My apologies, dear readers, but I’m in the midst of working on deadline so here’s one from the archives:
As I sat in my car at the golf course waiting for my younger son to finish his lesson, I wondered which case of stupidity to discuss next. Moments later, the answer drifted in through my open window. Two men, thirty years old or so, stood a row behind me, prepping their golf gear. This is the conversation I overheard:
Guy #1: (sounding annoyed) Im riding my bike up a hill and the cell phone rings. I dont know why, but I answer it. I hear, Hi babe! Hows it goin?’
(Guy #2 grunts in reply).
Guy #1: So I tell her, Im riding my bike up a hill. She says, You do sound really out of breath. Anyway, Im in this store
and she just continues babbling on! So I tell her Ive gotta go, and I hear
dead silence.
Guy #2: (chuckles like hes half-listening).
Guy #1: So I say, dont be upset. She says, Im not upset. Im just trying to communicate with you. (He says this last part with great drama, then raises his voice in case people at neighboring golf courses cant hear him). Can you believe it? Didnt she realize I was busy? Theres not a woman out there whos not like that. She doesnt exist!
Id like to say that I got out of my car, marched over to the doddering idiot, and gave the tip of his nose an unforgettable pinch, Three Stooges style, complete with sound effects. That would confirm a few things for him about women.
Instead, I stepped out of the car to get a better look at what could be a serial stereotyper. I stared in the face of a counterfeit human.
Its not a man/woman thing. I actually have both male and female friends whom, when I say Ive got to get off the phone, continue on for another 6 1/2 minutes just to say, Ill talk to you later. Some people just dont understand the meaning of gotta go. This caller seemed to fall in that moronic category. In fact, this whole failed conversation may have taken place between two stupers (short again, for impossibly stupid persons).
Lets discuss stereotypes for a moment. Like cliches, stereotypes exist for a reason. Once in a great while, they may ring a bit true. But mostly, theyre self-serving; that is, they provide an opinion for a simple minded stuper who would be incapable of reaching an opinion without the aid of stereotyping. It also allows blithering idiots to believe they have an intimate knowledge of a truth, however inaccurate that truth may be.
Theres not a woman out there whos not like that!
A bit extreme wouldnt you agree? To lump all women or men in a single category is plain, old-fashioned stupidity. This guy demonstrated a lack of wisdom, shrewdness, sensitivity or deep thought. I didn’t once hear him say to the caller, May I get back to you in a little while? Wouldnt that have been more direct and courteous?
Okay, so he was in the midst of an uphill battle on his bike. He chose to answer the call. He chose to be irritated. He chose to complain. Yet he absurdly put the reason for his frustration on the female population of the world.
Is stereotyping useful? Only if youre a stuper.
Choose to think.
Keli
Keli@counterfeithumans.com
Well, stupers are a type … LOL!
I can certainly relate to this. I called my friend this morning.
I told her I only had 10 minutes to talk, and that I was calling just to see how she’s doing. She told me not only about her own
health, her children’s health and then her grandchildren’s health. I mentioned again that I had to go. Then she started telling me about her latest trip in great detail. Finally after 20 minutes, I managed to say goodbye and hung up! Phew!
I can’t stand it when people won’t get off the phone and keep talking. I have a friend who says, “okay, just one more thing…” Grrrrrr!
Jen:
That’s for sure!
Suzie:
I know you’re trying to be polite at the same time as you’re trying to get off the phone. At some point, you just have to say, “Look, I really have to go,” and hang up. Maybe then next time, she will take you seriously.
MC:
“One more thing” means, I’m not done with you yet. The key is to find a way to show the caller that you are most definitely done. Hanging up when you say you will, conveys this message accurately.