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ciroccojIt's weird. I have faced spoiled brats and belligerent students and dangerous inmates and unfair bosses and all sorts of people being crappy in my general direction and not felt particularly intimidated or flustered. I can hold my own in a fight. What I can't handle are nice people.
Today it took me ages to get what I needed from a bubbly, cheerful, chatty, and utterly useless bureaucratic airhead. Could not make myself break through her bubbly-ness. She must have repeated, "Well I'm not tech support so I don't think I can help you with this, but have you tried X?" about five times and somehow I was totally unable to get across the point that I had more than two brain cells to rub together, and therefore knew enough to try X (and Y and Z and Q too while I was at it) and I appreciated her trying to help, but seriously, all I wanted was to talk to tech support for the love of God! Just give me an e-mail address or phone number! "Maybe you should try right-clicking?" is not helpful!
I can't do it. Give me attitude and I'll take you down without breaking a sweat. Smile and be charming, or passive-aggressive... and I'm helpless, even when I can tell you're up to no good. Criticism or hostility from a stranger or 'opponent' of some kind? Pfft, whatever. Criticism or hostility from friends/family? Completely devastating.
Today's incident was just irritating and amusing, but this is a major character flaw. I seriously must try to work on this, especially with passive-aggressive/manipulative charmers. I get taken advantage of or hurt badly by 'nice' people for ages before I finally decide enough is enough and re-classify them as not-so-nice, and therefore eligible for some form of whoop-ass.
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linaelyn's phrase is apt: it's part of my Personal Learning Curve for This Lifetime.
Today it took me ages to get what I needed from a bubbly, cheerful, chatty, and utterly useless bureaucratic airhead. Could not make myself break through her bubbly-ness. She must have repeated, "Well I'm not tech support so I don't think I can help you with this, but have you tried X?" about five times and somehow I was totally unable to get across the point that I had more than two brain cells to rub together, and therefore knew enough to try X (and Y and Z and Q too while I was at it) and I appreciated her trying to help, but seriously, all I wanted was to talk to tech support for the love of God! Just give me an e-mail address or phone number! "Maybe you should try right-clicking?" is not helpful!
I can't do it. Give me attitude and I'll take you down without breaking a sweat. Smile and be charming, or passive-aggressive... and I'm helpless, even when I can tell you're up to no good. Criticism or hostility from a stranger or 'opponent' of some kind? Pfft, whatever. Criticism or hostility from friends/family? Completely devastating.
Today's incident was just irritating and amusing, but this is a major character flaw. I seriously must try to work on this, especially with passive-aggressive/manipulative charmers. I get taken advantage of or hurt badly by 'nice' people for ages before I finally decide enough is enough and re-classify them as not-so-nice, and therefore eligible for some form of whoop-ass.
linaelyn's phrase is apt: it's part of my Personal Learning Curve for This Lifetime.
