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I've been looking for a new job recently, because "intern" is short for "first to be cut when clients can't afford to bill anymore." I'm not sure if it always encompasses "right before Christmas," but for me it did. gonk

Anyway, I've been looking for a new job and it's made me think about old jobs, and about what I would and would not be willing to do if I can't find something suitable. I'm pretty sure I will never, ever wait tables again, or do anything in the service industry. Why, you ask? Because it's absolutely dehumanizing. I'm not talking about the low wages, or having to clean up food, or wearing a polyester uniform in stupid colors. Those things are all part of paying your dues and that's fine. No, it's dehumanizing because corporate policy requires that you take abuse, no matter how foul, with a smile and a simper. Someone won't shut up about your bum? "What else can I get for you, sir?" Someone calls you a moron at length because the food isn't cooked and served in two minutes? "I'm sorry ma'am, is there anything I can do for you?"

This is wrong.

I don't think I should be able to smart off to anyone who gives me lip, but I don't believe I should be barred from saying to that pervy bum-lover that "Sir, that is inappropriate, please stop." I don't believe it would be wrong to direct the abusive woman to a manager, who would then politely ask her to stop or leave. And I have to wonder if maybe, just maybe, the world would be collectively better if being mean didn't get you a free pie or your waiter's (fake) phone number. If being mean actually had any consequence, maybe people would stop before they did it. As it stands, though, the crueler you are, the more free things and compliments people give you because God forbid they lose business. That's messed up. It's even more messed up that there are policies that forbid basic human dignity, that insist you be fired if you say, "Please don't do that, it makes me uncomfortable." Having faced down the decision, I would rather be on the dole than have a job where I have to smile and reward people who treat me like a prostitute or a whipping boy.

And that is wrong.

I think it's time for us to collectively say, "Look, the squeaky wheel gets the grease, but the obnoxious customer gets a box for their food and a polite request to leave." It's not cute to be a pig, it's not okay to insult a stranger who is just trying to earn money, and it's appalling that no one ever has to consider how others might feel. Come on, people, let's stop endorsing horrible behavior. You might lose a customer, but I have to feel we'd all have a lot to gain if there was some reason to check your tongue and think about your behavior. Stop rewarding cruelty and viciously immature behavior. Stop giving creepy sexual advances the okay. Stop thinking of everyone else on the planet as subhuman or your own personal toilet. Stop letting your kids ask strangers for money, and train them not to pee on the floor. And for God's sake, thank or say a kind word to someone who has to swallow their self-respect to turn a buck.