Oh dear god...

[conuly]

I guess the thought police had to step in and make sure every thing was PC and sympathy. sad world we live in, it really is. someone can act like a lunatic and i am supposed to be nice to them. *gag*

Yes, you really are supposed to be nice to them. Yes, really. Yes, even if they "act like a lunatic". Yes, even if you think they have an actual disorder like OCD. No, I'm not kidding. No, I'm really not. Nope. You're supposed to be people. Period.

Comments

[ladytalon.livejournal.com]

Well, I've worked retail, standing on my feet behind a counter for 8 hours, so perhaps that qualifies me to post a response.

I don't know whether the woman in question had OCD or not, though from the story it certainly sounds as though she does. But that's irrelevant, and already skewed, since it was a story, not something I observed myself.

If she honestly thought, while it was happening, that the woman was obsessive-compulsive, and she still tried to tell the customer that she was acting irrationally and that it was all fine, then I believe she behaved badly. To attempt to make someone with OCD act against their impulses is not something a grocery store clerk should be doing.

OCD doesn't make one rude beyond their control, necessarily; it can come off as rudeness unintentionally, however. If something gets triggered, they can feel helpless to act against it, and that can seem very rude to others--even if the person coming across as rude is secretly despairing that they have to do it.

Having said that, I agree with you that it's not an excuse to act rudely. It's a reason, but not an excuse. However, neither is standing on your feet for 8 hours a day an excuse for being rude.