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  • Surreal Wingnut

    My life's been pretty surreal since the government shutdown (I work for a company in a national park. No job for me until further notice), but a couple days beforehand, THIS weirdo wandered up to my desk.

    This guy is wearing a camo jacket and sort of hunching at me, if that helps you picture the scene. He comes up and...I don't even remember what he leads with, but he proceeds to basically make me squirm with a series of horrible lectures.

    The first one was about how civil war is coming, and 2/3 of the population will soon be dead, and When That Day Comes, Young Lady, You Had Better Stand. Then he just stood there repeating "STAND!" at me, with his dead eyes locked somewhere on top of my head, while I sort of nervously nodded and shuffled (I do NOT do well with intensity like this from strangers, and I do NOT discuss politics or the state of the country at work).

    The second one was about how Cabela's is offering a $10,000 reward for the pelt of a black wolf (fortunately this seems to be an unsubstantiated rumor someone started in a gun forum, or I'd be boycotting Cabela's). He kept talking about black wolves and grey wolves like they were separate species. He told me how the wolves have killed all the elk in Idaho and Montana, and now they're working on killing the cattle and killing and eating the humans.

    At this point I wanted to say "No offense, sir, but...are you trolling me? Did you just say wolves EAT PEOPLE???" Also, I didn't think of it because I was so shook up at the time, but I wish I had rolled up my sleeve and showed him the tattoo of two semi-famous wolves who were killed by a bounty hunter in the 1890s...I think that may have ended the discussion on a note I would have felt happier about.

    Then the third lecture was about how he used to have high security clearance, and therefore (?) we should nuke the Middle East. As in, all of the Middle East. Just take a submarine over there, and it would be the work of "45 minutes to solve all our problems". At this point I really felt like I was in the Twilight Zone, but the phone started ringing and I let it ring about four times and then sidled away mumbling "I've got to take that."

    This dude came back to lecture my manager, who, luckily for him, was called away by a random coworker and didn't have to listen. All I heard was "When the Japanese were in internment camps in the 1940s..." and luckily I was counting my bank after that and didn't have to hear it. I asked the manager what the guy had said about the camps, but he shrugged and said "As soon as I saw it was him, I tuned completely out."

    Please do not make this thread about any of the monumentally obnoxious topics brought up by the dude. If you'd like to debate about any of them with me, I am starting a thread on Fratching for that exact purpose. What I'm focusing on here is how the guy was nuts, and how trapped I felt. I really wish I'd shown him my tattoo and found a polite way of telling him to fuck off.

    I couldn't help thinking of some of the people who used to call Gravekeeper's government lines. I didn't want to think these people were real.
    "Only in our dreams are we free. The rest of the time we need wages." - Terry Pratchett
    Emissary of Minong - my blog and its Facebook page

  • #2
    If that ever happened to me, I would call my manager and just walk away. At that point, being polite is the last thing I am worried about.

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    • #3
      Dealing with asshole customer's personal opinions on any subject can be irritating, even if you'd nominally agree with them, because they are such dicks about it.

      When you DON'T agree with them, it can really tie your hands.

      The best you can do is say to the customer is, "Sir, you're making me uncomfortable talking politics in my work place. Can you please discuss something else?"

      The SC might get pissy about it, might not even shut up. But odds are he will shut up and move on to something else once he realizes he isn't preaching to the choir.

      In the OP situation, I might have said, "You know hunting wolves on federal land is a federal crime, right? Maybe we should discuss something else."
      They say that God only gives us what we can handle. Apparently, God thinks I'm a bad ass.

      Comment


      • #4
        The hell's he getting the idea Cabela's would pay for that? That's sooo not in the company newsletter. .

        Dumba$$.

        Sorry you got a crazy Dent. Any chance the shutdown gets you away from it slightly?
        My NaNo page

        My author blog

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        • #5
          Quoth cashierbex View Post
          If that ever happened to me, I would call my manager and just walk away. At that point, being polite is the last thing I am worried about.
          I didn't really consider that an option as he was a) in the bathroom and b) spineless.
          "Only in our dreams are we free. The rest of the time we need wages." - Terry Pratchett
          Emissary of Minong - my blog and its Facebook page

          Comment


          • #6
            Quoth Kheldarson View Post
            The hell's he getting the idea Cabela's would pay for that? That's sooo not in the company newsletter. .

            Dumba$$.

            Sorry you got a crazy Dent. Any chance the shutdown gets you away from it slightly?
            I have no idea where he came up with that. And it does get me away, I won't see a customer until we're up and running again. I'm going to (nearby city) for a bit, too.
            "Only in our dreams are we free. The rest of the time we need wages." - Terry Pratchett
            Emissary of Minong - my blog and its Facebook page

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            • #7
              I am lucky to have managers with a spine. Of course if I get promoted to head of a department, I won't be able to fully do that. But I can still tell them to stop and if they want to talk about photos I will be glad to help. Personal matters, not so much.

              Comment


              • #8
                There are times to be polite, and there are times when all you can do is tell the weirdos to fuck off.
                This was one of those times where my mouth says "have a nice day" but my brain says "go step on a Lego". - RegisterAce
                I can't make something magically appear to fulfill all your hopes and dreams. Believe me, if I could I'd be the first person I'd help. - Trixie

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                • #9
                  Quoth Dentarthurdent View Post
                  My life's been pretty surreal since the government shutdown (I work for a company in a national park. No job for me until further notice)
                  I was wondering if the shutdown affected anyone on these boards. I'm sorry about your job situation. Hope things get resolved soon and that you and your family will be okay until then.
                  I don't have an attitude problem. You have a perception problem.
                  My LiveJournal
                  A page we can all agree with!

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Aethian's a postie for the USPS. Isn't that shut down too?
                    Seshat's self-help guide:
                    1. Would you rather be right, or get the result you want?
                    2. If you're consistently getting results you don't want, change what you do.
                    3. Deal with the situation you have now, however it occurred.
                    4. Accept the consequences of your decisions.

                    "All I want is a pretty girl, a decent meal, and the right to shoot lightning at fools." - Anders, Dragon Age.

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                    • #11
                      Quoth Seshat View Post
                      Aethian's a postie for the USPS. Isn't that shut down too?
                      No...why would the USPS be shut down?

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                      • #12
                        Quoth Seshat View Post
                        Aethian's a postie for the USPS. Isn't that shut down too?
                        Nope. The USPS is still up and running, since it, technically, isn't part of the Government.
                        "Life is tough. It's even tougher if you're stupid" Redd Foxx as Al Royal - The Royal Family - Pilot Episode - 1991.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Quoth Victory Sabre View Post
                          Nope. The USPS is still up and running, since it, technically, isn't part of the Government.
                          If I recall correctly, the USPS went private in the 1970's. It's self-funded rather than receiving government funding.

                          So the mail is still being delivered.
                          Human Resources - the adult version of "I'm telling Mom." - Agent Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo (NCIS)

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                          • #14
                            Great goobies, nutters like that guy.. fortunately, I never got them at the repair center. More like fortunately for them, because we could and would tell them to leave. Sometimes not so politely. At Mart of Walls, it was fortunate for ME, because I was trapped behind the register and had to be absolutely polite to the nutters. Did get a few of the "Let's Talk Jesus," types.. but they got ushered by pretty quickly due to the line behind them. I'd just smile politely and wish them a good day.
                            If I make no sense, I apologize. I'm constantly interrupted by an actual toddler.

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                            • #15
                              I can definitely empathize! Some time ago I had a neighbour who was well into some highly popular conspiracy theories, and he cornered me once, outside the building, at about 2 a.m. as I was just coming home from work, to expound on one of those theories. I was freezing, I wanted a bathroom (preferably within the next five minutes, LOL) and I was completely uninterested in his tinfoil-hat ponderings. Despite that, I couldn't bring myself to be rude, or even curt, with him -- and this wasn't even a situation that involved a workplace and a customer!

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