There’s never an excuse to use a racial slur. But for one grocery store employee, he even questioned his own initial reaction after finding out that the person who used it toward him has a disability.

The situation obviously involves multiple angles. On one hand, using a racial slur is an absolute no-no. On the other hand, should the person who said it truly understand the meaning? And what about the caretaker’s role in the whole ordeal?

For the grocery store employee, he wants to know if he’s an asshole for getting upset at someone with a disability for using a racial slur toward him. You can read his explanation of the incident and fallout below:

Part One

Image Credit: Reddit

Part Two

Image Credit: Reddit

Part Three

Image Credit: Reddit

Looking at the entirety of the situation, it’s tough to blame the man for his initial outrage. In no situation is it acceptable to use a racial slur. Considering it also came at his job, that probably made his reaction even more fierce.

On the other hand, he has to be understanding of a person with a disability. Sometimes, it might be difficult to know if someone has a disability off the bat. And in this case, the woman may have been repeating language she heard elsewhere.

Ultimately, Reddit users seemed to take the man’s side while also acknowledging some of the issues at hand.

Photo Credit: Reddit

This perfectly sums it up. Using a racial slur, especially in a specific context, is inexcusable.

Photo Credit: Reddit

This shows that professionals do have a specific approach to teaching clients about proper use of language. Taking the time to explain the meaning of a phrase or word seems like a sound strategy for helping someone with a disability understand the power of words. Another vote for “not the asshole.”

Photo Credit: Reddit

Seems like Tracy hit the nail on the head. If anyone reflected poorly in this situation, it’s most certainly the caretaker. Where was she in all of this?

At the end of the day, there’s no way to fault the grocery store worker for his reaction. Getting called a racial slur has to cut deeply. And while he would have done better to not curse, it’s more than excusable considering the totality of the situation.

In this case, he’s definitely not an asshole. But he did have a heck of a bad day at work.

Have you ever encountered a situation where you questioned whether you were an asshole? Tell us about the conflict and how everything turned out in the comments below.