BTW, that is a rhetorical question, you need not answer.
I have seen and read so many posts as of late regarding this and related subjects. Many have to do with not being tolerant of someone different from yourself and what to do, if anything when it is very "in your face". I have been known (oh surely not) to take my old soap box down from the shelf in the corner of the garage and rant or rave (but that has a whole new meaning, partee) or preach (and I did that for real's a time or two) or just gripe (some would say that is a daily thing but he's not home right now so no biggie).
Sweet Man and I recently had a conversation (yes after 38 years we still have those every once in awhile) about our own personal dictionary meanings of prejudice and intolerance. As we talked about the differences in our positions...we realized that we were saying the same thing but with different background information. I think that is what most humans do. Draw from what we know and go from there. Therein lies most of the problems we face. If you have a different point of view, you will come away with a different conclusion. If you are standing at the top of the hill the world looks way different than if you are at the bottom looking up. Knowledge can level definitions and allow individuals to see the others perspective but fear keeps most locked in where they are forever. So educate yourself and be free from fear that has been put upon you by past incidents, hurt feelings, misinformation, miscommunication, misdeeds, miscellaneous.
In keeping with my being authentic here at YOCG, I will tell you that I try to be tolerant of any and all. I am however a prejudiced person in some areas.
This is confined to a specific geographic location and is not meant as a joke or a cut. I cannont stand people in Walmart. It matters not what color their skin, language they speak, how they are clothed...I truly believe that everyone who walks in the door at Walmart to do shopping for whatever checks their human kindness at the front door and drops their brain in the trash can outside. Okay there I have said it. I just outted myself.
I don't know, maybe it's just me. But I am finding that there are very few patient, kind, polite, smiling, have a nice word to say persons of whatever nationality, religious bent, political persuasion or life style to be found. And I honestly try to be all of those things because I have a fear that if I do not behave appropriately that:
1. I will pay for it karmically
2. I will be a bad roll model for my grands
3. I would like to be remembered as a weird, kind, funny, strange old broad, but have no one mention the word rude.
4. My Momma would come out of her grave and bitch slap me.
I can hear her now....Don't you be ugly Linda Sybil...yada, yada, yada.
Outside of Walmart, I have seen the same people actually looking and acting like humans, but are they really? But that is a paronoid post for yet another crazy day.
I have recently become very fond of donkeys because of some really fun, cool bloggers who have these gentle wonderful beasts. So before (pre donkey fondness) I would have called these people Jackasses but that term is too good for anyone in Walmart....I must find a new term that fits and I think I have.......my daughter's favorite name to call folks is (_*_) monkey, so I will borrow it and say I am sorry but I have no tolerance for anyone at Walmart and pre judge the outcome of a visit to said retail hell every time. I realize the answer is not to shop at Walmart and that has already become my reality. See I educated myself and moved on to more intellegent ground.
If I have offended you, please accept my apology and try to understand, you have not walked in my shoes have ya?
I don't shop at Walmart for the very same reason. It's as if that place exists on another plane where everybody is in a frantic hurry, has no idea how to control their children or their tempers and are extremely rude. I've had people whip around corners and hit me with their carts and glare or tell me to watch where I'm going when I was certainly not at fault.
ReplyDeleteIf I can't get something elsewhere, I don't need it.
I shop at Walmart all the time, but I am NOT one of "those people" though I feel I probably coulda knocked a few of them across the store a time or two. People aren't necessarily rude or anything - they just seem like they are living on another dimension in there. I mean really.
ReplyDeleteHi Linda. I'm a shopper at Walmart. I'm an early shopper before "those" shopper's come in. I'm in, I'm out so to speak. I know what you mean, though. Any time after 9 am or 9:30 am I am not to be found at Walmart, for the very reasons you speak of. I do my shopping between 7 and 8:30 am. I have made it a habit to be courteous to people that are waiting in line with me, so I always look at their basket and if they just have a few items, I let them go before me. My good deed done for the day. I like the prices there and I only get what I need. Great Post Linda.
ReplyDeleteI shop where the sales are and if it is Walmart, so be it. I am like you Grocery stores and dept. stores are H___ and I have no desire to be there except that I have to if we want to eat. I am in and out and keep my mouth shut!
ReplyDeleteNow now, some of us salespeople/road warriors are in Walmarts constantly, restocking and putting together fixtures and inventorying and so on. I can tell you that I find many kinds of folks there. I have more people drop doors on me at high-end stores or treat me like trash than I ever do with the Wally World customers. I think, though, that the reason it seems that Walmart shoppers are so bad is the same reason they can offer the lower prices: VOLUME!!! There are hundreds of people shopping at any one time!!! So it's so likely the meanies will be present and in full force! I kill 'em with kindness!!!
ReplyDeleteI notice the rude people at WM all the time too! Although I don't shop there very much anymore - I'm always extra nice to the cashiers who have to deal with the grumps!
ReplyDeleteOur town actually banded together and bought the land that Walmart wanted to buy for a huge store. Stopped them in their tracks. It would have killed our small town. We still have a small Walmart but it's not too offensive.....
ReplyDeleteI am a live and let live sort of girl. I think whatever your religious outlook is, if you are true to that faith then you are not a snob about it, and you are tolerant to what others believe because that is a core element of most. You can stay true to your own faith and beliefs and embrace tolerance, compassion and kindness. Plus what another person believes doesn't mean it changes what we believe. There is a piece of pie for everyone.
ReplyDeleteAs for Walmart...I abhore Walmart and will only go there if I have an emergency at night because they are open. I was in there some years ago at Christmas time and was caught in a traffic jam and a woman told me to move. I was really polite and said I am sorry I can't move there are carts blocking my way in front of me so we are just going to have to wait it out. She intentionally rammed me so hard with her cart right in the kidneys. I have polycystic kidney disease, so I felt like I was going to die before I got out of there. But the one guarantee at ours is that the employees will ALWAYS be rude that work there. So yeah I understand where you are coming from.