Sambo!!!???

So, one day Angela came to my desk and she stated, “You will never believe what just happened.  John just walked up to me while I was talking to Earl and started talking about Sambo.  He started talking about that as a young boy growing up in Utah, he did not see any black people.  His mother bought him a Sambo book and she would read to him at night.  When he got a little older, he went to his first baseball game and there was a black boy in the stadium, and he yelled “Look mommy, there’s Sambo!”  After he told his story, he walked away.  John had not entered in a conversation about race; in fact he was not part of the original conversation.  He just saw an African American man and woman talking, and he decided to share his experience.  I would like to say that he did not know about the perception of Sambo in the African Americans, but we were not talking about a little boy in the 60’s we are talking about a man in his 40’s after 2001.  I can’t say that he didn't know it was inappropriate, because he was reflecting on an event in which he publicly embarrassed his mother as a child.  So, why walk up and mention it?  What purpose did it serve?  Did he want to see the look of surprise on both of their faces?  Or, did he want to remind them what they were and their station in that work environment?  Who knows, the conversation did not continue after he told his story, he just walked away. 

Although John didn't say anything else, the story was not over.  Earl was upset,

and he was close to his manager.  (She would give him better projects run at work.  Also, he would do some errands for her like getting coffee or picking up her lunch.)  At least, that is what he believed.  When he went to her and told her what happened, he was surprised.  Her response was indifference.  She told him that it was no big deal and it was just best if he ignored what happened.  He did what she said.  There was no reason to be a troublemaker at work.