KPN responds to a racist tweet in a typically Dutch direct manner

Ethnically Diverse Call Center Workers

 

What’s wrong with the photo above?

It’s similar to the one used by KPN in a recent advert. Do you see what’s wrong with it? No? Well, let me explain.

1. They’re smiling

The first problem is that several of the people in the photo are smiling. I’ve worked in a call center before and let me tell you that call center employees are squeezed like the buttocks of male strippers at a British hen party. Smiling is the last thing that people do in call centers. It takes 0.004 seconds to smile, precious time that could impact the productivity targets of the call center drones.

2. They look happy

It reminds me of the scene from the Mel Brooks movie Blazing Saddles, where a cowboy asks the workers why they’re not happy. “When you were slaves, you sang like birds”

Happy employees in a call center are as rare as spending an entire day in the Netherlands without seeing a woman wearing leopard print.

 

Lekker diverse

For corporations having a diverse workplace in 2019 is easy. Just make sure that you have a good selection of minorities in all of your ads. That’s much more convenient than actually employing them. 😀 This strategy works well most of the time but unfortunately an angry Dutch woman sent the following tweet to KPN complaining about seeing minorities in one of their ads.

KPN responding to racist tweet in a typically Dutch direct way

lekker direct

 

SjokeB (Angry bigoted tweeter)

I don’t want to see a brown-skinned person in every ad….donder op. (To learn about Dutch swearing read this) I want to see my own race in adverts. Clear enough KPN??????”

Response from KPN Webcare

We’re so sorry. Coincidentally the advertising agency had completely run out of middle-aged, uptight, bitter racist women.”

What a wonderful piece of Dutch directness. Goed zo KPN!

Het was niet zo bedoeld

I’m looking forward to comments from people who will claim that lekker tolerant grandma SjokeB didn’t mean anything racist by her tweet. Neee, natuurlijk niet.

Looking at her Twitter profile I was shocked to see that she’s a Donald Trump and Geert Wilders fan.

Well, kudos to KPN for their wonderful piece of Dutch directness.

 

No toxic, bigoted grandmas were hurt during the writing of this post