And we wonder why foreigners hate Americans...
I made a call a few minutes ago to an Orthopaedic center to get an appointment, I got their answering service. The woman that answered the phone got all catty an says in a snide/catty way "Well, this is the answering service, they open at 9:15, okay? Thanks, bye"
I suppose I should have just asked for the time they opened..
On another note, I went out to find a job the other day and at least 2 of the desk workers (secretaries...) replied with "We don't take temporary help, no exceptions!" while another two replied with "That's not my business to know." Upon being asked "Would you be able to ask someone if you are hiring?" they scoffed stared at me until I said "Please?" and went to ask.
Now, is it me, or do we, as Americans, tend to have "less time" for other people? Is it me, or do we tend to push people away? I understand that time is money, but money is nothing if you piss off the person you need to give it to or get it from...
A few weeks ago I rudely made some accusations of a technical crew and entire staff not taking a moment to think before I did it. I have poor communication skills, I admit, but the rest of the world I live in/interact with seems to have skills right on par with my own.
I understand that there are some people you have to be cut and dry with, like the people that just don't "get it," but to be that way with people you just met or are only talking to for the first time on the phone? I'll give people at least 3 chances before I change my attitude towards them (unless I mistakenly or purposely have a reason to be rude). e.g. At school we were trying to get the floors mopped right so the dancers wouldn't slip and break their necks, and on the third night of tech, I had to show the kid mopping the floor how to mop the floor again. He didn't get it when I said "I need you to mop everything, the stage,the pit, and the wings where the dancers come in." I even showed him twice. On the fourth night I finally looked at him and said "You're doing a shitty job, man. Your mop is dry, and you didn't even mop the wings like I asked you to." I did laugh along with it, and got a mop and actually went and did the wings myself. I got not yelled at, but "spoken to" about it becaus eI used the word "Shitty," and the stage still had water on it because the stage manager didn't care that the guy I was having issues with showed up later than he should have, and started mopping later than he should have slacking off at it and taking 5 times longer than he should have. She also didn't ask me if there was a reason I grabbed a mop, maybe there was a giant puddle from the kid drenched the floor after I told him the mop was dry, and left a big puddle, so I got a mop, mopped it up, and told him to keep going because we didn't have time.) Granted that was the assistant stage manager position from hell.... That show started rehearsal in October, and was put on in March... I had made it known I was unable to cover any rehearsals for two weeks in october/november, and got an email at 10 pm halloween night telling me I *had* to be at rehearsal at 9 am, no reason, no "I found out I was scheduled to work tomorrow in the Freed Center, I can't cover the rehearsal, would you be able to cover it for me?" it was "You need to cover rehearsal tomorrow." I replied with "What time is the rehearsal, and I told you I can not cover anything for another week." I got an email back saying "9 am, thanks." and that was it. Now, I didn't actually get the email until 11pm, and at that time I was two sheets to the wind. We had a "meeting" about me getting pissed off over the whle situation and I said right out that she blatantly ignored the fact I said I couldn't cover it, she didn't give me any reason for it, and that I saw her out, shitfaced, at the same party I was at and assumed that she didn't want to cover the rehearsal because she'd be hung over. The mediator for the meeting smiled and looked at her and said "well, that clears that up" and we ended the meeting soon after.
In any case, it brings me back to my question, Are we just rude? Or am I missing something? What ever happened to helping each other?
I suppose I should have just asked for the time they opened..
On another note, I went out to find a job the other day and at least 2 of the desk workers (secretaries...) replied with "We don't take temporary help, no exceptions!" while another two replied with "That's not my business to know." Upon being asked "Would you be able to ask someone if you are hiring?" they scoffed stared at me until I said "Please?" and went to ask.
Now, is it me, or do we, as Americans, tend to have "less time" for other people? Is it me, or do we tend to push people away? I understand that time is money, but money is nothing if you piss off the person you need to give it to or get it from...
A few weeks ago I rudely made some accusations of a technical crew and entire staff not taking a moment to think before I did it. I have poor communication skills, I admit, but the rest of the world I live in/interact with seems to have skills right on par with my own.
I understand that there are some people you have to be cut and dry with, like the people that just don't "get it," but to be that way with people you just met or are only talking to for the first time on the phone? I'll give people at least 3 chances before I change my attitude towards them (unless I mistakenly or purposely have a reason to be rude). e.g. At school we were trying to get the floors mopped right so the dancers wouldn't slip and break their necks, and on the third night of tech, I had to show the kid mopping the floor how to mop the floor again. He didn't get it when I said "I need you to mop everything, the stage,the pit, and the wings where the dancers come in." I even showed him twice. On the fourth night I finally looked at him and said "You're doing a shitty job, man. Your mop is dry, and you didn't even mop the wings like I asked you to." I did laugh along with it, and got a mop and actually went and did the wings myself. I got not yelled at, but "spoken to" about it becaus eI used the word "Shitty," and the stage still had water on it because the stage manager didn't care that the guy I was having issues with showed up later than he should have, and started mopping later than he should have slacking off at it and taking 5 times longer than he should have. She also didn't ask me if there was a reason I grabbed a mop, maybe there was a giant puddle from the kid drenched the floor after I told him the mop was dry, and left a big puddle, so I got a mop, mopped it up, and told him to keep going because we didn't have time.) Granted that was the assistant stage manager position from hell.... That show started rehearsal in October, and was put on in March... I had made it known I was unable to cover any rehearsals for two weeks in october/november, and got an email at 10 pm halloween night telling me I *had* to be at rehearsal at 9 am, no reason, no "I found out I was scheduled to work tomorrow in the Freed Center, I can't cover the rehearsal, would you be able to cover it for me?" it was "You need to cover rehearsal tomorrow." I replied with "What time is the rehearsal, and I told you I can not cover anything for another week." I got an email back saying "9 am, thanks." and that was it. Now, I didn't actually get the email until 11pm, and at that time I was two sheets to the wind. We had a "meeting" about me getting pissed off over the whle situation and I said right out that she blatantly ignored the fact I said I couldn't cover it, she didn't give me any reason for it, and that I saw her out, shitfaced, at the same party I was at and assumed that she didn't want to cover the rehearsal because she'd be hung over. The mediator for the meeting smiled and looked at her and said "well, that clears that up" and we ended the meeting soon after.
In any case, it brings me back to my question, Are we just rude? Or am I missing something? What ever happened to helping each other?