Workplace small talk can get awkward fast when it drifts away from the tried and true topics.

One IT employee found himself cornered by an aloof coworker who launched into an unsolicited lecture about China after learning about his heritage.

The whole thing had him wondering if reporting him to HR was the next best step.

Keep reading for the full story.

AITA for reporting an uncomfortable situation to HR?

So I work for a banking company in IT. And as with any IT department, we’re in the basement.

Last Friday, I come into work, go to the cafeteria to put my lunch away in the fridge, and as I’m putting it in, the head security guy says, “Hey Renekling, are you pro China or against China?”

Trying to give his coworker the benefit of the doubt, he decided to engage.

Now here’s the thing, I’m Chinese, so I’m assuming he wanted to start a conversation to try and relate to me.

So I told him I’m against it.

That’s when his coworker started to get a little offensive.

He agrees with me and starts talking about their culture and what they want, etc.

This guy is white, but the thing that made me uncomfortable is how he continued the conversation saying, “I took a class in Western Chinese culture.”

“China’s government wants to control everything, but because of this class, I learned what they want and how they are feeling.”

This IT worker now wants to get away from this conversation as quickly as possible.

Now I’m just standing there, slightly inching my way away from the conversation.

I tell him, “Hey, it’s 7:58, gotta go clock in.”

The reason it made me feel uncomfortable is:

1. Don’t talk about politics in the workplace.
2. He didn’t have to start a conversation that had to deal with China.
3. It’s hard to explain, but the way he talked to me was like he thought he knew more and was trying to educate me on the subject. (Hard to explain.)

So AITA for reporting this to HR?

The security guy wanted a discussion, but ended up giving an awkward monologue instead.

What did Reddit think?

It’s okay to feel uncomfortable, but a formal complaint would be a bridge too far.

HR reports are really better for repeat offenses.

This commenter concurs.

There’s more than enough blame to go around here.

The security guy clearly missed the memo on keeping workplace conversations normal.

Even still, sometimes involving HR can do more harm than good.

If you liked that story, read this one about grandparents who set up a college fund for their grandkid because his parents won’t, but then his parents want to use the money to cover sibling’s medical expenses.