Which must seem strange to all of you who know me. ME? I have a job?
Funny joke.
I ran an elevator for 6 hours yesterday.
Yep.
I spent 6 HOURS in an elevator.
Haha. I bet you're laughing because you think I'm kidding. That's cute.
Basically I got paid over minimum wage to stand in an elevator and shuttle people from one floor to the next. I expected to get paid to watch the MU homecoming game... instead I watched the people watching the game...
The drunks, the Governor of Missouri, congressmen, businessmen, police officers, children whose parents have too much money... and basically all the "elites" of our country... and apparently one of the stars of Mad Men was there... but I didn't get him in my elevator, and if I did I don't know what he looks like so I wouldn't know anyways.
I was verbally harassed, backed into a corner, ignored and chided. People made fun of me, and teased me: asking what I had to do to get the job, what kind of training I needed, told me I was doing a good job...
All in all it was a patronizing experience.
All I could think was: "I AM A PRE-MEDICAL STUDENT!!!!!"
And suddenly I realized how many people I did the same thing to.
I didn't even think about it. It's not so much that I choose to be rude, when you make a joke, sometimes it's to lighten the mood, sometimes you're trying to keep things from getting awkward between you... but sometimes what you think is funny isn't funny at all.
In the first 3 seconds of meeting someone... you make a judgment of them.
You immediately decide whether this person is worth your time or not.
And someone pushing the buttons in an elevator for 6 hours obviously didn't seem like someone these people could talk to.
I had people talk down to me like I was some kind of retard.
Even when the governor of our fair state stepped onto my elevator he didn't even acknowledge THE VOTING AGE YOUNG WOMAN STANDING IN THE CORNER!
At least his bodyguards smiled at me.
I guess we know who isn't getting my vote this year.
I must just look like a Republican.
I mean did anyone ever think that maybe the reason I was standing in the elevator was because I didn't have to do anything but stand in one place and push buttons?
I really didn't. Standing there and pushing buttons, despite my aching feet at the end of the night, was the most fun I've had on a job for a while.
Anyways, the idea behind this rant is this:
The next time you see someone in a menial service position. Think about this: maybe they're there because they want to make money. Maybe they're not there because they're not good enough for anything else but because they just needed to do something with themselves.
And remember this: You are never too good to say hello or thank you to someone.
Especially if you are an incumbent Democrat this year.
No comments:
Post a Comment