I'm a security guard that works a 12-hour graveyard shift three nights a week. I work out of my car at different sites as needed. A couple of nights a week my supervisors come to check up on me. They do this whenever they have time, which isn't often. Each night one or both of them is covering the entire city, including checking up on dozens of guards at as many sites as well as answering alarm calls. Weeks have gone by when I don't see either of my supervisors.
Two weeks ago my supervisor G showed up to chat and chill. G is a great guy; someone I consider a friend, not just a coworker. We have different political/social/economic views(him being right leaning and me being left), so we tend to have debates every so often. Not arguments, that's one of the things I like about him: he doesn't argue. He debates. Voices are never raised, facts are stated, sources are cited, and insults are thrown in as light jabs, not strong attacks, and we both admit when we go nothin' to back up a statement. It is awesome because this trait is so rare among people these days.
Anyway, two weeks ago he mentions to me that he wants to open a gun store. We get to talking about that for a while and at one point he tells me he wants to call it "America First Guns". Me, being the left leaning person I am said this in response to that: "Don't you think that's kind of arrogant? Why don't you just call it 'Kill the Brown People' and be done with it?" More banter went back and forth. At the time he showed no signs that my words had hurt him.
Then he comes by again this week, and the first words out of his mouth are "I wonder who was insulted worse last week: you or me." I of course have no idea what he's talking about and have to be reminded about the conversation. He told me that that night he told his(pure-blooded Mexican) wife what I had said, and she was surprised he didn't smack me in the face. He says he actually came close to doing so, and the main reason he didn't was because I myself have a Mexican heritage.
So he thought I was deeply offended by his idea for the name of his store. I wasn't really, this is what I told him this week: "It's just that I'm tired of all this black and white, 'my country tis of thee' jingoism." For those of you that think that statement sounds familiar: it is a direct quote from Zero Punctuation's video review of Call of Duty 4. It just popped into my head and seemed to fit when G brought this stuff up. And it is true: I am tired of all the overly-patriotic crap going on in this country.
So, that night, G and I had another debate about patriotism and jingoism. Apparently G thinks there actually isn't enough patriotism...and back and forth we went. The debate ended unresolved when he got an alarm call and had to leave. But it was just like any of our other discussions: no raised voices, no pointless bickering, just reason and facts with the occasional light-hearted insult thrown in. Before he left, he did apologize for insulting me by the name of his store, and I had to again remind him he didn't really insult me, and I had to apologize for inadvertently insulting him and his wife.
I don't think he's really pissed off at me, but it's hard to tell. I mean, he says he was close to punching me when I made the 'Kill the Brown People' remark, and he didn't show any outward signs of anger. But G is the kind of guy that doesn't really let things bother him for long, so I'm hoping that now that he realizes I didn't mean to insult him that badly that he'll get over it. Guess I'll have to wait and see.
Two weeks ago my supervisor G showed up to chat and chill. G is a great guy; someone I consider a friend, not just a coworker. We have different political/social/economic views(him being right leaning and me being left), so we tend to have debates every so often. Not arguments, that's one of the things I like about him: he doesn't argue. He debates. Voices are never raised, facts are stated, sources are cited, and insults are thrown in as light jabs, not strong attacks, and we both admit when we go nothin' to back up a statement. It is awesome because this trait is so rare among people these days.
Anyway, two weeks ago he mentions to me that he wants to open a gun store. We get to talking about that for a while and at one point he tells me he wants to call it "America First Guns". Me, being the left leaning person I am said this in response to that: "Don't you think that's kind of arrogant? Why don't you just call it 'Kill the Brown People' and be done with it?" More banter went back and forth. At the time he showed no signs that my words had hurt him.
Then he comes by again this week, and the first words out of his mouth are "I wonder who was insulted worse last week: you or me." I of course have no idea what he's talking about and have to be reminded about the conversation. He told me that that night he told his(pure-blooded Mexican) wife what I had said, and she was surprised he didn't smack me in the face. He says he actually came close to doing so, and the main reason he didn't was because I myself have a Mexican heritage.
So he thought I was deeply offended by his idea for the name of his store. I wasn't really, this is what I told him this week: "It's just that I'm tired of all this black and white, 'my country tis of thee' jingoism." For those of you that think that statement sounds familiar: it is a direct quote from Zero Punctuation's video review of Call of Duty 4. It just popped into my head and seemed to fit when G brought this stuff up. And it is true: I am tired of all the overly-patriotic crap going on in this country.
So, that night, G and I had another debate about patriotism and jingoism. Apparently G thinks there actually isn't enough patriotism...and back and forth we went. The debate ended unresolved when he got an alarm call and had to leave. But it was just like any of our other discussions: no raised voices, no pointless bickering, just reason and facts with the occasional light-hearted insult thrown in. Before he left, he did apologize for insulting me by the name of his store, and I had to again remind him he didn't really insult me, and I had to apologize for inadvertently insulting him and his wife.
I don't think he's really pissed off at me, but it's hard to tell. I mean, he says he was close to punching me when I made the 'Kill the Brown People' remark, and he didn't show any outward signs of anger. But G is the kind of guy that doesn't really let things bother him for long, so I'm hoping that now that he realizes I didn't mean to insult him that badly that he'll get over it. Guess I'll have to wait and see.
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