</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Originally posted by cinderella:
<strong>I also think his behaviour is typical...of someone who is on a trip - call it a power trip, a stress trip, whatever. The legend in his own mind thing.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">The whole "power trip" thing is a very common stereotype about people in my line of work. I've seen it in people.
I work in a hospital. Once I saw a colleague tell a patient "When you are at this hospital, I am the law". I had to leave so that I wouldn't laugh at the guy.
Another story that I heard but didn't actually witness was a guy who was hired to work at another hospital in town. He showed up on his first day with a 4-cell Mag-Lite (It's a 18" long black metal flashlight) Along the side of the Mag-lite was the word "Peacemaker" written down the side in liquid paper.
My point is that I am not that kind of person, and maybe this kid in your office building isn't either. A lot of people in the low end of this occupation (meaning low-paying, which is probably 90% of people) are there while going through night school or are in some way trying to better themselves.
There is a danger in thinking of people in terms of stereotypes. I was reminded of a thread where you complained about unemployed people asking you out to lunch.
http://www.marriagebuilders.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=8;t=012865#000000Now I look at what you read and see that your main issue here was that you don't want people hitting on you at work.
But you happen to mention that the guy who asked you out was probably black.
Now you have obviously heard stereotypes about security people. I have heard stereotypes about whiite people who live in the southern US states. I don't neccecarily believe that you are a racist though. I don't have enough information. That's why my only response on that thread was to laugh at "Not the brightest rocks in the field" because I thought it was one of the silliest excuses for an analogy I'd seen in a while. If I truly thought you were being a racist, I would have called you on it.
Perhaps you know this "Officer Swindell" kid better than you have suggested. Perhaps you have reason to think that the kid is creepy and worth avoiding beyond a stereotype about his occupation.
But if you don't, then don't make sweeping generalizations about people from a race or an occupation, or any other group unless you want to offend others from that group who will read what you have written.
When I first came on MB a couple of years ago and complained about my wife's weight, the most passionate responses I received were from either women who identified with my wife or men who identified with me.
I guess that I identify with "Officer Swindell" because I have been there, a young guy working a pretty much dead end job.
Whether or not you see it that way, you came on here and laughed at the kid behind his back for expressing an interest in you.
I don't respond because I am on a power trip or because "Officer Swindell" and I are both members of the "Brotherhood of Underpaid Polyester Monkeys" but because I think you might shortchange yourself of getting to know great people by catagorizing everyone according to their own little stereotypes.
While looking to the castles for your "prince", you may miss some frogs with potential.
