I’m generally pretty thoughtful about what I say around people I don’t know that well. I also work in HR, which makes that doubly necessary, for obvious reasons. But last night, I didn’t sleep very well and am coasting through today in a sort of caffeine- and insomnia-induced euphoria, and just heard myself say to someone that the person I’d just spoken to on the phone “Couldn’t have been [traditionally Hindi name], if I had to guess I’d say it was a middle-aged white guy. Bit posh.”
I realised what I’d said as soon as the awful words had tumbled out of my mouth, and everyone is kindly pretending that I haven’t dropped a bit of casual, low-key racism, but I will be embarrassed for the rest of the day.
I also once said to a room full of people, about a mutual (absent) friend, that he’d “That’s not saying much, he’ll shag absolutely anyone”. Realised mid-way through the word “absolutely” that the previous week, he’d slept with the girl sitting right next to me.
What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever said, and realised immediately afterwards?
