Intolerance observation

[Josh]

I have seen several posts mainly dealing with religion, lifestyle and race.

Now, in most of these posts we have a SC make their views strongly/insultingly known when their Perception or belief is being challenged.

In retail I learned fairly quickly (as a member of a minority group) that some Customers; for whatever reason; would not want to interact with me.
Did this make it right? Did I force myself on these customers? Did I lose sleep over this? No, no and no.

We can complain about how life is unfair and how we should ban, neuter, castrate, embalm or roll in sugary flour any and all customers who don’t embrace and accept our uniqueness.

We can call them bigots, zealots and prejudicial pricks. We can even have our family, friends, acquaintances, significant others and random strangers chime in on our angst and stroke our fragile ego whispering gently to us that the sun will come out tomorrow while we shed a tear, punch or kick holes, pout and whimper.

Or we can say: Fuk It, I don’t get paid to be abused and calmly let someone else help them.

Try the fuk it method. It will make your life more enjoyable.

Perhaps thick skin is a skill developed after many years of customer service, but I refuse to provide the satisfaction; to someone whom I don’t know or care about; to ruin my moment.

Most people are fair, decent, honest and nice

[Andara Bledin]

The thing to know about the "fuk it" method of yours is that it tells them that there's nothing with their attitudes. It tells them that no matter how unacceptable their actions are, that's fine and dandy if nobody calls them on it.

I am not of the temperament to let people acting like assholes go about their day without being called on it.

^-.-^

[Mishi]

Same here, mostly because if I ignored every comment and show of bad behaviour, it would teach my kids that it's okay to behave in a bigoted fashion and I believe that would make life hard for them when they're adults. I can't ask/tell them or others to do something that I'm not willing to do, that wouldn't be fair. Besides, its a good teaching opportunity for them and for the people around us.

[Josh]

I’m not condoning the behavior. Bottom line, I really don’t care how they feel about me.

Society, religion, education, friends, family, environment hasn’t made an impact on them. What makes you believe that a complete stranger calling them out will change them? and why would I care about changing them? These people are like dinosaurs, on their way out and becoming extinct.

They seem to feed on creating misery on their target of scorn, so why give them the satisfaction? They are irrelevant and they have their right to be who they want to be.

As far as educating my kids. I don’t wait for them to be exposed to real life situations to explain a concept. So when they see an act of racism, discrimination or intolerance they already have a basic understanding that what they’re witnessing is wrong. Q&A is reserved for an appropriate time and setting.

If you’re waiting for real life situations to explain this or drive a concept ‘home’ then you’re a little behind the concept of raising them to be tolerable and unbiased (in my view). Daddy or mommy in a shouting match with what’s normally an elderly person, would probably do more harm than good and probably, in an ironic twist, teach them that people who dont have your ideals or meet your standards have to be 'put in their place' (which is...the way most of these people came about to be who they are).

[jackfaire]

Society, religion, education, friends, family, environment hasn’t made an impact on them. What makes you believe that a complete stranger calling them out will change them? and why would I care about changing them? These people are like dinosaurs, on their way out and becoming extinct.

Because people make it clear they do not approve nor condone this kind of behavior.

People who don't speak up and say, "Dude that's fucked up" will find that slowly the people saying the fucked up things are becoming the dominant way to be.

The reason those attitudes prevail as long as they do is because people take a position and everyone opposing it shuts up for fear of pissing off what they perceive as the crowd so one charming popular guy's attitude suddenly becomes his whole tribe's attitude because no one calls him on it and everyone goes about like it's okay.

You don't speak up to change that person you speak up so the others that are too afraid of pissing off the group know, "Hey wait I am not alone out here"

[Andara Bledin]

I've had many a time where I've done the speaking up only to have a half a dozen other people suddenly find their own voices regarding unacceptable behavior.

Too many people are too apathetic and too passive about the asshattery around them.

Edmund Burke said it best: "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

^-.-^

[Lace Neil Singer]

^ This. Often, when I'm shopping and encounter an arsehole customer having a go at a member of staff, I will find that once I raise my voice and tell them off, others back me up. Most of these SCs act the way they do cuz a) the hapless drone they're bitching at can't tell them to stfu and b) no-one else ever calls them out on it. If more people stood up for retail staff when SCs are being rude and obnoxious, then perhaps they'd stop doing it.

[jackfaire]

A security guard was picking on a teen who knows maybe he was having a shitty day.

The kid didn't do anything wrong didn't break any rule but the security guard didn't care he was going to do whatever he could to make this kid snap. Followed him harassed him.

One guy said something and suddenly a bunch of people were telling the Guard to back the fuck down.