Well, that settles it, I'm a bad person.

[Stone]

Short one for you guys.

I was out walking around, making my rounds, when this old lady starts walking towards me. I wait, and she starts off with;

OL (Old Lady): Well Mr. X security (She read out my full company name that was emblazoned on my shoulders, not sure why)...

She started talking a lot in the next couple sentences and at first I wasn't quite clear on what she was talking about because it was kind of out of left field, but the below is basically what it consisted of.

OL: A lot of your planters are broken*, well not the ones over here so much but they are dangerous. You should tape off the area because it's not safe.

*Note: The planters along the side of my building are indeed cracked. They have been for years. I'm not sure how it is unsafe, because the plants that would spill out if this actually came to pass couldn't weigh more than 15 lbs.*

Me: Yes, I'm aware of the cracks, and building management is as well. It is up to them to repair them, but trust me, they are fully aware of the situation.

OL: Oh I'm sorry, I thought I was talking to a concerned American. *said snootily as she walks away from me*

Cue me trying hard not to smirk.

Yes, I'm an awful american. She would probably have preferred it if I would have acted like I had no idea those planters were damaged and she caught something nobody else knew, and I immediately set about pretending I could fix the problem. Hell, that is probably what my bosses would have wanted me to do.

Unfortunately, I don't have the patience for that. I can't fix that problem, and I can't "rope off the area"--there is nothing to really rope off. Not that it would help. People ignore signs and warding police tape anyway.

[Grendus]

Shame on you! Don't you know the terr'rists 've been cracking flower pots tryin' to drop plants on honest, hardworkin' Americans?! Are you tryin' to let the terr'rists win, boy?!

[MoonCat]

Without getting into fratching territory, my answer would have been, "As a matter of fact, I AM a concerned American. It's just that I'm concerned about things that are much more important than a cracked planter or two."

[Pixilated]

But you know, of course, that because you are not concerned about what she's concerned about (e.g. cracked planters), such a response would have impressed her not a whit.

[dalesys]

"I'm more worried about the cracked pots, ma'am."

[EricKei]

She was probably expecting you to whip out a trowel and a pail of wet cement mixture, and get to patchin them thangs!

[taxguykarl]

Either that or contractor tape.