A Problem Shared Is Two Problems

Welcome back my friends to another edition of smooth sounding satire, mixed in with a backing chorus of rants, helped along with a metronome of mayhem. I feel compelled to open the doors on one of my pet hates this week. I don’t mean what types of pets I hate, that would be mental. Although I’m not particularly fond of millipedes. I am referring something that really gets up my nose with people I have the misfortune of interacting with on a daily basis.

The things that people say or do can make or break your day at times. One small action or sentence can set the tone or change a mood in an instant. You have to be really careful when you are faced with a conversation crossroads not to take the wrong option. This could lead to many horrific avenues of reaction. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction and in the social and professional world this is also the case. In earlier blog posts I have boasted of times where I can use these situations to push the controversy to breaking point purely for my own entertainment. I stand by my ethics and my methods, but when faced with an audience that you know is clearly inferior on a social level, it almost becomes so easy that it’s hard – if that makes sense. It is almost as if although you are trying to wind someone up they are so oblivious of the humour, sarcasm or insult that they feel as if they have won. That in turn annoys the hell out of me.

Moods are very contagious in the work place, at home or even in a public place. Smile and the world smiles with you. Frown and you bring the place down. I would never begrudge anyone who is in a mood about something personal, and if they are comfortable talking about it around me I would be happy to listen or give advice. If I had a personal problem I tend to keep it to myself purely because I feel selfish rubbing off my mood on other people. A problem shared is two problems. I refuse to turn my life into a soap opera and broadcast every emotion I am feeling to the world. It’s not my style, so I remain cheery and fun to be around most of the time. There is that one time where you may catch me in a bit of a state but you would be incredibly unlucky to be around when that happens.

The things people say at times baffle me. Just little things get under my skin, sometimes quite irrationally. The stupidity that is on display from people is laughable but also quite terrifying considering that these are normal people who we allow to cut our hair for instance or drive us home when we are drunk. These are quite empowered positions where we are quite literally at their mercy. Phrases like “It’s always the last place you look.” Of course it’s always the last place you look because once you have found it, you stop looking. Even if it’s in the first place you look it will still be the last place you look.

There was a moment at work that really wound me up last week involving a customer who was quite obviously two cans short of a six-pack. It was closing time so I walked round the store informing customers to head towards the tills if they are making a purchase or the exit. Each customer acknowledged me and either started walking or gave me an indication of when they will exit. I get to this man who is leant over looking at blu-rays. I politely informed him that we were closing and if he needed any help. No answer. I repeated what I was saying in case he was hard of hearing. Nothing. I then gently tapped him on the shoulder. In one movement he stood up and glared at me shouting, “How dare you touch me!!” He started walking away and shouted again, “You’re a rude and ignorant pig!!” This was at the top of his voice making sure that the rest of the customers could hear. Before I could say anything he stormed out. Now, before I lay into him it is quite clear that he was a bit mental, although he seemed like a normal fellow. I have two issues with the way he dealt with my reasonable request and physical contact. The first one is the volume and tone of his voice. He was acting like I had broken into his house and shit in his microwave. The way he reacted was completely unreasonable and over the top. The second issue I have is the statement that I was rude and ignorant. When someone says something to you am I right in assuming that you acknowledge them with a reply or body language? I will take that as a resounding yes. On further analysis of his statement, I would say that once someone has ignored you twice, possibly intentionally, does that not make that person rude and ignorant themselves? The word tosser is thrown around too often these days but in my opinion this time it is justified. Thanks for reading.