It seems like all I've been doing lately is biting my tongue. I see a world full of idiots and they all seem to congregate towards me. Now I'm not saying that anyone who has entered my life is an idiot, hardly. Most of the people I choose to associate myself with are very intelligent people, it's one of the reasons I choose to talk to them. It's the ones I don't choose that bother me. No... I don't mean family.
I don't know why right wing nuts like me. I don't mean republican or conservative, I mean the far right nuts that the republicans are ashamed to admit. There's the tea party and then there's these guys. For some reason, they all think Luke is their buddy. Even after they find out I'm a democrat... they tell me, "But you're not one of those 'everyone should be treated equally' democrats." That statement alone had me biting my tongue like you wouldn't believe, and if I wasn't at work... yeah...
The biggest culprit is a regular customer, but he thinks I'm his best buddy. He used to come in a few days, grab his stuff and leave. Then at the start of the year, he started just hanging out in the store. Coming in and getting his coffee and then talking to people. He owns the building right behind my store and runs a computer repair shop there, he drums up a lot of business by talking to my customers. He's also the one that found me when I tore out my MCL in February. So there's a guilt aspect here too.
At first, he was fine, we'd bullshit about local events, discuss favorite episodes of Family Guy. Then he started bringing up school. Now this high and mighty man has earned his associate's from NIACC in computer science. Now I do not criticize people for getting their degrees, or even just associate's. But he rides this accomplishment like it is the best anyone could do. Dude... you have an associate's in a field most people consider the minimum degree to be considered knowledgeable is a bachelor's. But whatever, just breathe, Luke, just breathe...
Then came the comments. "Your computer setup is shit." "If I set this place up it would run so much better." "Your IT guys are complete morons." Ok buddy boy... first off, you have no idea what the computer requirements are to run a gas station (he felt it should all be one computer instead of two separate ones controlling the gas and the registers) Secondly, these "dumb" IT people have managed to build and maintain a system in which over 1700 stores across 11 states manage to communicate. In the entire 4 years I've been with Casey's, I can think of only one time we had a network glitch, which was solved in a few hours, and even that was a local satellite problem. Besides, Casey's hires a minimum bachelor's degree for that area, so good luck arguing with your own logic...
Since he runs his own computer repair business and charges people 60 bucks an hour to fix their stuff, he also believes he knows what is required to run a business. Dude... you don't have a fucking clue. You own your own business which rarely has to purchase merchandise. You are its sole employee. You have 0 grasp of gross vs net profit. You don't do inventory control, you don't have to worry about profit margins, since you run the business out of your own apartment building, you combine your expenses with your housing expenses, you yourself have told me you don't factor it in your income taxes properly, and since you don't have to worry about paying other people, you don't have to grasp payroll and the taxes included with that, and my absolute personal favorite, you have absolutely 0 management skills.
But he's a customer so I just laugh and smile when he talks about how he knows how to run a business. The basic smile and nod treatment. Then... a couple of weeks ago...
"I remember when my kids were little and that teletubbies show came on." Ok yeah... we all remember that show even when we wish we didn't. "Then I heard about that tinky winky one, the gay one, I banned my kids from ever watching that show. No kids show should be discussing that stuff, it's just not right."
Now at this point, I'm thinking that I'm really not going to like how this conversation goes. He might just imply that homosexual discussion is of a sexual nature and shouldn't be discussed until a child is mature enough to handle those kind of discussions or he's going to... oh you're not done talking yet? Ok here's your chance to redeem...
"I watch those decorating shows," (yet you're against homosexuals... ok) "and they sometimes go to remodel the house of some gay couple, and I turn off the TV. That shit ain't right man, it's in the fucking bible and I don't care what anyone says, it just ain't fucking right."
I felt the blood pumping. My brain instantly went into debate mode, but... I'm at work and he's my customer. Customer service 101: don't get into a political or religious debate. So I bite my tongue. He doesn't.
"I am a christian through and through and I'm sorry, but if Jesus were here, he'd fucking kill off all the gays with a snap of his finger."
My mind instantly pulled out a bunch of responses. I could tell this tattooed man on his second marriage that technically speaking, the Bible also forbids tattoos and divorce, and that such "rules" are not followed by many mainstream Christians due to the idea that such laws are without moral grounds, or outdated. Well... I of course don't... but damn... he thinks he's a high and mighty debater and his arguments are full of holes I'd love to expose... just to shut him the fuck up.
Then today he finds out I'm a democrat, but adds, "But you're not one of those 'equal treatment for all, everybody has rights' kind of democrats," Does anyone know how to shut this guy up without losing my job?
...I'm losing too much blood through my tongue...
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