Appropriate responses
The screaming started early. After about five minutes of back-and-forth yelling involving staffers, associates, and partners, I got up to close the door - the screaming got more intense - and I slammed my door.
One of the partners broke off from the screaming match to come in and inform me that my response was inappropriate; if I needed the door closed, just close it, and if I wasn't feeling well, step outside until I feel better.
Then she went back to the verbal brawl.
Which got louder.
And louder.
And louder still.
I admit my reaction wasn't appropriate for civilized discourse - and by "reaction" I mean slamming my door; I didn't say a single word - but that doesn't make the screaming matches proper.
Anger short-circuits rational thought. On all sides. And it builds, in a positive feedback loop.
Everyone screams at one another, trying to verbally bludgeon the other side into submission. And when that doesn't work ... well, out in the streets, you see the results. Shattered stonework. Burned-out shells of buildings that nobody dares to restore because they're afraid all their work will be undone the next time people with firebombs get hacked off.
And there's still a part of me that resents the implications - that if my patience is exhausted over a screaming match, then I'm the one with the problem and I'm the one who needs to walk away to calm down. As if the brawl is only a problem because I'm letting it be a problem.
Sorry for the stupid self-absorbed blog posts recently. But it grates sometimes.
This entry is cross-posted from http://bktheirregular.dreamwidth.org/572165.html. Feel free to comment here, or on Dreamwidth using OpenID (
comments).
One of the partners broke off from the screaming match to come in and inform me that my response was inappropriate; if I needed the door closed, just close it, and if I wasn't feeling well, step outside until I feel better.
Then she went back to the verbal brawl.
Which got louder.
And louder.
And louder still.
I admit my reaction wasn't appropriate for civilized discourse - and by "reaction" I mean slamming my door; I didn't say a single word - but that doesn't make the screaming matches proper.
Anger short-circuits rational thought. On all sides. And it builds, in a positive feedback loop.
Everyone screams at one another, trying to verbally bludgeon the other side into submission. And when that doesn't work ... well, out in the streets, you see the results. Shattered stonework. Burned-out shells of buildings that nobody dares to restore because they're afraid all their work will be undone the next time people with firebombs get hacked off.
And there's still a part of me that resents the implications - that if my patience is exhausted over a screaming match, then I'm the one with the problem and I'm the one who needs to walk away to calm down. As if the brawl is only a problem because I'm letting it be a problem.
Sorry for the stupid self-absorbed blog posts recently. But it grates sometimes.
This entry is cross-posted from http://bktheirregular.dreamwidth.org/572165.html. Feel free to comment here, or on Dreamwidth using OpenID (
comments).