Being Nice? Not For Me.

We were having this conversation at work about how being nice is not really part of my natural personality. I can be nice, it just takes a lot out of me. And usually when I am nice it is totally unrewarded and the person on the receiving end of my niceness acts like a DOUCHE BAG of the highest order and I want to be all, "Hey, you have no idea how much effort it is taking me not to snap your neck, how bout some fucking gratitude before I flip the switch and make you cry?"

Which then confirms for me that I am correct, that it's not worth fighting my nature and acting nice because when I am people (try to) walk all over me, acting all mean and I think "Why is it OK for YOU to act mean and I have to just accept it but when I am mean and someone gets their feeeelings hurt there has to be a whole discussion about how I hurt their precious feelings?"

When someone comes up to you and gives you attitude your natural instinct is to give that attitude right back to them. That person will in turn, get all high and mighty and proclaim "Don't you talk to me like that!" Like they are so much better than you that they can take a shit all over you and you just have to smile. In my ten year retail career I have participated in some extensive training for that exact problem; training your personality against it's natural instinct to defend itself and be able to take shit with a smile.

So I am pretty good at fighting my instinct when someone is rude to me not to call them a condescending cunt and get out of my store right now before I put my whole fist up your ass to teach you a lesson. But when someone is rude to someone that works for me (God help them if I actually like that person) I will jump all over their shit before they even realize I was eavesdropping on their conversation.

I love the feeling I get when I can put someone who is being an asshole in their place. It is especially rewarding for me when someone bases their whole self-worth of on making other people feel like shit. My defense against people like that is to use LOGIC. Something these people lack in spades.

Her "Why haven't you gotten that schedule to me?"

Me "I did send it to you. At 3:46pm. I have the confirmation."

Her "Well, you didn't complete the schedule the way I wanted."

Me "How do you know I didn't complete it the way you wanted? 10 seconds ago you didn't even think I sent it?"

Her "I need that schedule now! I don't care what else you have going on; get me that schedule NOW."
(Please note at this point the balance of power is shifting. She went right back to 'not having the schedule' skipping over the whole confirmation. We just won't acknowledge that she admitted that she had the schedule and it was 'wrong')

Me "I'm busy with someone. I'll resend that schedule when I'm done."

Her "I need it NOW!"

Me "A lack of preparation on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine."

Her (Stunned silence)

Her (Continued stunned silence)

Me "Take a look at the one I sent and then you can tell me specifically what is wrong with it."

**Click!**

I win.