Possible Racial Bias with Redundancy

Bungle5393

bradders1983 said:

Hmm. Your surname isnt King, is it? 🤔

Nope!

unforeseen

I hate to tell you but kos has another meaning which is very common. 
Let me guess, you are in your 50s or 60s, pretty overweight (from one of your responses) unfit? Then the common meaning of KOS is the one they meant. 
King of Scotland is associated with Idi Amin so you should be able to guess the implications of that.

The HR people probably didn't give the meaning that they meant for a reason. 

Bungle5393

unforeseen said:

I hate to tell you but kos has another meaning which is very common. 
Let me guess, you are in your 50s or 60s, pretty overweight (from one of your responses) unfit? Then the common meaning of KOS is the one they meant. 
King of Scotland is associated with Idi Amin so you should be able to guess the implications of that.

The HR people probably didn't give the meaning that they meant for a reason. 

The only other definition i've heard is 'Kill on Sight' which is a term used by online gamers.
So what is the common meaning?

Manxman_in_exile

I must admit when I first read this, I thought that the OP must be of African origin and that that was the perceived derogatory meaning of the term "King of Scotland" (Idi Amin), but now I'm not so sure?

OP are you claiming discrimination on the grounds of your skin colour or your Scottish nationality, or both?

(PS - it's immediately obvious to me that "King of Scotland" has the potential to be a racially abusive term.  I'm surprised so many people seem to be doubting this.  Whether it is in the OP's case, or is just a stupid joke, is another matter...)

unforeseen

Bungle5393 said:

unforeseen said:

I hate to tell you but kos has another meaning which is very common. 
Let me guess, you are in your 50s or 60s, pretty overweight (from one of your responses) unfit? Then the common meaning of KOS is the one they meant. 
King of Scotland is associated with Idi Amin so you should be able to guess the implications of that.

The HR people probably didn't give the meaning that they meant for a reason. 

The only other definition i've heard is 'Kill on Sight' which is a term used by online gamers.
So what is the common meaning?

Knackered old sh**e

Manxman_in_exile

That is another way of reading it!

(Others are available  )

AskAsk

here is an interesting list of meaning of kos 
https://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/KOS

Manxman_in_exile

And - speaking as a Manxman - being Scottish, or Irish, or Polish, or Roumanian is a "race" for these (legal) purposes isn't it?  After all, "race" is a non-scientific concept... isn't it?

Ditzy_Mitzy

I, too, initially thought the OP must be Ugandan.  Amin was the 'King of Scotland' after all.  But if he's white British, which he appears to be, then I can't see what the fuss is about.  Plenty of people have derogatory nicknames or are picked on for various characteristics they can't control.  I, for instance, have to put special effort into convincing others that I'm not a bit thick (well maybe I am, but you know what I mean) because I've got an Essex accent.  A real one, not an 'I went to private school and live in Hampstead but I'm cool and read the Guardian so attempt to sound like I'm from "da streets"'.  
'King', in isolation, is not an insult nor is 'Scotland'; especially as you live there.  Learning that others don't, perhaps, like you very much isn't nice and I'm sorry to hear it's happened to you.  It's a feature of every workplace, sadly, and it's not always going to lead to discrimination in the sense of legally protected characteristics.  It's possible not to be racist or homophobic or otherwise non-discriminatory in that sense and still be a nasty person.  

AskAsk

Ditzy_Mitzy said:

I, too, initially thought the OP must be Ugandan.  Amin was the 'King of Scotland' after all.  But if he's white British, which he appears to be, then I can't see what the fuss is about.  Plenty of people have derogatory nicknames or are picked on for various characteristics they can't control.  I, for instance, have to put special effort into convincing others that I'm not a bit thick (well maybe I am, but you know what I mean) because I've got an Essex accent.  A real one, not an 'I went to private school and live in Hampstead but I'm cool and read the Guardian so attempt to sound like I'm from "da streets"'.  
'King', in isolation, is not an insult nor is 'Scotland'; especially as you live there.  Learning that others don't, perhaps, like you very much isn't nice and I'm sorry to hear it's happened to you.  It's a feature of every workplace, sadly, and it's not always going to lead to discrimination in the sense of legally protected characteristics.  It's possible not to be racist or homophobic or otherwise non-discriminatory in that sense and still be a nasty person.  

i personally don't think there is any discrimination or racism meant in this.  those HR people are just idiots and should know better.  if i was running that company, i would sack them.