I like to think of myself as a nice person. Not a mean person. I also like to think that I am fairly good at keeping my cool in most situations. However, I have noticed a trend in my niceness scale. I am nice when I am healthy but mean when I am sick. I am battling yet another cold and I feel miserable. So I feel like I am on a mean rampage. Luckily, I don't have to deal with the public that much and if I do it is mostly through email. Today I received one too many dumb emails from dumb people about dumb things that could have been avoided if they weren't so dumb. So I snapped. Instead of editing what I wanted to say like I do 99% of the time, I said exactly what I felt like saying. This usually results in one of two ways. First, either the dumb person gets really defensive about their dumb question or they profusely apologize for their dumbness. I hate defensiveness because if people just owned up to their dumbness and stopped being dumb then the world would be a better place. On the other hand, when I got the email back after I snapped with an apology, I felt bad. The mean streak in me says "serves them right" but on the other hand if I had kept my cool then I wouldn't have made someone else feel bad too.
Now, I am feeling like a really rotten person, so I will get defensive here. I really wasn't that mean. I just pointed out to someone that I had already given them the information they were requesting instead of just giving them the information AGAIN.
Am I the only one with a fluctuating niceness scale?
8 comments:
I believe illness will add to the meanness, but dumb people are also my main gripe! I also include hospital billers, psychopaths, and the US Govt...oh, and UPS guys...the mayor of our neighborhood...Wow,you hit a common area with me! Kidding!
Well, you're nicer than I am...I would do something like that and not think twice about it, and that's on a good day!! :) lol!! And if these are your mean days, I'm glad we're friends...cause according to what I've seen, you are always so nice and happy...even when you're sick!! :) But I do hope you get feeling better soon...being sick is awful!!
Maybe we keep passing the same cold back and forth. I feel like I've been sick forever, too. Considering we hide out in our respective corners of the office, that's quite the feat...maybe our vents are connected?!?
I'm the same way about dumb questions, but I tend to chicken out in the end. I always type the response I want to send at the beginning, but after reading it through a few times, I can't quite do it...although, there've been a few times I hit send...and it feels good, I'll admit. But I figure, you can blame anything on being sick. Take advantage while you can... :)
So remember how I said I usually chicken out? I just snapped and sent a kind of mean email to John...it's been nice working with you...
I have loved your comments! I am thinking we might need to organize a few group therapy sessions. Meet once a week throw in some chocolate or a punching bag with "he who must not be named" face on it. We must work with one of the dumbest populations. This is all if Leonora still has a job...... : )
When I am tired and sick I am really mean. But as you know I have always had a temper. The worst is at work and email is even worse. So I got a dumb email from some asking me about a meeting (outlook users beware if someone forwards you a meeting request and you hit reply it goes to the person who sent the meeting request not the person who sent it to you) and if they should attend it or not. My first response was how should I know, I haven't gone to the meeting to know what they will talk about or not, but decided just to be nice about it. So I responded, I don't know, if you can't attend it I am sure there will be meeting notes so you can find out if you missed anything. I should have ended the email there, but no I decided to add in i think its one of those meetings where the VP gets up and tells all the things we have to do so he can get the his big bonus at the end of the year. Then of course the email went to HR who had sent the meeting request out. I found this out because I got an email from HR explaining the meeting was very valuable and so forth and so forth. I still have a job so I guess its okay. :)But all because I was annoyed.
Yes, you're the only one with a fluctuating niceness scale.
NOW do you feel mean? :)
-Eli
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