mind Your Own Bee's Wax!
What do you say to someone when they get to personal? When their nose is so far up in your business, if they sneezed, you'd be outta business for a week!I try to be a polite person, for the most part. And sometimes, honest personal discussion is just fine. How else do you really get to know other people. But I can tell a friend connection right away, and those folks are the ones I don't mind answering personal questions. It's the people that aren't my friends, never were, and probably never will become that I don't really care to get personal with.
I've heard the idea that if someone asks you a too-personal question you should just ask them, "why do you want to know?" Well, that would never work with the boundary-challenged people I know. They would just tell me why they want to know, and why they need to know, and why I need to tell them. Then where would that put me?
So my method is usually: 1. Ignore or B) Change the subject. both are not always possible. So my biggest defense mechanism is crass humor. Using 'blue' language without provocation (out of the blue if you will) &/or making a bad joke at my own expense usually will get them laughing and forget the inappropriate question all together.
Example: (ok, you knew that was coming, right?)
I commented that my back hurt, and Ms. P.A.A.R. (that would be passive/aggressive--always right) said I'd better watch out, I was getting sick, because the last time I had a backache, I was getting the flu. OK, first, well, she was partly right. I had been sniffling for a few days, and feeling run-down, and then had pain in my back. The next day I was out. And that was the bad flu that kept me out for most a week. But really, I've had pain in my back plenty of times. And who's keeping track of me being sick? (oh, Ms. PAAR is also a germ-o-phobe, and if anyone comes to work even the slightest bit ill, she'll go around sanitizing everything behind them, I understand not wanting to get sick, but I don't really think it does any good.)
So, I say my back hurts, she says I must be getting sick, I'm having a pain where her nose is stuck up in my business, and have to get it outta there, so I came back with, 'well, my boyfriend was up for the weekend'. This sent her and others in the office into shrieks of laughter, and saved-by-the-bell, the phone rings, and we got off that subject.
Someday maybe they will learn. Doubt it, but I'm an optimist.
1 comment(s):
generally I just provide way too much information in the first place, and they end up falling asleep before they can think of anything to ask...
More often I am disbelieved, but when pressed on something I have intentionally chosen not to make public for whatever reason, I generally ask them something *way* more private, like, "so, I hear you like to take it up the ass, is that true?"
It doesn't work so well at work, but generally, asking them if what you heard about them stealing office supplies is true or not, does the same trick.
The point is driven home one way or another...
By
Algor Langeaux, at
1:26 PM
Post a comment
<< Home