Fine line between smart-ass and rude

In My Humble Opinion
1

I went to Borders last Saturday evening for the midnight release of Harry Potter 4. I didn’t want to wait three hours past the sale time, like I did for Phantom Menace tickets, so I had Mr. Rilch drop me off at 9:30. I went up to the information desk to ask the clerk where the line was forming.

Now, I always like to make my questions very much to the point. When I’m working, I despise people who hem and haw and don’t explain what they want, and I try hard not to be one of those people. So I pointed to one of the four signs announcing the release, and said, “Where’s the line forming for Harry Potter?” The clerk said, “What line?” I gave him a Look and said, “Do you have any other books coming out at midnight tonight that hundreds of people are going to line up for?” I was told that the line wouldn’t form ahead of time to avoid “obstructing the flow of traffic”. Whatever, but I can’t believe he had to ask “what line”. He was involved in the pre-party, along with most of the staff, and he obviously knew he was going to work overtime. But he probably resented me anyway, for the wording of my second question.

So now my question is, how far can one go in being a smart-ass before becoming rude? When I make a remark like that, I feel momentarily smug, but then I start worrying that the person to whom I said it is going to follow me and club me in the kneecaps.

2

I’d say that if you are aware of yourself being a smartass, and find yourself getting that “smug” feeling, then you are already considerably rude to begin with–regardless of how the poor schmuck you’re talking to takes it. Why not be considerate and avoid being a “smartass” at all? Otherwise, you might at least emphasize the second syllable when identifying yourself with that word.

Sorry, but you asked.

3

I think “smart-assed” is better defined as “all parties being in on the joke”, whereas “rude” is just plain rude.

Not to flame you, Ril, but you might have been a little more patient. You only asked one question and got one response before sniping at the poor guy. He may have been anticipating overtime/bedlam after already working a hectic and mind-numbing day. And since there wasn’t an actual line, his response of, “What line?”, while seeming dense on the surface, does sorta make sense.

I don’t suffer fools gladly, either, but I’ve been on the receiving end of enough unfair sarcasm to learn to be patient and not give 'em both barrels until they really, really earn it.