What gets your knickers in a bunch?

**ForresterModern** · 22nd October 11, 05:11 PM

Betrayal of friendship. Short story, had a friend of 15 years working for me accuse me of harassment and creating a hostile work environment (legal terminology), then added sexual harassment (we are both male) , when he did not get a titled position and instead got the "you need to be more productive" talk and a salary realignment (not my decision but I had to be the bearer of the bad news). 6 month of legal and human resources investigations (during which time my lawyer will not allow me to talk to him alone-----tough to be an effective boss) and I am fully vindicated and he is un employed are not my idea of a good use of time and effort. Tough to imagine any kind of future friendship after that.

**Meggers** · 22nd October 11, 05:13 PM

Originally Posted by ForresterModern

Betrayal of friendship. Short story, had a friend of 15 years working for me accuse me of harassment and creating a hostile work environment (legal terminology), then added sexual harassment (we are both male) , when he did not get a titled position and instead got the "you need to be more productive" talk and a salary realignment (not my decision but I had to be the bearer of the bad news). 6 month of legal and human resources investigations (during which time my lawyer will not allow me to talk to him alone-----tough to be an effective boss) and I am fully vindicated and he is un employed are not my idea of a good use of time and effort. Tough to imagine any kind of future friendship after that.

thats really sad...Im sorry that happened to you. Especially since he was your friend for 15 years.

**Bugbear** · 22nd October 11, 05:14 PM

If I think about it too much, I realize I make many mistakes or unintentionally aggravate people with several things I do, so try to let go of it unless it is clearly an attempt to "bunch up my knickers." Psycho-wedgies and such...

**Downunder Kilt** · 22nd October 11, 05:19 PM

Sorry could not resist your post Meaghan

And the sign said "Long-haired freaky people need not apply"
So I tucked my hair up under my hat and I went in to ask him why
He said "You look like a fine upstanding young man, I think you'll do"
So I took off my hat, I said "Imagine that. Huh! Me workin' for you!"
Whoa-oh-oh

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign
Blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind
Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign?

And the sign said anybody caught trespassin' would be shot on sight
So I jumped on the fence and-a yelled at the house, "Hey! What gives you
the
right?"
"To put up a fence to keep me out or to keep mother nature in"
"If God was here he'd tell you to your face, Man, you're some kinda sinner"

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign
Blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind
Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign?

Now, hey you, mister, can't you read?
You've got to have a shirt and tie to get a seat
You can't even watch, no you can't eat
You ain't supposed to be here
The sign said you got to have a membership card to get inside
Ugh

And the sign said, "Everybody welcome. Come in, kneel down and pray"
But when they passed around the plate at the end of it all, I didn't have a
penny to pay
So I got me a pen and a paper and I made up my own little sign
I said, "Thank you, Lord, for thinkin' 'bout me. I'm alive and doin' fine."
Wooo!

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign
Blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind
Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign?

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign
Sign
Sign, sign

Thanks to the Five Man Electrical Band

**Meggers** · 22nd October 11, 05:33 PM

Originally Posted by Downunder Kilt

Sorry could not resist your post Meaghan

And the sign said "Long-haired freaky people need not apply"
So I tucked my hair up under my hat and I went in to ask him why
He said "You look like a fine upstanding young man, I think you'll do"
So I took off my hat, I said "Imagine that. Huh! Me workin' for you!"
Whoa-oh-oh

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign
Blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind
Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign?

And the sign said anybody caught trespassin' would be shot on sight
So I jumped on the fence and-a yelled at the house, "Hey! What gives you
the
right?"
"To put up a fence to keep me out or to keep mother nature in"
"If God was here he'd tell you to your face, Man, you're some kinda sinner"

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign
Blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind
Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign?

Now, hey you, mister, can't you read?
You've got to have a shirt and tie to get a seat
You can't even watch, no you can't eat
You ain't supposed to be here
The sign said you got to have a membership card to get inside
Ugh

And the sign said, "Everybody welcome. Come in, kneel down and pray"
But when they passed around the plate at the end of it all, I didn't have a
penny to pay
So I got me a pen and a paper and I made up my own little sign
I said, "Thank you, Lord, for thinkin' 'bout me. I'm alive and doin' fine."
Wooo!

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign
Blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind
Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign?

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign
Sign
Sign, sign

Thanks to the Five Man Electrical Band

^ LOL!

actually now that I think about it, for safety purposes I probably shouldnt put that ranting list of rules on here.

snippity snip

**Riverkilt** · 22nd October 11, 05:33 PM

Well.....I live in an area that gets a few million tourists a year and I gotta tell you - folks from some parts of the world are flat rude by our local standards...cutting in line - barging in line happens all the time here...."me me me".....

But its MY expectations that someone else will be polite is what drives my anger. If I shift gears and think, "Oh no - rude tourists" when they are rude they meet my expectations and I can think, "See - I knew it."

Or - as an old mentor used to tell me, "Ron, if you let them in they can't cut you off."
Still hate that wise thought...grumble...

**Meggers** · 22nd October 11, 05:36 PM

Originally Posted by Riverkilt

Well.....I live in an area that gets a few million tourists a year and I gotta tell you - folks from some parts of the world are flat rude by our local standards...cutting in line - barging in line happens all the time here...."me me me".....

But its MY expectations that someone else will be polite is what drives my anger. If I shift gears and think, "Oh no - rude tourists" when they are rude the meet my expectations and I can think, "See - I knew it."

Or - as an old mentor used to tell me, "Ron, if you let them in they can't cut you off."
Still hate that wise thought...grumble...

oh wow. That mentor is WAY more honorable than me. Cutting in line still ticks me off.

fairly taking your turn in line is only a standard in some parts of the world. I remember reading about my friends' homeland (Saudi Arabia) and this Swedish woman who lives there was saying how she will be talking to someone who works at a store, she will be in mid conversation, and someone will barge up and start talking to him. She said you literally have to push your way to fronts of lines.

I made a mental note to go there for hajj and ONLY hajj. I would probably spontaneously combust if that happened to me.

**CDNSushi** · 22nd October 11, 07:02 PM

Stupidity does it for me. And insensitivity when it comes to smoking.

This one just wanted to make me scream.

At a shopping mall a couple years ago... In the food court, a group of young women in their 20s -- about 6 of them. All sitting around the table talking, EACH and EVERY one of them smoking. All of them with their packs of ciggies and lighters in fromt of them. ON the table, in the middle of the Cheech & Chong-esque cloud of haze, a baby in a carrier.

I felt like walking up to them, grabbing a pack off the table, pulling out a stick and putting it into the baby's mouth and saying, "What's the bloody difference? At least this way he'll get the smoke filtered."

Never did, because I didn't feel like I could express myself accurately enough in Japanese, so I just left. But it put me into a foul mood the rest of the day.

(For the record, Japan has some of the most LAX smoking policies in the world. Smoking in stores, malls, restaurants, buildings is perfectly fine. Generally only public (government) buildings, schools have outright bans.... And even then, there is almost always an ashtray RIGHT OUTSIDE THE #$%'(%&('@ DOOR!!! Sucking the smoke inside, and making my jacket smell like smoke when I enter or exit the building.

This was EXACTLY the case at our sports gym. Friggin' ashtray right outside the automatic sliding doors out front. Could have screamed! Amazing too how many people would finish their workout and go for a smoke. Just don't get it. I got so cheezed off that I finally picked up the ashtray and moved it about 10 yards away from the entrance. I then told the facility staff what I did, and DARED them to move it back...

Made life a whole lot more pleasant after that...

/rant

**LitTrog** · 22nd October 11, 07:24 PM

People who abuse waitstaff.

Never been a server only because I don't think I'm man enough to keep from punching some of the people you overhear in pubs/restaurants.

**seanachie** · 22nd October 11, 08:05 PM

Originally Posted by LitTrog

People who abuse waitstaff.

Never been a server only because I don't think I'm man enough to keep from punching some of the people you overhear in pubs/restaurants.

That works BOTH ways...at least in the area where I live there are a lot of waitstaff who think they are OWED, despite poor service, indifference and significant attitude. That is not a generalization, just a commonplace observance.