woman, when she heard what I wanted to discuss flat out refused to speak to me. She said in no uncertain terms that she would not role-play as Nanny, and really, it wasn't role-playing but more her sitting and listening as I spoke to her as if she were Nanny.

This woman, who is quite a bit older than me, slammed her book shut and physically moved away from me as she told me should would not work with me. She then packed up her purse and left the room!

A couple activities later we were back in a larger group together, and she told me to my face that maybe if I didn't act so immature (her words) my clients would not get angry with me. Another woman in the group jokingly said, "Yeah, you should ugly yourself up a bit," and another woman sympathized with me and said something to the effect that people must patronize me a lot for being so young in the work I do. But this other coworker of mine just bull-dozed on, talking about how I probably don't take people seriously enough and that I didn't look professional, and that's why people don't take me seriously.

Now, granted, she has a point. I tend to dress down on the days I have intakes (or workshops), and adopt a fairly familiar, friendly attitude with my clients, but it is very intentional. If I was applying for public assistance, I would not want a worker I didn't feel would understand me. By dressing down and really trying to connect with clients and understand their situations during the intake, while in my opinion not sacraficing my position as the EW, I feel like I get much more honest information from them. If I wore a business suit every day, my clients may respect my position more, but they would not feel understood, and would consequently not be as open with me. I can't count the number of times I've gotten information from people who have been on aid for years and years and was never reported before, because I have a converstaion with them, I don't just interview them.

So aside from her attacks on my age, maturity level, and clothes, this woman made several derogatory remarks about another person in our office. She made blatantly racist and age-ist statements about him, and right now I feel so bad for her, to be so back-ass-wards and racist, in 2007 in MARIN County, where the white folks may have the financial upper-hand, but their numbers are nothing against my pro-creating brown, black and yellow brothers and sisters.

And I'm also torn as to whether or not to report these remarks. I was deeply offended not only by what she said about me, but also about this other man. No offended to the point of wanting revenge, or breaching confidentiality, but really very saddened that people still think like that.

So what do I do? Broach the subject with my supervisor? Pray that she finds some wisdom in her old age? I'm really torn here.