It started with an email from my manager that read:
You see, I was having a conversation with a CLIENT and he had just told us that he cancelled his service with Comcast. Comcast may actually be the bane of my existence. In fact, Comcast is the bane of a lot of people's existences as far as I can tell. Without going into my 18+ hour long rant against that company, suffice it to say that their customer service sucks and they are an actual monopoly here in America (and maybe even worldwide) and I hate them with the fire and passion of 10,000 suns.
So when I heard that he had done away with Comcast, of COURSE I would want to have a conversation with him about it. He's a real super nice guy, and I'm happy to work for him and he's stopping his services with us at the end of January anyway, and so I feel quite comfortable having a personal-type conversation with him about how I feel about Comcast.
And so I said, "I HATE COMCAST SO MUCH!!!! COMCAST CAN SUCK A BIG BAG OF DONKEY NUTS!!!!" (I recently heard or read the phrase "suck a bag of donkey dicks" and I love to use it. I also used it to describe my experience with DirecTV when I cancelled my service with them). Now, when I used the phrase at issue, of course the warning sirens went off in my head that it was quite the inappropriate phrase to use in the workplace. Especially because I have been admonished by my supervisor time and time again for profanity. So I lowered my voice, though I tried to alter my voice and clench my teeth enough to express the kind of energy that goes into my hatred of Comcast. And instead of using the word "dicks," I toned it down to "nuts." And still she heard it.
The client, however, didn't even blink. He agreed with me wholeheartedly and we ended up having a long conversation about the alternatives to using an evil blood-sucking monopoly of a company for Internet and cable-type services.
In recent weeks, I've been working on my professionalism. I've asked around - some other clients, coworkers, friends, and family members, what may or may not be considered "professional," and I have come to the conclusion that it means something a little different to everyone. In my mind, if you have any semblance of a personal relationship with someone, there's a time to be professional, and a time to be yourself. Myself happens to be profane, sarcastic, and in my opinion, quite eloquent (see "phrase at issue"). Therefore I think it was okay, in the context of the conversation I was having, for me to have said what I said. Despite my having been behind the front desk at my job.
This is my argument and I feel a bit better having justified it to the world via the Internet. Hopefully, it will pop up whenever people search "Comcast," too, so that other people can share in my colorful sentiment.
Thus begins the inauguration of my return to literary performance.
**Please note: my manager actually has the words "lovesjesus" in her personal email address, so maybe that will give you some insight into the nature of her personality...
You see, I was having a conversation with a CLIENT and he had just told us that he cancelled his service with Comcast. Comcast may actually be the bane of my existence. In fact, Comcast is the bane of a lot of people's existences as far as I can tell. Without going into my 18+ hour long rant against that company, suffice it to say that their customer service sucks and they are an actual monopoly here in America (and maybe even worldwide) and I hate them with the fire and passion of 10,000 suns.
So when I heard that he had done away with Comcast, of COURSE I would want to have a conversation with him about it. He's a real super nice guy, and I'm happy to work for him and he's stopping his services with us at the end of January anyway, and so I feel quite comfortable having a personal-type conversation with him about how I feel about Comcast.
And so I said, "I HATE COMCAST SO MUCH!!!! COMCAST CAN SUCK A BIG BAG OF DONKEY NUTS!!!!" (I recently heard or read the phrase "suck a bag of donkey dicks" and I love to use it. I also used it to describe my experience with DirecTV when I cancelled my service with them). Now, when I used the phrase at issue, of course the warning sirens went off in my head that it was quite the inappropriate phrase to use in the workplace. Especially because I have been admonished by my supervisor time and time again for profanity. So I lowered my voice, though I tried to alter my voice and clench my teeth enough to express the kind of energy that goes into my hatred of Comcast. And instead of using the word "dicks," I toned it down to "nuts." And still she heard it.
The client, however, didn't even blink. He agreed with me wholeheartedly and we ended up having a long conversation about the alternatives to using an evil blood-sucking monopoly of a company for Internet and cable-type services.
In recent weeks, I've been working on my professionalism. I've asked around - some other clients, coworkers, friends, and family members, what may or may not be considered "professional," and I have come to the conclusion that it means something a little different to everyone. In my mind, if you have any semblance of a personal relationship with someone, there's a time to be professional, and a time to be yourself. Myself happens to be profane, sarcastic, and in my opinion, quite eloquent (see "phrase at issue"). Therefore I think it was okay, in the context of the conversation I was having, for me to have said what I said. Despite my having been behind the front desk at my job.
This is my argument and I feel a bit better having justified it to the world via the Internet. Hopefully, it will pop up whenever people search "Comcast," too, so that other people can share in my colorful sentiment.
Thus begins the inauguration of my return to literary performance.
**Please note: my manager actually has the words "lovesjesus" in her personal email address, so maybe that will give you some insight into the nature of her personality...
