Another day, another tricky question:
Do I have to be nice to crazy people?
Now, I'm not talking about the fun crazy people who wear a bread box for a hat and talk in accents for no reason.
Those people I love.
I'm talking about MEAN crazy people.
Often, I run into people who, at first, just seem to have a bad attitude. That I can deal with, because most of the time, it's like dealing with a polar bear. Just be nice, speak softly, and show that you mean them no harm.
Pretty soon, the attitude evaporates.
Mean crazy people are a little different. For one thing, the edge doesn't go away, and most of the time, the nicer you are to them, the meaner and crazier they become.
So what do you do?
Lately, I've been pulling the retail trick.
I smile while telling them there's no way they're getting what they want.
It infuriates them, but at the same time, they can't accuse you of doing anything to get them angrier.
Most of the time, it still ends with them screaming at you, but at that point, you go to your mantra--
"They're crazy. I'm not. They're crazy. I'm not. They're crazy. I'm not."
Maybe calling someone crazy isn't all that nice, but then again, you can't say calling a rabid koala bear a rabid koala bear isn't nice.
It ain't right, but it is what it is.
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