Do You Know Who I Am?
You could probably spend about 200 hours watching You Tube video clips of people losing their shit in fast food restaurants, on airplanes, at the DMV, and every other possible place.
People reason that it’s all because there are now cameras everywhere. That’s fair, of course, but man it seems like people have grown louder, nastier and less patient.
The senate hearings this week were a good example of the fact that we are becoming less kind.
In all areas.
The politicians have decided that there’s no decorum at all. Anything is fair. They aren’t even trying to pretend to listen or care.
And that system appears to be permanently broken.
Straight up nastiness.
Yet, my favorite clip of the week came courtesy of Ted Cruz who got into a fight with an airline worker after he was too late in checking in for a flight.
He dropped the “Do you know who I am?” line.
That never works out for anyone.
Celebrities have been pulled over for drunk driving, or arrested for domestic problems and when they break out that tone-deaf narcissistic banter…
…and are caught on camera..
…hilarity ensues.
A few months back I watched a man lose it at a grocery store, and I kind of agreed with him.
His total came to $29.01
He handed over $29 and wondered aloud if she had a penny.
“Sorry,” I don’t,” she said.
The guy gave her the other dollar and she started counting out the change.
She gave the guy 95 cents and said.
“I’m sorry, sir, I don’t have any pennies.”
He said:
“I want them. You owe me 4 cents and I want it.”
She said:
“It’s only four cents.”
He answered:
“It was only one cent a minute ago and you made me break a dollar to give it to you so now you do what you have to do to give me my money back.”
He said it loudly.
Everyone was looking at him.
The cashier started crying.
I held out a nickel and the guy just looked at it.
“It’s not about the pennies,” he yelled. “It’s about how she couldn’t be kind. I ain’t being kind either. I want my 4 cents from her!”
And of course, it was a nonsensical, inconsequential argument, but it told me something.
People are on edge.
No one is in any hurry to be nice.
Need proof?
Watch the senate hearings.
They’re arguing over pennies…
…to show how mean they can be.
Be nice.
Lighten up, Francis!
(Stripes reference).
By the way, that cashier held the line up for a good five minutes but she eventually got a roll of pennies.
The guy accepted the correct change from her and then very calmly handed it back and said:
“Keep those there at your register and give them to the next poor bastard who is just a penny or two short so you don’t have to hand him 99 cents in change.”
(Told you I agreed with him).
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