A demand too far?

I hate sport and find it tedious. However, I hate curtailment of freedom and authoritarian edicts more.

The current fad for salami slicing the freedoms and rights of others is truly frightening.

notanan2, are you sure that the visiting senior was trying to exclude or was he just someone who lacked the insight to see what he was doing? Or maybe he was just not very good at small talk but latched onto something he could talk about.
I know when watching my son play hockey, I sometimes got stuck with a group of fathers who would converse about any sport that was currently in vogue and I would feel slightly excluded because I knew nothing about those sports. However, I know that they weren't trying to exclude me, they just weren't trying to include me. They were also just making the sort of conversation they were interested in rather than what I was interested about.
I think we all have to be aware of others but better to educate people as they are growing up rather than dictating to them when they are adults. Should my ASD grandson ever get to work in an office environment, I hope the rest of the group are prepared to listen to endless facts about animals to the exclusivity of any other conversation.

When I started work in an office back in the early 60s there was no chatting at all, by anyone! Only at break (1) and lunch time was there any social verbal interaction We were there to work and woe betide anyone who disobeyed the supervisor. Perhaps that's what should happen. As for now, this person's idea is mad.

Oh god what next, - I'm getting truly sick to the back teeth with all this nonsense. For crying out loud why can't the do-gooders stop finding offence in everything anyone does??

My next door neighbour goes into seclusion when tennis tournaments are on. Her dogs are walked earlier or later, to fit into the schedule, and woe betide any casual callers! Her whoops of joy or despair can be heard through our very thick walls.
If I run into her the conversation is almost solely about who beat whom and any upcoming matches. Ban the subject, and she would be tongue-tied.
I agree, though, that conversations should be tailored so that no-one feels excluded for any length of time.

Ridiculous. I've worked in many offices with just a couple of men and lots of women. Our male colleagues had all the kitchen chats about relationships at the depth women tend to go into and not men. Even periods, pregnancy and childbirth followed by menopause.

Furthermore, I've also worked with women who love football and rugby and love talking about it. If you think about it, there's a sexist assumption that women aren't into sport.

When there are so many things to be genuinely concerned about in this world, why descend to such a petty level? People will become more and more hostile to such advice and that could end up applying to things which ARE important.

It’s all getting too ridiculous. We’re almost banned from talking at all - let alone having an opinion. We’re either branded ‘sexist’, ‘racist’, ‘ageist’ and any other ‘ist’. People need to grow up and toughen up.

Absurd. I would happily talk rugby, tennis, cricket.

I well remember feeling obliged to have a 'team' in order to keep up with pre-meetings chat and never remembering what it was. Once I mentioned it in a warm-up when introducing a speaker and someone called out from the front row 'No it isn't winter white! Last week you said it was xxx.'

If I don’t like or know about something someone else is discussing I either ignore it, ask questions about it or do something else. Unless it’s offensive or illegal people, at work or otherwise, should be free to talk about whatever they choose - goodness me, whatever next! As for the few on here who feel they are being “excluded” because they don’t have children or something else, try and join in and maybe add your own experiences, you don’t have to have children to know about them !

Seems as though the CMI has its head in the sand - it is indeed sexist and the idea that blanket statements should apply to all workplaces when it comes to what individuals can talk about is ridiculous - what is important is that managements are approachable and able to handle genuine situations of where workers feel left out of conversations - and anyway are we all so fragile now that we can’t stand up for ourselves and ask for a change of topic or simply acknowledge the rights of others to talk about sport or cars or whatever else some ignorant person thinks are purely gendered subjects

That is just plain Bonkers!!!!! What next? I would talk about sport if I knew what I was talking about. Some people just love to spoil others fun. They need to get a life and a proper job!! Have a good sporty day!

So sexist, I am the first to talk about sport, six nations starting soon, just try stopping me taking to my male and female topics about this. WE will be supporting various nations too

I am so looking forward to the Six Nations over the next few weeks. When working I used to book days off if England were playing. Friends think I am mad that I live watching golf on tv. Oh...did I mention snooker? Been watching that since pot black days on a black and white tv.

Is sport a bit too hard for us? - He only means footie, and yes, we can do footie too. I used to do archery - minority sport not many at all know about - so if I talked about that was I 'excluded' or my listeners - doh. What about the other way - if we talk about tights that come up under your armpits - are they excluded. What a farce. We are supposed to be 'all race, all culture' and we can't take a bit of chat about sport we might not be interested in - get real chaps.

I have a season ticket for my local rugby league team and could out talk some of the men on manoeuvres. But I once remember hearing a man saying women didn’t understand the offside rule! I love rugby union too and often explain to women the difference between the two codes. On my local ground I would say there are 30% women and girls watching the game.

Kittylester - a friend of ours from football invited us 'girls' to his wedding. We sat at a table with one girl's new husband (who had 4 years of season ticket under his belt) and a family we didn't know. We 3 females had well over 60yrs of loyal supporting between us. Guess which one of us the dad talked football to?

Absolutely ridiculous!

When is this P.C. going to stop.
it gets worse every day.It’s very tiring isn’t.I have stopped reading newspapers as most of the ‘news’ is depressing.
My job before retirement was driving all through the north of england visiting clients 9/10, were men M.D’s C E O’s etc
Without exception they all would chat about whatever sport had been on the night before luckily my DH is a sport fanatic if it’s sport on tv we are watching it,well truthfully DH is watching I am reading a book.But it did allow me to keep up with my clients,
Who would sometimes say are u very sporty to which I would reply no they just laughed and carried on chatting sport or politics ugh.But I just let them they were without exception very nice pleasant people I think I was very lucky.
In our office meetings once a month mixed group every one just chatted about whatever.
It’s just stupid to make such sexist rules men and women have managed to get a long for thousands of years why do these people think we need telling what to do and what to say it’s getting very boring,and irritating.

It is beyond stupid and the CMI no doubt has many who do not agree with their Head. As the spokesperson for a reputable body such as the CMI I think there will be many within that body who wonder where this sort of thought could lead to.

Why men?

I feel there is a distinct whiff of misandry on so many occasions and like those who choose to use the tiresome phrase ' Stale. Pale, Old, White, Man ' I wonder what sometimes lies behind such very personal thoughts.

My daughter says I use this word too often but, ridiculous!

It's one thing to encourage an inclusive atmosphere and a range of topics but to start making rules like this is just so counterproductive and Big Brotherish. I like to think of myself as quite "aware" but this drive to make everyone conform to some ideal is a joyless business. On the one hand we have talk of the increase in loneliness and on the other there is an increasing likelihood of offending someone or other every time we speak! Apart from ageism...that seems mostly ok still.

I'd support a ban on sport small-talk if only because sport is ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ..........

Please ban

Soaps
Vegetarianism/Veganism
Gym talk
Healthy outdoor activity
Partys I wasn't invited too
Nights in the pub I wasn't at
Movies I haven't seen
Politics I don't agree with
Harry and f****g Meghan
Any other Royals

Acceptable topics:

The Weather
How boring life is

There is also an assumption in this statement that the majority of people in the office will be male.

I spent most of my working life in male dominated offices, usually the only woman above clerical level and I cannot remember ever feeling excluded from conversation. So much else gets talked about at work than sport. In fact I cannot remember sport as a being a frequent and important subject of discussion If the subject being discussed didn't interest me I just wandered off and got on with my work. Things that didn't interest me included baby talk and holidays.