Temporary breakup prompts friend's nasty text
Dear Frustrated: How would your guy feel if a client came onto his worksite and made a similar comment to him? (Truly, he might not mind it at all.)
On one level, I interpret his comments toward other hardworking people as his way of identifying with them (most of the comments any of us make are really a reflection of aspects of ourselves). He is trying to connect, but he is going about it in a clunky way.
I don't interpret these comments as being patently disrespectful, but more as being unnecessary and potentially off-putting.
You can't control him; you should not apologize for him. You shouldn't call him an idiot, nor cast these remarks as idiotic.
Now you can ignore this behavior, because it's on him.
He could test your response and reaction by asking his granddaughter how she feels when customers make comments like this. Servers deal with this sort of "humor" all the time.
Dear Readers: Sometimes people who dispense advice run out of answers. If you've ever been curious about the life behind my advice, read my new book, "Strangers Tend to Tell Me Things: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Coming Home" (2017, Hachette).
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(You can contact Amy Dickinson via email: askamy@amydickinson.com. Readers may send postal mail to Amy Dickinson, c/o Tribune Content Agency, LLC., 16650 Westgrove Dr., Suite 175, Addison, TX 75001. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or "like" her on Facebook.)
