Re:Ask HN: How do I stop myself being toxic?
by CannisterFlux on Wednesday June 29, 2016 @08:09AM
(#12001086)
Maybe you've been away for too long? :-)
Are your colleagues mostly Swedish or English/other? Do you speak in English or Swedish to them?
I can imagine if you speak English better than your colleagues then you might imperceptibly/unintentionally treat them like people less intelligent than they are due to having an accent. As a British person working in Europe I've seen it happen, non-UK colleagues I know to be very intelligent are treated ... differently... when talking to someone who speaks english natively. Maybe not "toxic", but in a way I wouldn't appreciate.
Are your colleagues mostly Swedish or English/other? Do you speak in English or Swedish to them?
I can imagine if you speak English better than your colleagues then you might imperceptibly/unintentionally treat them like people less intelligent than they are due to having an accent. As a British person working in Europe I've seen it happen, non-UK colleagues I know to be very intelligent are treated ... differently... when talking to someone who speaks english natively. Maybe not "toxic", but in a way I wouldn't appreciate.