# How often are you insulted at work and what was the last insult? **URL:** \ **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:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717/41 "2014-09-08T03:06:20Z")
Typically only on the 1st and 15th of the month. The following Monday if those fall on a weekend or holiday. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717/42 "2014-09-08T03:25:26Z")
> [@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? > > … Well, typically, in pretty much any company where I’ve ever worked, calling someone a “fucking idiot” is unacceptable. So what I can do is bring it to either my manager, HR or even file a harassment suit against the company. However, these responses are fairly extreme. More often than not, whatever it is you think is so important for me to do for you that you need to scream at me like a two year old, I’m just going to tell you to “suck a dick” and not do it. But to be honest, I can’t think of any professional job where a manager or coworker insulted me like that or that behavior is even tolerated. ---
**Author:** ![Stringbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Stringbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringbean)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717/43 "2014-09-09T03:50:29Z")
It’s really very simple: when someone insults you, you immediately wreck them with a far more incisive, brutal insult. They will run back to their hole and never bother you again. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_York](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_York](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_York)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717/44 "2014-09-09T06:39:43Z")
When I was a soldier in the British Army, one of the many insults from my drill sergeant was, (at full volume) ," Soldier, stand up straight, shoulders back, chest out, stomach in, you’re standing there like a bag of shit tied in the middle." Work place insults are pathetically weak compared to the army. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717/45 "2014-09-09T19:11:31Z")
> [@Stringbean](#): > > It’s really very simple: when someone insults you, you immediately wreck them with a far more incisive, brutal insult. > > They will run back to their hole and never bother you again. That strikes me as a good way to make sure that you are the one with all the repercussions and the originator walks away smirking. ---
**Author:** ![Whiskey\_Dickens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9fc348/32.png) [@Whiskey\_Dickens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiskey_Dickens)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717/46 "2014-09-09T20:18:53Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > Probably I am insulted every day by students gripping, but almost never to my face. I can live with that. Gripping your what?! Or did you mean, “griping,” dear teacher who holds our children’s future in their hands? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717/47 "2014-09-09T21:09:24Z")
> [@Duke\_of\_York](#): > > When I was a soldier in the British Army, one of the many insults from my drill sergeant > was, (at full volume) ," Soldier, stand up straight, shoulders back, chest out, stomach in, you’re standing there like a bag of shit tied in the middle." Work place insults are pathetically weak compared to the army. I’ve read that British police don’t carry firearms because they use sarcasm instead, but the American military yeilds to no other by virtue of its Southern/Black component. “Damn boy, you must be some _special_ kind of stupid!” ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717/48 "2014-09-09T21:42:18Z")
[quote=“msmith537, post:42, topic:697717”] Well, typically, in pretty much any company where I’ve ever worked, calling someone a “fucking idiot” is unacceptable. You need to get out more; take a little break from what you’re doing now careerwise and try the culinary arts. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717/49 "2014-09-09T22:28:29Z")
> [@Lakai](#): > > 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’d tend to translate that comment as ‘you’re winning and I don’t like it.’ > [@sandra\_nz](#): > > If you take that as an insult, then you are indeed a very special and previous flower. . . . I assume that her tone of voice made it clear that she was intending her words to be insulting. It can be hard not to react to intention. ---
**Author:** ![Tremblay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e56c9b/32.png) [@Tremblay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tremblay)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717/50 "2014-09-09T22:49:25Z")
I work in a law firm as well. My boss works an hour away from me at our main office. I run the satellite branch. He tries to micromanage from a far. Maybe once a week i get an email micromanaging. I call it a nastygram. ---
**Author:** ![SylverOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@SylverOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SylverOne)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717/51 "2014-09-09T23:01:07Z")
Part of my job involves taking support calls deemed ‘difficult’ by the front line customer service reps. Customers who are, for whatever reason, not able to use our website. I used to take it personally, but after 8 years, it doesn’t even faze me. I’ve been called a bitch, an unhelpful wretch, and heartless. I’ve been accused of stealing a customer’s money and taking off to Tahiti. I’ve heard it all… And I’ve only got 45 days left at this job, and the customers who all think I’m the grand bitch will now have to call a support line that they’ll be lucky to talk to a human on. Karma wins. ---
**Author:** ![Aangelica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Aangelica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aangelica)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717/52 "2014-09-09T23:59:22Z")
Hell, informing a lawyer that their firm is hard to work with isn’t an insult - it’s a _compliment to the firm_. Consider the phrase “adversarial profession”. Being quite serious, if that’s all it takes to turn your crank, you might want to pause and do some fairly serious contemplation. I’d start with “Why am I having a conversation with a represented adversarial party in the absence of their counsel at all?” The only real conversation that’s appropriate there is going to be “I’m terribly sorry, I simply can’t speak with you outside the presence of your attorney”. ---
**Author:** ![Lemmytheseal2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@Lemmytheseal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemmytheseal2)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717/53 "2014-09-10T00:45:07Z")
It happens at least weekly, and often more than that. My assistant manager is not at work with me every day, but when she is, it’s highly likely that I’ll be on the receiving end of an ugly mix of condescension and passive-aggression, and generally I get treated like I’m stupid. She’s nasty and rude to almost everyone, and the problem here is that, in an effort to not let it bother me, two things happen. 1. I don’t take much of what she says seriously, and I don’t pay enough attention. This has a downside. 2. I become so afraid of getting chewed out that I don’t trust my own judgment. I don’t really know how to handle a lot of situations, and it seems that I’m going to get in trouble no matter what I do. That happened today. I made a judgment call or two that just made things worse. Lately, there’s another insult that’s coming from both her and the store manager. I don’t mind being given a list of various cleaning duties, as that sort of thing is mentioned in my job description. I do resent having to print out a checklist that I will have to show to them, so that we can all see the progress that I am making each week. Sometimes it’s not possible to do all that they theoretically require each week, because some things come up and take precedence. I do what I can with what I have. I can prioritize things I recently had to skip. It all gets done, so what’s the big deal? I’m being treated like a child, not an adult employee. I happen to have a Master’s degree, and it’s also insulting (or something similar) when people find this out and wonder why I don’t have a different job. I try and I try and I apply and I apply, but nothing gets any better. This job saved my life. I was afraid that I was headed towards complete insolvency, homelessness, and probable suicide. A couple of years have gone by, and although I always felt that I would be getting out of this job before long, now I have another impetus. But how? ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717/54 "2014-09-11T03:18:04Z")
Lemmy, it certainly sounds like it is time to move on from that job. Check out jobs networking clubs, They can be found at neighborhood churches, unemployment centers, community development agencies, and the like. Call your county office to find out more. Even if you are not unemployed, you can go to these meetings and learn how to market yourself for a better job. You deserve to be treated better so go out and find the next step in your life. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717/55 "2014-09-11T21:43:57Z")
About 6 years ago, an employee called me a fag, and, just as I was going to call him a bitch, he called me a bitch. Stole my thunder, the fucker. I didn’t want to call him the CS word in front of the coworkers, or a MoFo, and I couldn’t think of anything else in time, so, I just sent him home. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-you-insulted-at-work-and-what-was-the-last-insult/697717.md?page=2)