I worked with the public for many years and frankly, I’ve always been amazed with just how stupid some people can be. I mean really, gut-wrenchingly, pitifully stupid. Like, for example the woman who emailed me today from the supermarket site, telling me she needed her employment information so she could get food stamps. Apparently, she thought my supermarket history site was the official site for whatever store she used to work for, and she mailed me her name, her social security number, and a world of other personal information…
I get stuff like this every week (job applications, complaints about bad service at some store in Pocatello, whatever) from people who just can’t be bothered to read one line which might tell them that they’re contacting the wrong person. And these disclaimers are in very large letters at the top and bottom of EVERY PAGE, not to mention an ever bigger one on the contact page…
I wrote back, politely even, stating that I couldn’t help her and suggesting she might want to be a bit more careful about who she provided with such sensitive information. All the while, I was thinking that her utter cluelessness and lack of any discernible attention span (reading comprehension? sense of context?) might have a lot to do with why she’s applying for food stamps right now. I was nice, however, and didn’t share this opinion with her because I figured she had enough trouble already…
More “idiot of the week” awards:
- To the management of Crossgates Mall in Albany: Yes, I realize that you have every right to eject people from your private property for wearing T-shirts you don’t like. I myself have the right to run around downtown San Francisco yelling that the sky is falling. The difference is that I’m not stupid enough to EXERCISE this right just because I have it. Rather, I choose to exercise JUDGMENT and to avoid doing things which will get me loads of bad press and make me look like a cartoon villain…
- To the detractors who believe the above is a free speech issue: It just ain’t so. Mall management has every right to limit free speech on private property, and they can continue to do so until they drive off every last shopper and tenant in the place…
- To Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio): George Orwell would be intrigued by your stand in favor of revisionist cuisine. The rest of the country, however, is laughing hysterically at your bumbling cry for attention. Isn’t it usually liberals who are acuused of this kind of foolishness?
- To Steve Comstock of Santa Cruz, arrested for trashing downtown San Francisco after the last “peace” protest, who said “When you feel strongly about something, you don’t just continue to live your life the way you always do.” So you do what, then? Run around like a pouting three-year-old, breaking things because you didn’t get your way? Grow up. You couldn’t create a rational argument that water is wet if your life depended on it…
