Politeness
Oct. 1st, 2024 11:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bunsen_hThere is a popular myth that Canadians are invariably polite.
Late this afternoon, while I was running my groceries through the self-scan at the grocery store, I overheard a couple of guys attempting to chat up the young woman who was overseeing the area. "What's your name? ... That's a nice name..." I kind of rolled my eyes: a couple of skeevy assholes.
Then they got into the Jesus-y stuff. About Good and Evil, and the need for being Saved, and how one of them had had a near-death experience, and what happened after death, and ... They were clearly taking their time about doing their check-out. And at about the 4-minute mark, I turned around and said, "You know, proselytizing at someone who's forced to listen to you is kind of rude."
They stopped. "What?"
"Proselytizing at someone who's forced to listen to you is kind of rude. She has to stand there. She can't leave while you talk. You're being rude."
"Actually, you're the one who's being rude." "Yeah, we weren't talking to you." I just rolled my eyes and got back to packing up my groceries.
After another minute or so, they left, with a bit more stuff about how Jesus loved her. And me.
Part of what I don't get is how they think that that kind of behaviour is good, and right, and effective. Pushing your political or religious views on someone who is literally constrained from walking away or voicing strong disagreement is not a good way of bringing someone to your point of view. It makes them think that you, and your views, are odious. I don't know if the store has signs posted about on-site soliciting being prohibited, but I doubt that these asses would consider what they do to be soliciting.
Late this afternoon, while I was running my groceries through the self-scan at the grocery store, I overheard a couple of guys attempting to chat up the young woman who was overseeing the area. "What's your name? ... That's a nice name..." I kind of rolled my eyes: a couple of skeevy assholes.
Then they got into the Jesus-y stuff. About Good and Evil, and the need for being Saved, and how one of them had had a near-death experience, and what happened after death, and ... They were clearly taking their time about doing their check-out. And at about the 4-minute mark, I turned around and said, "You know, proselytizing at someone who's forced to listen to you is kind of rude."
They stopped. "What?"
"Proselytizing at someone who's forced to listen to you is kind of rude. She has to stand there. She can't leave while you talk. You're being rude."
"Actually, you're the one who's being rude." "Yeah, we weren't talking to you." I just rolled my eyes and got back to packing up my groceries.
After another minute or so, they left, with a bit more stuff about how Jesus loved her. And me.
Part of what I don't get is how they think that that kind of behaviour is good, and right, and effective. Pushing your political or religious views on someone who is literally constrained from walking away or voicing strong disagreement is not a good way of bringing someone to your point of view. It makes them think that you, and your views, are odious. I don't know if the store has signs posted about on-site soliciting being prohibited, but I doubt that these asses would consider what they do to be soliciting.
no subject
Date: 2024-10-02 01:41 pm (UTC)People today have very strange ideas about effective methods of persuasion.