# How often are you insulted at work and what was the last insult?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [September 7, 2014, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717 "2014-09-07T01:31:59Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2014, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717/1 "2014-09-07T01:31:59Z")
I’d put the number somewhere around once or twice a week.
I think that number is too high, but there is little I can do about it. It seems to be a hazard of being an attorney.
The last insult came from an opposing party who told me my law firm was very hard to deal with and that I should pass that on to my boss.
It’s a little frustrating because I do not think I learned how to deal with insults. Until recently the preferred method was to curse people out in my best Brooklyn accent and to narrowly avoid violence. Now that I’m all grown up, I’ve upgraded to the “ignore them and take it” method, which keeps me out of trouble and not looking like a Neanderthal, but has the side effect of countless hours of sleep loss due to over thinking past insults.
I’m just wondering if anyone hear has a similar experience at work.
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### Author:  [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2014, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717/2 "2014-09-07T01:45:10Z")
I’m not sure how " your law firm is hard to deal with" is an insult. But then again I’m a public librarian and I get real insults at work.
Of course I can’t remember any good ones off the top of my head now, but I do recall a half-Southeast Asian colleague being pissed as hell at being called a “white bitch”, mostly at the white part.
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### Author:  [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2014, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717/3 "2014-09-07T02:28:32Z")
> [@Zsofia](#):
>
> I’m not sure how " your law firm is hard to deal with" is an insult. But then again I’m a public librarian and I get real insults at work.
>
> Of course I can’t remember any good ones off the top of my head now, but I do recall a half-Southeast Asian colleague being pissed as hell at being called a “white bitch”, mostly at the white part.
Yeah, there a difference between a criticism and an insult. The above is not an insult.
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### Author:  [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2014, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717/4 "2014-09-07T02:34:32Z")
I work in a call centre, need I say more.
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### Author:  [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2014, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717/5 "2014-09-07T02:47:00Z")
My boss thinks I’m a dumbass, but he thinks everyone who works for him is a dumbass, so I’m not even sure I feel particularly offended. I mean, if he gives you the impression that he thinks you’re a dumbass, all it really means is “Sir, you are currently in my employ.”
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### Author:  [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2014, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717/6 "2014-09-07T02:51:34Z")
My old Chief of Staff used to come in and rant and rave that we were all dog shit stupid and tell my to get my f\*\*\*ing head out of my ass. Then he would come around about ten minutes later an apologize.
He did it to everyone, but he really only apologized to me, since I was the only female officer on his staff.
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### Author:  [@FeAudrey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FeAudrey)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2014, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717/7 "2014-09-07T02:56:17Z")
> [@Mr.Nylock](#):
>
> My boss thinks I’m a dumbass, but he thinks everyone who works for him is a dumbass … if he gives you the impression that he thinks you’re a dumbass, all it really means is “Sir, you are currently in my employ.”
Dare we ask who hired all you dumbasses? 😛
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### Author:  [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2014, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717/8 "2014-09-07T03:00:35Z")
> [@FeAudrey](#):
>
> Dare we ask who hired all you dumbasses? 😛
The interview must have gone like [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPTfwW89UIY).
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### Author:  [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2014, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717/9 "2014-09-07T03:00:49Z")
> [@Zsofia](#):
>
> I’m not sure how " your law firm is hard to deal with" is an insult. But then again I’m a public librarian and I get real insults at work.
She’s an adversary. We’re not supposed to help her (she has her own lawyer). She’s not even supposed to talk to us directly.
I don’t want to get into explaining the entire context of the comment. I just didn’t like it and it’s entirely possible I’m blowing it out of proportion.
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### Author:  [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2014, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717/10 "2014-09-07T03:09:02Z")
I can only remember one example. It was my first job out of college and at one point my boss called me a _retard_ before storming out of the room. Seriously it’s one of my big regrets in life that I didn’t kick the shit out of the guy.
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### Author:  [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2014, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717/11 "2014-09-07T03:29:38Z")
Generally it’s rare that I get insulted at work. But in the past week it’s happened a whole bunch of times because I’ve had the bad luck of being dragged into meetings with my boss’ boss, who is an ass. The example that jumps to mind was when she was spewing out a rapid fire stream of nonsense and paused to say, “Am I making sense? Are you following this? Well, I know I’m making sense, but are you following?” Uh, no, you’re actually not making sense, because you’re a fucking salesperson and not an information security professional like the rest of us in the conversation.
A few years ago, I would have mouthed off in response. But now I have two children who prefer having a roof over their heads to being out in the cold, so I bit my tongue. Luckily this was a phone meeting, so she couldn’t see the expression on my face.
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### Author:  [@Timetrvlr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timetrvlr)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2014, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717/12 "2014-09-07T03:58:29Z")
> [@Lakai](#):
>
> I’d put the number somewhere around once or twice a week.
>
> I think that number is too high, but there is little I can do about it. It seems to be a hazard of being an attorney.
C’mon! Successful litigators are snarly as hell with thick hides and monstrous egos! If your personality isn’t like that, better move into Real Estate law or some other humdrum legal career in a small town.😃
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### Author:  [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2014, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717/13 "2014-09-07T06:20:16Z")
My old boss once sent someone else in to give me some training. The boss said to the guy, “Do like that Vulcan mind-meld, and shove everything you know into Trinopus’ mind. But for God’s sake don’t let ANY information flow the other way!”
To be fair, he did have a valid point…
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### Author:  [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2014, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717/14 "2014-09-07T07:29:46Z")
> [@Lakai](#):
>
> The last insult came from an opposing party who told me my law firm was very hard to deal with and that I should pass that on to my boss.
If you take that as an insult, then you are indeed a very special and previous flower.
The last time I was insulted was many years ago, when a co-worker said I was a fucking idiot. I very quietly informed her that she would never speak to me that way again. She never did.
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### Author:  [@owlfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlfan)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2014, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717/15 "2014-09-07T07:43:37Z")
Nurses are insulted almost daily. “You’re a bitch, you don’t know what you are doing, you’re mean, you just like to hurt people.” We are frequently called names also. My most memorable is “stinking old c\_\_\_.” This is by patients, the people we are trying to help.
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### Author:  [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2014, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717/16 "2014-09-07T08:36:59Z")
> [@sandra\_nz](#):
>
> The last time I was insulted was many years ago, when a co-worker said I was a fucking idiot. **I very quietly informed her that she would never speak to me that way again.** She never did.
The problem with this method is - what if the person takes up the challenge, so to speak, and promptly repeats the insult they were told \*not \*to? What can you do?
“F—ing idiot!”
“You are never speak to me that way again, do you understand?”
“Oh yeah? F—ING IDIOT!”
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### Author:  [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2014, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717/17 "2014-09-07T14:30:44Z")
> [@Velocity](#):
>
> The problem with this method is - what if the person takes up the challenge, so to speak, and promptly repeats the insult they were told \*not \*to? What can you do?
> “F—ing idiot!”
>
> “You are never speak to me that way again, do you understand?”
>
> “Oh yeah? F—ING IDIOT!”
It was the right approach for the situation, she held a senior role and I was moving up quickly so she probably felt threatened and was seeing if she could break my confidence. If it had been a different situation, I would have taken a different approach.
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### Author:  [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2014, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717/18 "2014-09-07T14:42:44Z")
Probably I am insulted every day by students gripping, but almost never to my face. I can live with that.
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### Author:  [@skdo23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skdo23)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2014, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717/19 "2014-09-07T15:01:25Z")
> [@Mr.Nylock](#):
>
> My boss thinks I’m a dumbass, but he thinks everyone who works for him is a dumbass, so I’m not even sure I feel particularly offended. I mean, if he gives you the impression that he thinks you’re a dumbass, all it really means is “Sir, you are currently in my employ.”
Do you work at PriceMart?
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### Author:  [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2014, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717/20 "2014-09-07T15:23:36Z")
> [@sandra\_nz](#):
>
> If you take that as an insult, then you are indeed a very special and \*previous \*flower. …
(Italics mine)
That is a beautiful malapropism or spell-check malfunction. I hope it was the former. Mind if I keep using it?
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