omgwtf

[wook77]

I had one crazykakes old man come in tonight to Fry's. And I lost my temper at him. And he complained to management about me.

See, the conversation started out normal. As with most of the older folks in my area, they always ask what a nice, college educated young woman like me is doing working at a grocery store. So I told this guy the same as I always tell people, I'm working to pay off a mortgage and bills but I'm starting back to school to be a lawyer. Well, oops on that part because he launches into a diatribe about how I shouldn't go into criminal law because it's all "browns and blacks" down here but do you know who makes the best lawyers? The Jews cause they're all liars and you have to be a good liar to be a good lawyer. And did you know that the reason we invaded Iraq the first time around was because the Jews that control the world wanted us to? And, by the way, Irish don't make good lawyers cause they're all drunk and lazy and the Germans don't make good lawyers cause the Germans are all clueless. And the Italians are all corrupt and part of the mafia so don't go to an Italian doctor or lawyer. And he can tell me this stuff because I look intelligent, that I'll understand and listen and not just laugh it off because the Jewish conspiracy is true.

So I tried to be polite and I said, "No, sir, I don't think I look intelligent to you. I think I look white and non-Jewish to you. I find your language, terminology and position to be very racist and bigoted. I don't believe that there's some vast Jewish conspiracy, either, and I would appreciate it if you wouldn't say that again." Professional, right? I tried to be nice.

Well, then he launched into a bunch of "proof" about the vast Jewish conspiracy and about how the Jews led to 9/11 and took over GWB's head and how they're the reason that the economy tanked and how they're raking in millions by rooking hardworking citizens and blahblahblah I can't even remember all the crazy because there was so much. So that's when I snapped at him and babbled something about how the Jewish conspiracy is the same as the gay agenda and that's 1.) Be treated like a human, 2.) Not have to put up with bigoted fucks like you and 3.) buy milk. He objected to the "bigoted fucks" part which I really shouldn't have said but I just absolutely snapped. So he went to management and I hope I don't get written up for it because, seriously, that shit is CRAZY AND WRONG. I'm sorry I called him a "fuck" but I'm not sorry about calling him on his bigotry.

I honestly had no idea that people actually believed that the Jews were trying to take over the world and stuff. I really honestly thought that was just in the movies and on tv that people thought that. Seriously? In today's world people still believe that stuff? Obviously they do but I'd like to go back to thinking that people aren't that fucked.

So, obviously calling him a bigoted fuck wasn't the most professional response. I know I have to come up with a "what will I do in the future if this occurs again" response for my conference tomorrow about the customer complaint but I'm stuck on YOU'RE A BIGOTED FUCK and, thus, what would you guys do? How do you react to that sort of shit at work, in the middle of a grocery store, with multiple customers (of the various identities he's spouting shit about) walking past as some crazy 80-something year old man spouts off with a metric shittonne of bigoted bullshit directed towards everyone? Because, far as I'm concerned, this dick deserves to fuck right the fuck off. But I'd rather not lose my job over this and, maybe, react in a more positive less enraged way.

Comments

[best-of-five.livejournal.com]

i'll save my rant on him for gtalk but here's a suggestion for answer tomorrow:

"tell him you're not interested in continuing the conversation any further and if that doesn't work, walk away and report to a supervisor".

oh w00kie :hugs:

[wook77.livejournal.com]

I'll grab you tomorrow. Off to bed in a moment.

I totally tried to walk away, is the part that gets me. I even had my manager call me away and he followed me around the store spouting off this shit.

UGH. Fucker. I did not need his shit. NO ONE needs his shit.

[shygryf.livejournal.com]

you can always say you were sorry for the swear word. because yeah the fuck part is the only part to be sorry for if that.

[wook77.livejournal.com]

Yeah. exactly. I'm not apologising for refusing to encourage his bullshit.

[shygryf.livejournal.com]

agreed.

[kath-ballantyne.livejournal.com]

Oh MY GOD!
*dies*
I just ah
I'd don't think I'd have been able to say anything. I'd have ran away

[wook77.livejournal.com]

I totally did run away :( I even had my manager pull me away. The guy totally followed me around the store telling me this shit. Every time he saw me, he added to the "proof" as to how ebil the Jews were. That's part of the reason I finally blew up because he wouldn't leave me alone. It was all over the store and there were a bunch of other customers in there, too.

[djin7.livejournal.com]

It is SO HARD to do anything about that sort of shit at work. I've been there, faced with a customer spouting off shit streams, and all you want to do is lunge at them and rip their faces off or scream or make them cry for being such asshat bigots. So. Hard.

But, what can you do? You're at work, and you *never see it coming* - there's no time to prepare, it's not like you work at a place that has a big sign that says, "Please tell our employees all about your asshat bigotry views, it's entirely appropriate for this restaurant/store/office". WTF.

But you will now have something in hand for the next one, I can tell you that. The next time, you will know to cut them off with a quick, "I find this an inappropriate discussion, and I ask that you keep our conversation restricted to [insert business type/job here]. Please keep those kinds of opinions to yourself."

Or variation thereof.

Even if you still want to lunge over the counter and kill them.
♥

[libgirl.livejournal.com]

That guy is a bigoted ass and I fully support what you did, while understanding the problems.

I think best_of_five has the right idea for what to say next time. :D

[lauriegilbert.livejournal.com]

Ugh, I had something like this happen on the info desk one day. Eventually I had to do exactly what you did and then hide in the staff room while a manager came out to man the desk until he went away. Said manager was the group he was spouting off about so he didn't dare try with her.

Good luck in the meeting tomorrow. You know where to find me if you want to talk/rant. ♥

[fitzette.livejournal.com]

oh, wow. I have no response to that. If it helps you to wallow in the same mud as me, my BIL sent this really hateful email about Muslims and when I emailed back to say, hey, why so hateful, he said it's because all Muslims want to kill all Christians plus also they're heathens. HEATHENS.

*hugs*

[lilyrose-fic.livejournal.com]

I live in a town where random racist and homophobic comments slipped into every day conversation are a way of life, and it's hard to switch-off to talk like that, but I have to if I want to keep sane because it's not going to change. I've never had anyone launch into a full blown rant at me, though. Not sure how I'd cope with that as it's hard enough to bite my tongue as it is.

It's always such a relief to get away to a city or bigger town and be reminded that outside of where I live, such speak is generally unacceptable.

[annafugazzi.livejournal.com]

Damn. Yeah, I have no suggestions better than the one above but I can certainly sympathize with your reaction, including the bigoted fuck part.

Could you maybe ask your manager what you should do next time? As in, "I have a few ideas on how to deal with this. What would you do?"

[ayalesca.livejournal.com]

"This conversation is inappropriate and if you continue I have no choice but to immediately report you to my supervisor."

Good luck, I hope it resolves in a reasonable way. :/

[tripperfunster.livejournal.com]

I would say that yes, it was wrong to swear at the man, and obviously, there is no point engaging batshit crazy people in conversation, because they are .. um .. batshit crazy.

I would just apologize, and say you were SO FLUMMOXED by this guy that you really had no idea how to respond. Then ask your bosses, In the future, how would you LIKE me to respond?

Personally, I would have probably laughed at the guy, because I would NOT HAVE BELIEVED HIM TO BE SRS BZNS. Then, when I realized he was ACTUALLY INSANE i would have stuck my fingers in my ears and loudly said LA LA LA LA LA.

Then I would have made him a Jew-proof tinfoil hat and sent him on his way.

Actually, I would have done exactly what you did. But I OWN the store, and therefore can tell people to fuck off without getting in trouble.

I hope they go easy on you hon. You did the right thing.

[tripperfunster.livejournal.com]

Oh, I also meant to add:

When people are being stupid/bigotted, I will often say, "My mother is black/gay/jewish/transgendered" or whatever the 'offending race/religion/subsection of people they're ranting about. She isn't, of course, but it stops people right in thier tracks. They get very shamefaced and apologize.

The added bonus is, they will never bother you again, because YOU CALLED THEM OUT.

[glockgal.livejournal.com]

Agreeing with the other peeps who've commented. This is the first time you've had to encounter this, and it's EXTREMELY hurtful and traumatizing and your company needs to understand that. I like the idea of apologizing for the swearing only (for the sake of professionalism, althought I personally think you were fully in your right. :D) and then as Tripp says, ask your management what THEY think you should do in that situation. I hope it all works out, bb. I was getting all trembly with rage just reading your account. :/ Good luck!

I remember when I was on tasking at a military base and my roomie and I were working for different platoons. She came back to barracks one day and told me about this guy who was so completely normal (for the army, LOL) in terms of joking with everyone, being fine with soldiers of colour, etc; but at one point someone brought up Jews and he went into a tidal wave of anit-semitism racist conspiracy BS. She said she was amazed, because he didn't express any derision for other ethnicities - just Jews.

People can be seriously fucked up. I too always thought it was a "hate one, hate 'em all" kinda deal; you don't get to pick and choose. O.o

[lurkitty.livejournal.com]

If you do get spoken to about the incident, go in with an information gathering attitude, and ask your supervisor or whoever handles it what they thing the best thing to do would have been, beyond the measures you took. The customer was being verbally abusive to you, and following you around the store. What is the company policy? Should you have called security on an 80 year-old man?

Do you have an "Employees only" break room or supply room? Could you have gone there?

*Hugs* I think you held up well against the wacko. The husband of a dear friend of mine kept sending me 9/11 conspiracy stuff alleging it was a plot by Jews and Masons (I belong to masonic organizations). I kept trying to reason with him, and sent him a ton of stuff disproving all of it, and showing him it was distributed by the KKK, but he kept posting the crap on his twitter page and such. I finally defriended him on everything. I'm still friends with his wife, who rolls her eyes at him and that crap, but I barely talk to him.

[maab-connor.livejournal.com]

i remember when i was a cashier at my first job, it was around xmas time and it was busy and i rang this guy out and he said, "white power thanks you". i told him "Happy Chanukah!" my boss high-fived me later. since then, i've had it happen again. apparently well-spoken + red head = it's ok to be an asshat around. i usually start off "i'm going to stop you there, you don't know me. my husband/wife (depending on the asshat) is *insert their rant back at them here*. And i won't stand here and listen to this, have a good day." then i just walk away.

but i totally understand that quickflash fury that leaves you angry and shaking for hours.

[midnight-birth.livejournal.com]

Oh wow. I work in an independent book store, and we specialize in occult and new age. We also, however, have an expansive Conspiracy Theory section, and quite a few Conspiracy Theorists visit on a regular basis.. O_o Holy shit, talk about crazy. Some of the most popular conspiracy theories out there are the most bizarre ones, I swear. There's the one by Ike (the God of conspiracy, apparently), that all powerful people in the world are intra-connected and are actually some kind of lizard race. There is Illuminati, one of the best-sellers in the genre, that yes, actually, does blame everything under the sun on Jewish bankers, for the most part, and some other book by the same guy that insists that the women's movement was pretty much a conspiracy to undermine the "man" and unstable all natural order blah-blah. unfortunately, because I get these people so often, I just try to tune them out, although I have told quite a few of them to shove it. :S I totally think your answer is justifiable.

Just.. wow. Is all. If you're not allowed to ask a person saying inappropriate racist things to you to leave (which is actually very reasonable), you can always either say to him you're uncomfortable with the subject and do not wish to continue it, or go straight to the supervisor and tell them he's saying all this shit and making you very offended and uncomfortable. *sigh* When did simply punching a person in the face go out of style?