At the Risk of Sounding Rude
Some of the happenings in the past week has prompted me to write about a subject that is near and dear to all of our hearts…rudeness, We have all been rude to someone at one time or another, and on many occasions, people certainly have practiced their rudeness on us. In the past week I have put the act of being rude in different categories, from funny to downright serious. I have decided there are at least four different kinds of rudeness. They are humorous rudeness; unintentional rudeness; necessary rudeness and plain old rude-rudeness. The first three are usually humorous to say the least, but the last kind is the kind that tests your patience. I will explain the events that have happened to me in the past week so you will know what I am talking about.
Humorous rudeness: This happens when you celebrate an after forty birthday, like I have in the past week. Seems that all “after forty” birthday cards are created with one |thing in mind…slapstick rude. My grown daughter Lynda, (bless her heart) sent me a birthday card with a sentimental verse that read, “At your age, you shouldn’t exert yourself too much!. Why not blow out half your candles today, and the other half tomorrow? She also presented me with a pink and white birthday cake with pretty roses on the top and the words “Happy Birthday. Mom”. Now you might think, “Now what’s wrong with that?” Well let me tell you, along with the pretty roses, there was a playboy grannie in rose colored glasses painted on the frosting and…no candles.
Unintentional rudeness: This type of rudeness happens when someone is trying to watch out for your well being. My friend Georgia and I went to a German restaurant for lunch last week and when I read the one lunch on the menu that made my taste buds stand up and proclaim..this is it! I mistakenly mentioned it to Ms Georgia. After reading what it consisted of, she said what any friend looking out for your well being would say, “you can’t eat that, it’s too fattening”. Of course she was right, if it would not have been super fattening, it would not have sounded so good. Taking her advice,I ordered something else. A mere three hours later while walking through the mall, we decided to sit down, rest our feet and get something to drink. Still remembering those famous words, “it’s too fattening”, I ordered a diet drink. And wouldn’t you know it, she ordered a chocolate malt with whipped cream and a cookie on the top. Then she proceeded to ask how many calories a chocolate malt (with whipped cream and a cookie) had in it. Being a friend who was looking out for her well being and not wanting to be rude, I told her 150.
Necessary rudeness: Happens when someone tells you something that you don’t want to hear. I had to have my drivers license renewed before my birthday. When the man behind the counter asked to me read the silly little numbers in the silly little black box sit- ting on the counter. I could not see them without my rose colored glasses parked on my nose. Just because of this the gentleman behind the counter put a number one on my driver’s license and said to me, “you know this means you can’t operate a vehicle without your glasses, don’t you?” I might have known it for awhile, but I think it was downright rude of him to make it a law for everyone who cashs a check for me, to see.
Rude-Rudeness: This kind of rudeness is not funny, this one is serious. It happens when people set out to do one thing…put you in your place. While in the shopping mall after our lunch last week, my friend Georgia and I wandered into The Denver, one of Colorado’s finer department stores. While looking for the sale signs, I happened to find a swimming suit marked 25% off. Now who could resist a deal like that. I grabbed the deal of the century and took it back to the dressing room to try it on for size. As I was standing there in my mix and match undies. I noticed a sign on the wall that had the word “NOTICE” printed in very large letters. After the sign grabbed my attention, I continued to read the rest of the sign. To my surprise, this little sign told me in no uncertain terms that the dressing room that I was standing in (in a state of undress) was being observed by the store’s security system. Now I am not real crazy about having anyone that I have never met before, observing me in my not too new (and glamorous) undies unless, of course…I can observe them in their not too new (and glamorous) undies at the same time.
So there you have it, my interpretation of four different kinds of rudeness, from funny to serious. At the risk of sounding rude. I have one thing to say about the last kind of rudeness. namely rude-rude…I think it is discourteous, uncouth, crude and just plain RUDE.
