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I don't do jibes.
This evening, while I was at the hospital visiting my wife and newborn daughter, I left her to go to the hospital cafeteria to get some dinner. On the way there, I passed by the lobby, where they had copies of the local independent paper, Impact Weekly. As I passed by, I grabbed a copy, and the clerk there -- she looked like she was in her early 20's -- said that there was a $1 charge. She later said it was a $2 charge -- one dollar for her and one of the co-worker.
I stopped, looked her in the eye, and told her, "I don't do kidding around. This is a free newspaper. I think your kidding around is very unprofessional." [I should have asked for her name and threatened to call the President's Line on her. After all, "Patients First" is the hospital motto.] She responded with a huffy "Sorry!" Hopfully she won't make that mistake again.
Why do people do this to me? I don't see them doing this to anyone else. Why can't they just leave me alone? Do they see the word "Sucker" written across my forehead? What kind of fool do they think I am? I don't kid around with people, unless I make it obvious that I am kidding, either by smiling whan I say that or using emoticons/smilies. I believe in treating people the way I want to be treated. I think that kidding around, teasing, or jibing is very disrespectful, manipulative, and hurtful. It's like picking on someone who has a physical disability or deformity.
I continued to the cafeteria, had my dinner (turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, carrots), and went back to the wife and daughter. I told her about this incident, and she couldn't see the situation my way. She told me, "Most people would laugh that off as a joke. Don't say it; I know that 'you're not like most people'. Perhaps she was bored."
I guess this is yet another strange thing that humans do that I just can't comprehend.
I stopped, looked her in the eye, and told her, "I don't do kidding around. This is a free newspaper. I think your kidding around is very unprofessional." [I should have asked for her name and threatened to call the President's Line on her. After all, "Patients First" is the hospital motto.] She responded with a huffy "Sorry!" Hopfully she won't make that mistake again.
Why do people do this to me? I don't see them doing this to anyone else. Why can't they just leave me alone? Do they see the word "Sucker" written across my forehead? What kind of fool do they think I am? I don't kid around with people, unless I make it obvious that I am kidding, either by smiling whan I say that or using emoticons/smilies. I believe in treating people the way I want to be treated. I think that kidding around, teasing, or jibing is very disrespectful, manipulative, and hurtful. It's like picking on someone who has a physical disability or deformity.
I continued to the cafeteria, had my dinner (turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, carrots), and went back to the wife and daughter. I told her about this incident, and she couldn't see the situation my way. She told me, "Most people would laugh that off as a joke. Don't say it; I know that 'you're not like most people'. Perhaps she was bored."
I guess this is yet another strange thing that humans do that I just can't comprehend.