LittleJade
Literotica Guru
- Joined
- Apr 29, 2007
- Posts
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This thread is inspired partially by an event that occurred recently, and partially by a book that I'm reading right now, called "Cunt" by Inga Muscio.
The point of this thread isn't to whine or to garner attention- it's to illustrate that meanness is rampant in today's society... and that people have become complacent about it. Apathetic. They shrug, accept it, and get on with things. And that is NOT cool, no matter how you slice it.
It should NOT be okay for someone to treat another person poorly, without any form of punishment. It should NOT be okay for someone to be rude to another person, or cruel, or violent, without society as a whole being disgusted with them. "Give them an inch and they'll take a mile"... allow someone to be rude to you, and they will continue to push the envelope. Allow a society of "someones" to be rude, and crude and mean and cruel, and we end up with violence... simply because society as a whole is not policing itself well enough.
The event that inspired this thread occurred last week. It was lunch-time, and I'd gone down to my favourite little Italian cafe for a panini and a chai. The paninis are grilled while you wait, so you get freshly melted cheese on your sammich. I was standing at the counter, waiting for my sandwich, while other people placed their orders (completely out of the way), when this family came in. Mom, Dad, and three unruly, undisciplined, rude boys. The boys budged in front of people, they made comments about the elderly people in the place, they were loud (in an otherwise rather lovely environment), and they were spoiled. I said nothing, hoping that the owner of the place would say something. Nothing was said. I should have spoken, but did not. This, however, is not the end of this little story, but merely the introduction. This family was not from my city, or even my country. They were from down south, in the great state of Texas... as you could see by their baseball hats, belt buckles, and the patch sewn onto the backpack of one of the children. The three boys were roly poly kids- not thin, but not horribly fat, either. Dad proceeded to purchase 3 chocolate filled croissants and 3 hot chocolates piled with whipped cream- one of each for each child. As the hot chocolates were prepared, they were placed on the counter near me, for the Dad to pick up and hand to his children. As he reached for one, he said, loudly enough for the ENTIRE shop to hear, "Would you fucking MOVE, WIDE LOAD!" I was stunned. I turned and looked at him, more shocked than livid, while the entire shop went silent. The woman at the counter asked the man to apologize, and he responded with "WHY?! She's so fat she's taking up the entire shop". My sandwich was ready at that point, so I took it and left, aware that not one person in the shop had argued after his second outburst, and that the shop had continued to serve the man. I will not be going back to that cafe- they've not earned my patronage.
My point here, is that not one person who'd been sitting in the cafe, had said something to this rude man. His WIFE didn't even say something. The shop owner continued to serve the man and his family, and everyone stayed in their seats. Maybe I'm too idealistic, but had I been serving in the shop, I'd have refused the man service. I would have asked him and his family to leave. Had I been a customer in the shop, I would have asked the man to leave. I would have come to the defense of the person being picked on- not that I needed defending... but I wouldn't have just sat there, and let it slide.
It is NOT OKAY that people get away with this kind of thing. This man openly insulted someone, IN FRONT OF HIS CHILDREN. He was not shunned, not kicked out, not disciplined in any way, which makes him, and his children think that it's OKAY to treat someone like that. And what will his children do with this knowledge, I wonder?
When people are jerks, we need to CALL THEM ON IT. We need to ask that they have a little decency. We need to demand an apology. Meanness should never be tolerated. Rudeness is NEVER okay.
I talk to people all day, every day, in my work. I have been on the receiving end of all colours of rudeness. And I have never tolerated it. I will correct someone who is spouting off on inaccurate information. I will hang up on a person who is cursing at me (I will warn them first that if they continue to swear, I will hang up). I will not be rude. I will not accept rudeness. Often, once I have hung up on an irate client, they will call back later, and apologize. A good lesson is learned- it is NOT OKAY TO TREAT SOMEONE POORLY.
I began this thread as a way to work out frustrations, yes... but also as a forum on meanness, on cruelty. This is a thread that I hope will receive contributions and stories of other meanness you've witnessed or experienced, because those who are being mean or rude or cruel, DESERVE to be made public, DESERVE to be ridiculed, and DESERVE to be shunned.
The point of this thread isn't to whine or to garner attention- it's to illustrate that meanness is rampant in today's society... and that people have become complacent about it. Apathetic. They shrug, accept it, and get on with things. And that is NOT cool, no matter how you slice it.
It should NOT be okay for someone to treat another person poorly, without any form of punishment. It should NOT be okay for someone to be rude to another person, or cruel, or violent, without society as a whole being disgusted with them. "Give them an inch and they'll take a mile"... allow someone to be rude to you, and they will continue to push the envelope. Allow a society of "someones" to be rude, and crude and mean and cruel, and we end up with violence... simply because society as a whole is not policing itself well enough.
The event that inspired this thread occurred last week. It was lunch-time, and I'd gone down to my favourite little Italian cafe for a panini and a chai. The paninis are grilled while you wait, so you get freshly melted cheese on your sammich. I was standing at the counter, waiting for my sandwich, while other people placed their orders (completely out of the way), when this family came in. Mom, Dad, and three unruly, undisciplined, rude boys. The boys budged in front of people, they made comments about the elderly people in the place, they were loud (in an otherwise rather lovely environment), and they were spoiled. I said nothing, hoping that the owner of the place would say something. Nothing was said. I should have spoken, but did not. This, however, is not the end of this little story, but merely the introduction. This family was not from my city, or even my country. They were from down south, in the great state of Texas... as you could see by their baseball hats, belt buckles, and the patch sewn onto the backpack of one of the children. The three boys were roly poly kids- not thin, but not horribly fat, either. Dad proceeded to purchase 3 chocolate filled croissants and 3 hot chocolates piled with whipped cream- one of each for each child. As the hot chocolates were prepared, they were placed on the counter near me, for the Dad to pick up and hand to his children. As he reached for one, he said, loudly enough for the ENTIRE shop to hear, "Would you fucking MOVE, WIDE LOAD!" I was stunned. I turned and looked at him, more shocked than livid, while the entire shop went silent. The woman at the counter asked the man to apologize, and he responded with "WHY?! She's so fat she's taking up the entire shop". My sandwich was ready at that point, so I took it and left, aware that not one person in the shop had argued after his second outburst, and that the shop had continued to serve the man. I will not be going back to that cafe- they've not earned my patronage.
My point here, is that not one person who'd been sitting in the cafe, had said something to this rude man. His WIFE didn't even say something. The shop owner continued to serve the man and his family, and everyone stayed in their seats. Maybe I'm too idealistic, but had I been serving in the shop, I'd have refused the man service. I would have asked him and his family to leave. Had I been a customer in the shop, I would have asked the man to leave. I would have come to the defense of the person being picked on- not that I needed defending... but I wouldn't have just sat there, and let it slide.
It is NOT OKAY that people get away with this kind of thing. This man openly insulted someone, IN FRONT OF HIS CHILDREN. He was not shunned, not kicked out, not disciplined in any way, which makes him, and his children think that it's OKAY to treat someone like that. And what will his children do with this knowledge, I wonder?
When people are jerks, we need to CALL THEM ON IT. We need to ask that they have a little decency. We need to demand an apology. Meanness should never be tolerated. Rudeness is NEVER okay.
I talk to people all day, every day, in my work. I have been on the receiving end of all colours of rudeness. And I have never tolerated it. I will correct someone who is spouting off on inaccurate information. I will hang up on a person who is cursing at me (I will warn them first that if they continue to swear, I will hang up). I will not be rude. I will not accept rudeness. Often, once I have hung up on an irate client, they will call back later, and apologize. A good lesson is learned- it is NOT OKAY TO TREAT SOMEONE POORLY.
I began this thread as a way to work out frustrations, yes... but also as a forum on meanness, on cruelty. This is a thread that I hope will receive contributions and stories of other meanness you've witnessed or experienced, because those who are being mean or rude or cruel, DESERVE to be made public, DESERVE to be ridiculed, and DESERVE to be shunned.
