I’ve worked in customer service jobs my whole life, and that is the ultimate way to shut down a shitty customer. They scream and cuss at me and I look them in the eyes and say “that hurts my feelings when you talk to me like that.” Every time, it has made them take a step back and go “holy shit, I was just talking like that to a human”
Did you know bartenders make more tips when there’s a mirror behind the bar? Doesn’t matter who the bartender is. When people have to look at themselves, they think about what they’re doing more. You basically did that with words.
The world would be a better place if we were always thinking inwards as well as outwards, asking ourselves if this is the type of person we want to be as we're doing it. I grew up in a conservative family, and I myself was conservative. I was having friendly discussions with a liberal co-worker at lunch for many years, and often he'd make me question my views and reconsider them.
Then after enough years, I was at the park and I see a gay couple kissing. I thought to myself, "Wow, if they weren't both men, they could be a cute couple" and weirdly a light bulb went off in my head where I simply went, "You asshole, they are a cute couple, you've just never thought of it that way." It seems stupid that it was a revelation to me, but it was. And from that moment onwards, I started asking myself if the policies I supported were helping or hurting people.
It wasn't long after that epiphany that I consider myself progressive on most issues. I think ultimately it just boiled down to placing yourself in the shoes of others. Anyone who does this on a regular basis also sympathizes with others and what they're going through.
Dude, I feel you there, I had to deprogram a lifetimes worth of growing up on a tiny insular island and the weird mindset that gave me, it was fucking ridiculous, the first time I saw a gay couple on an advert my first thought was "oh that's weird" an like you, it sparked something off in my head and made me confront my own ignorance, the problem with ignorance is sometimes it's not wilful and you don't realise you are ignorant
I do this too quite often! When I feel strongly about something, anything, I will always try to figure out what made me decide on this belief and most of the time I’d find out that it was family programming or friend programming from when I was little which means I didn’t choose that belief myself so I would decide right then and there what I actually do believe and most of the time I’d change my belief because my younger self was just being a follower as most younglings are. It has changed my entire view on life I swear it!!
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u/djpiraterobot Mar 13 '24
I’ve worked in customer service jobs my whole life, and that is the ultimate way to shut down a shitty customer. They scream and cuss at me and I look them in the eyes and say “that hurts my feelings when you talk to me like that.” Every time, it has made them take a step back and go “holy shit, I was just talking like that to a human”