AngryDeuce

There was a place near me called Smut N Eggs. Was a bar that catered to graveyard shift, we’d swing there after work at 6 in the morning to kickstart our “evening”. Inside where you would expect to see sports games on the TVs around the bar, they had vintage porn playing. The walls were covered with centerfolds.

The waitress, Michelle or Chele for short, was about 50 years old, had a smokers rasp and the look of someone who’d spent most of her younger years riding on a motorcyle, and suffered absolutely no bullshit. The food was amazing, the vast majority of people weren’t even looking at the screens, they were just digging into their dinner or breakfast at 6 in the morning with a beer or three on the side.

Place burned down years ago…damned shame.

Literally, there was a massive fire near here at the sole grocery store for like a 5 mile radius and it got to the point where the county had to step in and provide a grant for free ubers and shit while the store was being rebuilt because there was no realistic alternative mode of transportation…the other stores weren’t on bus lines and to boot it was high summer, like 90°F and 90% humidity out…the city had already had to roll out cooling centers because seniors were getting heatstroke due to their AC being busted, there was no way they were walking or biking 5 miles for groceries in that or they’d have been dead on the side of the road.

It makes more sense to a European to think of the US less as a country and more as basically the EU. We’re not a monolithic people from coast to coast. Decrying a lack of broad action across the US is like expecting broad, coordinated action in Spain, Netherlands, Sweden, Poland, Romania and Austria. We’re bound by the same federal laws, but the laws on a state to state basis, literally all laws not explicitly granted to the Federal Government, belong to the states.

The difference between Wyoming and Massachusetts might as well be the difference between Finland and Croatia. Culturally, economically, geographically, different climate, different racial makeup, different religious persuasions…the farther you get from one state, the more different things become…take someone from the upper midwest and have them talk to someone that grew up deep in Southern Louisiana. They’re both speaking English but watch how difficult it is for them to communicate. These are both people that hail from the same country. And that’s even ignoring the fact that there are much higher concentrations of people here who don’t speak even like, emergency English then even countries where English isn’t their mother tongue. Go watch some police bodycam videos and see how often entire extended families have like a token 12 year old that can speak english fluently that is basically speaking for the whole family when the cops are initially rolling up to the scene.

I guess with all that Im just trying to say…people need to ease up on throwing shade at the people of the US as if we are complicit in this because we’re using all our energy to keep our heads above water. This scenario is literally unprecedented in this country, there has never been a time when a single branch of government so effectively demolished the checks and balances that were designed to prevent it from happening. We literally have a domestic military force with as much firepower and resources as the actual military in the form of ICE, the FBI, the police, the National Guard, Homeland Security…little different situation then a bunch of beat cops with batons and riot gear standing at the end of the street to make sure that the protest doesn’t spill over into traffic.

It’s not as simple as people are making it out to be.

It bears mentioning that the large scale protests you see in other parts of the world are often in places where there are strong worker protection laws.

In the US almost every single person is literally one major medical incident away from living in their car, one missed mortgage payment away from living in their car, and one missed insurance payment from not getting the medicine they literally need to survive. Most US states allow an employer to fire one of their employees without any warning or cause whatsoever, so long as the reason for the termination doesn’t fit into one of several small boxes…which they would need to admit for it to be actionable, anyway.

My point being, a big part of the reason why you don’t see protests like you do in say, France, is that unlike France, the people here are largely wage slaves that cannot afford to even miss work when suffering from extreme illness, let alone to take to the streets over that asshole pedophile acting like an asshole pedophile. This has been by design.

Don’t mistake a population of people spending all their energy holding onto the little they have for one that supports this regime. Whether you think their action or lack of action is justifiable, you need to at least admit it’s understandable.

Only positive thing he ever contributed to the world.

Its a shame more of the people today that emulate him don’t commit fully and do the same thing, and just spare us all the bullshit suffering, before it inevitably finds itself there anyway, which it will…it always does eventually. Their way is not sustainable.

They’re like the randoms I get playing chess online that refuse to lay down their fucking King when a mate is inevitable. They’ll even say as much in the game chat. Like for fucks sake, can we not?

I can chalk a lot up to just people having different tastes and all that, but when people are literally spending non-trivial sums of money on Apple product packaging, like they’re collecting the boxes the shit comes in and decorating their space with them, things that they never even actually owned at any point in their lives…I’m sorry but that’s just on a whole level beyond people that, like, are into their Jeep (though as recent Subaru owner I’ve found people are similarly oddly passionate about owning a Subaru…its just a car to me man, sorry lmao) or into FunkoPop or whatever.

Any other product, if you see someone selling an empty box almost 99% of the time it’s like, “Yeah, this is a scammer, they’re banking on people not paying attention” but with Apple boxes it’s definitely 50/50 that it is legit someone selling an empty box to someone looking to buy an empty box. The absolute insanity lol

Just because people don’t have the energy for your bullshit doesn’t mean they are neurodivergent.

Uh, actually, it kinda does mean that, because the vast majority of people aren’t so exhausted by responding to “Hey, hows it going?” with a normal, human response that they not only completely opt out of doing it but then go on the internet and complain about how unfair it is that they’re expected to behave in line with what is defined as ‘the norm’.

Here’s the questions you need to ask yourself: Why do I feel like being asked to engage with a person that is asking a normal question is equivalent to being forced to engage with someone that is treating me poorly? Why am I seemingly unable to separate the two, and conflate participating in social niceties with being abused? Why is the social equivalent of a papercut and a shotgun blast to the face the same in my eyes, and why do both generate a similar response?

But whatever you do, if you can’t handle being expected to respond to “hey hows it going?” with some variation of “not bad, you?”, for the love of Christ, please don’t willingly seek out employment where a key facet of the job is doing just that, or at the very least if you do, save the blinking and acting like Im inconveniencing you for asking a normal-ass question like “Is this the line to pay?” If you can’t even handle that, that is not at all the fault of the person on the other side of the dialog.

Oh, believe me, I know that’s not just a GenZ thing. I’ve worked with people that were in their 60s that would pull the same sort of shit. I think it’s human nature to react negatively to being asked to perform an annoying task, and there are many shades of gray in whether the task itself is justifiable or not. Where I differ though is that in my own experience, so long as a request was reasonable, even if the request itself sucked, I didn’t refuse to do the thing, or at least, knew that if I refused to do the thing that it might have negative consequences on my continued employment.

I’m not a slave driver…believe me, I am very selective with delegating and like I said, I have literally never once in my life, not ever, asked someone to do something that I haven’t done myself and know intimately what it entails. I’ll delegate the task and even help them along by giving them guidance on the most efficient way to complete it…way more than I ever got, that’s for damn sure; where Im at now had a real sink or swim mentality before I came along and was able to shape things more constructively when it came to developing our new hires and that’s reflected in the changes in our turnover over those years.

But anyway, getting back to the point, it’s not just a GenZ thing, but it is something I’ve noticed at a much higher percentage in our younger interns and entry level employees then the years pre-Covid. Everyone is different, but that weird sense that they can have their cake and eat it, too…they can just opt out of doing what’s expected of them and still somehow expect to not have any consequences for doing that…that’s the thing that I see more and more as time goes on among the fresh hires where Im at. The surprisedpikachu when they’re getting talked to about the fact that they’ve rolled in a minimum of 20 minutes late every day this week with no explanation and that’s not okay. Being accused of being unreasonable for talking to them about it in the first place, like I’m out of line with the expectation. That’s the attitude that bothers me, and it’s more common then I’ve ever seen it before.

Yeah my wife does the same thing and it similarly drives me batshit lol.

Its even funnier when she’s standing there naked waiting for it to fill complaining about freezing while there is 20 gallons of hot steaming water sitting right there in front of her that, for some reason, she feels she can not sit in until its up around her neck lmao

Never said that. I worked retail for twenty years, dude. I went back to college in my mid 30s.

I know what the job is. I know what the expectations are. You need to examine why you consider both “Hey, can you help me find something?” and “You’re worthless to me and I don’t care about you” as equivalent in your mind, because that is the shit people are complaining about.

Nobody is telling retail employees they need to take abuse. What we’re telling retail employees is, being asked to assist a customer in itself does not constitute abuse, so please, hold the ire when I come to the customer service desk, the place that exists for that explicit purpose, and ask a simple question. That is literally what you are being paid to do.

Dude, this is a static picture lol.

You know how this happens naturally? People fill the tub to just below the the overflow, shut the water off, get in the tub, and then immediately displace the water up over the overflow. Then it drains…slowly…until it’s below the line.

If this was an image we could hear, I’d bet you any amount of money there was a gurgling sound in the background as the water slowly made it’s way down the drain.

The trick is to get in the tub before it’s done filling, then you don’t waste 10+ gallons of hot water down the overflow.

Dude, seriously. Work phone/personal phone. The two never touch in any way, not even for so much as alternate contact method. I don’t want my bank calling my work phone. I don’t want my clients calling my personal. When Im not working the work phone gets set down next to the bed and doesn’t get picked up again until the next time Im getting up and ready for work.

I truly do not understand how people can even tolerate having both of these parts of their lives on the same device. Is the hardship of two phones really that insurmountable for people when the benefits are so readily apparent?

I trust them to not be as bad as the MAGA types. That’s why it’s the lesser of two evils. I know that they’re evil fucks in their own way, believe me.

I want a third choice, I truly do. I’ve long gotten behind third party candidates, and pulled their lever at the voting booth. I voted for Nader in 2000. I participate in the primaries. But at the end of the day, if my candidate of choice doesn’t get nominated, I’m not going to abstain in the general if the choice is between the soulless vampire democrat and the Christofascist MAGAt that is running on a platform of making homosexuality punishable by death. I doubt there is even a majority of people voting for that democrat thinking they’re the next FDR, they just know that by not pulling that handle, they’re possibly going to give the Christofascist the win. We’re choosing the devil we can live with versus the devil we can’t.

Unfortunately, until we somehow get legal mechanisms in place that codify the basic human rights of the people the MAGAts are targeting in these fucking purges (that’s basically what they are), and solidify the ability of the government to make it literally impossible for this kind of shit to happen going forward, this is what it boils down to. I want election reform, I want ranked choice voting, I want the level of representation to be adjusted so that the number of reps in congress isn’t hard locked so that we can have more abilities for niche candidates to achieve the office and break the hold these two parties have, I want publicly funded elections, I want strict rules regarding the media as concerns elections. I have a feeling you and I both have a very similar set of values and ideas as to what constitutes a functional democracy.

All Im trying to say is, don’t take people voting for democrats as endorsement of their bullshit. It’s not that, believe me, it is not that. It’s just the only other realistic alternative, the MAGAt, is so, so much worse, that we have no choice but to hold our nose and do whatever we need to do to prevent that asshole from getting into office…even if that is voting for the lesser of two evils.

That’s what blows my mind with that specific argument…that people hesitate before just talking because it’s considerate. I appreciate it when Im in the middle of composing an email and the person standing at the door to my office gives me a second to finish the sentence Im writing. Im sure the people that are standing behind the counter have similarly been doing something that requires concentration and appreciated that someone gave them a minute to get to a stopping point before taking their attention away from it.

How the blue fuck that could ever be interpreted as “stupid” or “annoying” is completely beyond my understanding. Or how we’re just waiting for someone to say “Oh hi” or “Ill be right with you” or “Can I help you with something?” before interrupting their work is somehow, in itself, worthy of being treated the same as if you just came in dropping F bombs screaming at them.

So I guess that’s the disconnect for me…how they literally cannot see the difference between a bog-standard customer service type of interaction and someone legitimately being an asshole to them. To them, they are both equivalent. Anything that involves them interacting with someone they don’t feel like interacting with is some sort of slight or imposition. It’s totally fine to be that way in your personal life, but not when you’re standing at the fucking information kiosk at the hospital, being paid to work at the information kiosk at the hospital, where your job is…wait for it…providing information to people that come to you at the fucking hospital.

To a degree, I do agree with you. However, if you are of the legal age where you are even allowed to hold a job, period, you shouldn’t have to be trained on how to interact with human beings. That training should have happened long before you came to us looking for a job. If they’re even hired in the first place, they must have demonstrated that they are capable of having a conversation or else they wouldn’t have been brought on.

I mean really that’s the whole reason we do the interview…we don’t give a shit about their technical skills really, because that’s all stuff they will be trained on. What we give a shit about is that they’re capable of interacting with other people in a professional manner. If someone is sitting for an interview and just blinks at us whenever we ask them a question about their application, they’re not going to be offered a job. So its pretty clear that for the interview, at least, they demonstrated that they have that base skill or else I wouldn’t be training them in the first place.

So then why the fuck is it that all those skills they demonstrated they have during the interview evaporate the minute they’re on the payroll? Like do I really have to train someone that if the phone rings at their desk, they need to answer it? That if they receive a direct email from someone, they need to respond to it? That if someone asks them a question, they need to answer, and not just stare at them?

I can teach people the technical shit all day long, and literally do it all day long. But I should not have to teach them that a ringing telephone needs to be answered, especially if the job they were hired to do was, in part, answering the fucking phone. And there are people out there that still think that I should have to do that, or worse, that Im the jerk for expecting it in the first place. Just such a fuckin clown show all around.

FWIW, I agree with you. But to be clear, I didn’t list that choice because I felt it was obvious. They absolutely can walk out and not ever come back, they have that autonomy of course.

Where I make the distinction is where the line is drawn as concerns continuing your employment. If you will not perform the tasks expected of you, you will no longer be paid, your badge will no longer open the front doors, and you will not be working here. If that’s the decision you need to make for yourself, I fully support and there are no hard feelings on my side of the desk. I can and have had those sorts of frank discussions before, and it comes with my role in the company as it stands today. Don’t want to work a job with a set schedule? No problemo man, I get it, but that’s not how it is here, so best of luck to you in the future!

But as long as the wage is being drawn, and I’m asking for things that are part of the job expectations that are listed on the documentation they signed when they started working for us, that is beyond the point of negotiation. I’m not an asshole, and I have never in my life assigned a task that I have not personally done myself when I was in their shoes. The tools and technological gains have made their role easier by orders of magnitude then where it even was when I was the intern all those years ago. But when my mentor was assigning my tasks, never in a million years would I have thought that I had the right to dictate to my boss whether or not I would do that task if I wanted to continue being an employee of the firm. I felt it was pretty obvious and clear to anyone that has worked in their lives that it do be that way…I dont get to tell my boss what Im doing if I want my boss to continue employing me.

That is the disconnect Im referring to…the fact that people are taking jobs thinking that they get to dictate what the job entails, even after being told what the job entails, even after signing documentation saying they agree to what the job entails. Where does that come from? And why are people so surprised that refusing to do what a job entails means that you no longer can reasonably expect to continue that job?

It appears the same but it’s a different thing entirely. The older people are confused because they’ve been doing $THING the same way for 30 years and now $THING has changed and they’re struggling. I think that’s natural, and also kind of agree with them, because all these “self service kiosks” that are replacing people fucking suck ass by comparison to a live human being that is capable of thinking beyond a few decision trees.

The thing being talked about here is where people take jobs working customer service, where 50% of their job is to be a resource to the customers coming in that may have questions or need assistance, but are annoyed that they’re being asked to be a resource to the customers coming in because who fuckin knows why, and are displaying their annoyance by not being a resource to the customers coming in and staring at them like somehow they’re at fault for being a customer ruining their day for walking through the door.

So what if there are signs on the ceiling that say “Restrooms”? If someone in their 70s comes in and asks where the restrooms are, why is that so bothersome? I mean, if that’s the hardest thing you’re dealing with in your day to day count yourself lucky because kid, it ain’t gonna get any easier as you get older, not by a fuckin longshot.

Honestly, and this is digging pretty deep here, I think it boils down to entitlement.

I work in IT, and as one of the more senior people at my firm, am often coaching the paid interns we have coming through in spring and fall. I’ve been doing this for over a decade now, and I’ve noticed some trends among these early 20-somethings fresh out of college that was not the case previously. Namely, the employee/employer relationship.

As an easy example, here’s a specific argument I have had to have virtually every single time one of the new interns starts: “I know we’re supposed to be here at 8am but does it really matter? So what if Im a few minutes late?”

Well, once in a while, sure, shit happens. We’re actually pretty loosey goosey with that stuff and don’t watch people’s punches. We don’t go looking for people the minute they’re supposed to be at work, we give people 15-20 minutes to settle in and all that shit, which in my mind is pretty fuckin reasonable. But even that is seemingly “too micromanage-y” for the interns lately, and I’ve found myself having to explain how being on time to work is important, not just for our firm, but like, for society to function. Im explaining to legal adults that they need to be to work on time and its an argument. And the thing is, after a point, here’s the answer they’re going to get: “Why does it matter? Because if you don’t do what you agreed to do, your internship is going to be terminated and you will not be receiving an offer from our firm.” And somehow that is unreasonable to them. They literally think they can come in to a new job and do whatever the fuck they want, breeze in 30 minutes late every day, and we’re the assholes for taking issue with that.

But that’s just one easy, universally recognized example. There are dozens more, every single day. “Aw man, you’re telling me I have to do this by hand?” Yes, that’s what Im telling you. “But that’s going to take ages!” I know, believe me, I’ve done this same task myself many times. “I don’t want to do this.” Yeah, I know, but it needs to be done, and everyone else is working on other tasks, so unfortunately you’re going to have to do it. “But I don’t want to, I think this is dumb.” Well, you’re entitled to thinking whatever you want, but Im telling you, I need you to do this, and I know you don’t have anything else going on because Im the one that gives you your daily task list every morning, so go ahead and get started and let me know if you have any questions. “But I still don’t want to do this!” I heard you, but I don’t care whether you want to do it or not, you’re being paid a wage in exchange for your labor and we need your labor on this specific task. “So I don’t get a say in it?” Well, NO, you don’t…what on earth would make you think you think that?

And that’s the question I never get an answer to. Where they think that they have a say in whether or not they perform a legal task being posed to them by their employer. They’re free to quit and get a different job, Im not stopping them. Honestly, I’d prefer if they’d just quit now then me have to dance this stupid dance every other day, explaining to literal adults that the whole reason they’re paid a wage is to do these sorts of things. Like what did they think, they were going to come in here and change the business to suit their whims? How fucking childish.

Perfectly balanced, Todd Howard!

There is a huge reason for the person at the counter to greet you or ask how they can help: thats the fucking job.

I find it ironic that you’re throwing out lines like “big boy pants” when you could also do the same and get a job where you dont have to work customer service…you know, put on your big boy pants…and go get a job that doesnt require you to be a human facing worker.

“God I cant stand the smell of cooking meat!!”

“Then why do you work at McDonalds?”

“Stop being microaggressive!”

“But there are lots of other jobs out there where they dont cook meat, why not take one of those instead?”

“NO! Why should I have to change? McDonalds should change! And until they do, im going to bitch and complain every chance I get.”

“Oh, uh…okay, good luck with that I guess”

Thank you! This is the part I cannot stand. If you want to sit and blink at me on the bus when I ask if the seat next to you is taken, hey, fair enough, Ill just sit down then and fuck you, I was just asking to be nice but aint no one sitting in it and you didnt open your mouth so now Im sitting in it and you can process that however you need to, not my problem.

But when Im at the store and ask where the paper towels are so I dont have to spend 20 minutes walking through a building that covers 40 acres, and get nothing but a dead ass stare, thats fucking ridiculous. Is having to point to an aisle really such a hardship that mentally it causes you to lockup?

Honestly I think this comes down to a lack of socialization. People arent learning how to function in social situations that arent curated for them ahead of time anymore and simply do not know how to communicate properly with strangers. Which is understandable, of course, but where it falls apart is when you willingly take a job to be in that position and then dont want to do what the job entails.