Selfish people
I'm looking for ideas about... selfish people. And greedy. Drains on society, if you will. Real pricks of people... but not really in the economic sense (so no greedy CEOs who exploit a bunch of poor workers), more like... people who mow their lawn really early in the morning, who play music loud at night and drive their cars over the speed limit. That sort of thing.
I'm kind of stuck for ideas. Part of the story is this whole campaign against selfish people - ranging from fat people to smokers, drunk drivers to people who bring bikes onto peak hour trains. You get the idea.
So, any suggestions? I'd rather not recycle the same ones over and over. Any annecdotes about particularly selfish people/actions/behaviour you've encountered?
We can spend our lives letting the world tell us who we are.
My mom used to work at the customer service counter in a Wal-Mart. She ran into all kinds of bullshit there.
- Over a dozen people who bought snowblowers in November and returned them in March for store credit, which they use to buy a lawnmower, which gets returned in the fall (you see where this is going...)
- A running scam where people would buy CDs, burn copies, return the disc for an exchange (can't return CD's for a refund if they've been opened) - and then take the replacement disc (now in shrink-wrap) to a second Wal-Mart for a refund.
- Baby clothes returned with puke on them.
- People who put their dead batteries back in the package and return them.
I could go on but I'm too pissed off now. Say what you want about Wal-Mart, they get soaked plenty by selfish assholes and still keep their prices down. Try calling bullshit on these people and they go fucking nuts. They make big tantrum scenes claiming that they'll sue for some stupid reason until they get their way. FUCK I HATE THOSE PEOPLE
*runs to grab a beer*
People who let the door slam in your face when they obviously see you coming but just don't care. They'd rather make sure they get in and ahead of you then try to help out, even if you're carrying something.
People who let their kids run up and down apartment hallways, screaming at the top of their lungs. Somehow, I'm supposed to think this is okay and not yell at the brats? Yea right.
People who come to your house with a friend of yours, then go into your fridge, take what they want, and leave the garbage all over the place.
People who you go for dinner with, and take turns paying. When it's their turn, they bring you somewhere cheap and bitch about the food the entire time. When it's your turn, they order the most expensive meal possible.
People with brats. Most people with brats think their kids can do whatever the hell they want, and the rest of us are supposed to smile and think it's cute. Well it's not.
People who fwd you email after email and never even so much as drop you a simple non-forwarded email that says 'Hi, how are you?'. These are normally the same people who message you repeatedly with all their worldly problems, yet never give a shit how you're doing or what's going on in your life.
People who would rather put their shit stained underwear behind your couch instead of throwing it out. (This happened to a girl I knew, not me.)
People who interupt you when you're speaking. It's especially annoying when they're doing it because you're a girl and they think whatever you say isn't important.
People who have those mufflers on their cars that make tons of noise, on purpose. These are usually the same people who have the loud pumping bass going all the time, regardless of the time of day or night.
People who have pool parties and blast music at 4 am until I'm forced to go out there and scream death threats at them.
My roomate:
So he was in a bad relationship. You know, break up, get back together, fight, have sex. OVER AND OVER again. Somehow he was having trouble just getting the fuck out. His patterns were annoying and pointless, painful even, for ALL parties involved.
So I was cool and talked to him about it, humored his childish crap.
After months of, "Its really over this time," I finally decided to let him move in with me, all the way accross the state. I figured the distance might finally settle this for him and I desperately needed the financial assistance of a roomate.
I had no pre-conceptions about how this was all going to work out, I knew the extent of our friendship and I knew the limitations of the relationship ... or so I thought.
Now four months later, he owes me $1500 bucks that he claims is only $800. Not only did I pick up what was supposed to be his share of the financial burden but I have bought most of his food. He has fucked my sister, a single mother, despite my protests and is now back with the nightmare girlfriend. He doesn't put his dishes in the dishwasher! To top it off, he has been secretly buying CD's and fifths of Bacardi now that he finally has a job. Meanwhile, I have had to pick up a second job just to not get evicted.
"Yeah, I'm a Christian again." He said yesterday. Big fucking deal. "People that think you just die when you die have no reason for accountability." He actually thinks he has any room to talk about accountability.
I haven't done his selfishness justice, but man, it feels good to bitch about him.
[QUOTE=DecoyRobot]People who have pool parties and blast music at 4 am until I'm forced to go out there and scream death threats at them.[/QUOTE]
Heh, yeah. I have the party one already. Some party goes on late into the night so the anti-selfishness task force goes in with guns, smashes shit/people up and takes everyone away. To gas them.
Thanks for the ideas, people. Keep 'em coming. I have most of the ones to do with public transport, purse fumbling and all of that sort of stuff already.
We can spend our lives letting the world tell us who we are.
people like a former friend of mine who always want something for nothing, or a favor, or this or that, and never ever repay their debt
who get annoyed that no one gets them gifts for holidays.
(seriously i bought this dude an inflatable guitar signed by FUCKING *KISS*, framed it and gave it to him for christmas) and since then he has yet to do so much as buy beer if i go over there, counting my birthday too, i bought beer for my own birthday. and he wonders why people blw him off
www.triplebeard.com
http://darkroomreview.blogspot.com
“...There are so many ways of being despicable it quite makes one's head spin. But the way to be really despicable is to be contemptuous of other people's pain. You ought to have some apprehension that the man you see before you was once even younger than you are now and arrived at his present wretchedness by imperceptible degrees.”
-James Baldwin
years ago, when i was in love with a much older female writer and drinking way too much at the pipers kilt and other less glamorous places, i was at a friend's party and consumed an entire package of freshly sliced prosciutto. pure gluttony. what makes matters worse is that his younger brother caught me, literally, with my mouth full.
Kids who act like complete assholes/bitches on their birthdays. They demand that everyone bow down to them and do WHATEVER they want. Then, something stupid sets them off and they’re in tears, screaming that everyone hates them and wants to ruin their party and how no one cares about them blah blah blah. In a fit of rage they destroy the presents and stomp up to their room. Then, the parents just smile at you like morons and politely ask you all to leave because their child is ‘ill’. Meanwhile, the kid is still screaming and throwing things around in their room.
People who come over and start drawing in your sketchbook, but instead of using blank pages, they draw overtop of what you spent hours drawing, doodling assholes or something nasty.
People who lend your books, drop them in the bathtub and return it to you like nothing happened. When you ask what happened, they laugh and say ‘oh yea, it dropped in a bit of water. It will be okay.’
People who purposely turn up your car stereo so that when you start your car, it goes on really loud, causing you to go deaf for a few hours.
People who throw handfuls of garbage out the window and their half filled cup explodes all over your windsheild.
People who drench themselves in perfume/cologne.
Argh, I had a friend in high school who did this. I have puny car speakers and she'd always turn my stereo up as loud as it could possibly go, and I couldn't really do anything about it because I was driving. She was incredibly inconsiderate about using other people's things in general, but now when I have to listen to my crackly speakers I get pissed off flashbacks about the whole thing.
There is hope, but not for us.
I had a friend that would always bring food in and slop it all over. I'd yell at her and she'd give me attitude and then do a half assed job of cleaning it up.
Ok, for seriously rude, for real, this girl I knew (there is no way in hell it's me) had a boyfriend that had gotten so drunk, he had fallen down in the bathroom and shit himself when he couldn't get up. He had taken the shit covered underwear and put them behind her couch. She found it after it started to smell up the place. When she asked him wtf it was about, he yelled at her, saying if she had a garbage pail in her bathroom he wouldn't have forgotten them there.
(I mentioned this incident before in the thread haha. But yea RUDE)
People who think that they are an exception to rules, the law, to common respect. One case where I noticed this recently, my dad figures it's ok to drive without a seatbelt around town, I ask him why, he say's because he's local (small town), because he's got the wheel to support himself, because he's not traveling at a 'fatal' speed. I say bullshit.
People with families who smoke, I think it's selfish to slowly take their own lives. Consider that they will die 10-20+ years younger than they would otherwise and put their families through hell having to tend to them while they're rotting away from what could have been avoided.
People who stereotype for the pure cause of ego stroking. Taking people at face value, and trying to see something in them that is inferior to yourself. Stating demeaning comments about people they don't know, just to make themselves sound better.
People who have to set themselves apart for others in an almost subconcious form. Walking in the middle of the group, walking half a step faster, sitting at the head of the table, talking just slightly louder than anyone else, standing while everyone is sitting. Almost like passive-agressive attention hunger.
The people who think they are better than everyone else, who feel they need "special" attention, they are the one's that get to me the most.
These people tend to think the world revolves around them. I love putting these sorry fucks in their place.
Example:
Four years ago I worked for a new company selling copiers door to door. The lady who owned the business was fairly successful with computer networking, so branching out was the next obvious step. Unfortunately, the competition was intense (I actually left and worked for the competition for awhile.), so getting sales was tough. I created a sales technique based on my own prior sales experience, and for the most part it worked. But...in February of that year...times were tough.
One of my grandmothers died, unexpectedly. It was very tough for the whole family. Immediate family bereavement was needed for approximately two days.
My CUNT of a boss, told me that my sales were too low to take off for the funeral. No shit. I explained to her the bereavement process, but no...that didn't apply to her. She didn't care.
Hmmm, time for an attitude adjustment.
My temper flared...BIG TIME! I explained to her that she was as insignificant as the sands on the beach, and that she was lucky to actually be alive, since her father could have easily just cum in a towel that fateful evening. And that my grandmother, whose life was just as insignificant to my boss, was very significant to me, because without her, I would not be there to tell my boss how much of a cold-hearted bitch she was. I was going to take my two days bereavement, and if she didn't like it, she would just have to deal with the state concerning her work related practices.
I hate that bitch, may she rot.
[B]We were about to give up and call it a night when somebody dropped the girl off the bridge.[/B]--[I]Darker Than Amber[/I], John D. McDonald (Best opening sentence ever.)
theres this chick i work with. half of the time that its her day to work she gets sick and calls me in for her. but she puts on the schedual that shes stayed her full day. then on the days i come in to relieve her, she stays for two, sometimes three hours extra- on my time- so she gets paid when she shouldnt be
then she puts me on the schedual without telling anyone but the boss who calls me up at midnight to tell me im working the next day and i should already know that because michelle (the chick) told me. so i get yelled at by him
then she complains about how no one does any work around the store- cleaning, doing inventory, taking care of orders, organizing. i do it and come back after shes supposed to have been working for the day and the place is in horrible condition- she does nothing to remedy it.
and she leaves nasty POST IT notes everywhere- telling people what to do when she takes no responsability.
[QUOTE=TheJudasCow]theres this chick i work with. half of the time that its her day to work she gets sick and calls me in for her. but she puts on the schedual that shes stayed her full day. then on the days i come in to relieve her, she stays for two, sometimes three hours extra- on my time- so she gets paid when she shouldnt be
then she puts me on the schedual without telling anyone but the boss who calls me up at midnight to tell me im working the next day and i should already know that because michelle (the chick) told me. so i get yelled at by him
then she complains about how no one does any work around the store- cleaning, doing inventory, taking care of orders, organizing. i do it and come back after shes supposed to have been working for the day and the place is in horrible condition- she does nothing to remedy it.
and she leaves nasty POST IT notes everywhere- telling people what to do when she takes no responsability.[/QUOTE]
I worked with some chick like her.
I got in big time trouble for not doing a job I didn't know anything about. I took that shit personally, so I got personal with her. She claimed that she was doing her work just like she was supposed to, that everyone else was lazy. The way the situation was, there was no way I could prove my innocence. My only help came from a sympathetic assistant manager, who helped me set this chick up. It worked, and she was fired.
find an asssistant manager who agrees with your point-of-view, and set the bitch up for a fall.
[B]We were about to give up and call it a night when somebody dropped the girl off the bridge.[/B]--[I]Darker Than Amber[/I], John D. McDonald (Best opening sentence ever.)
[url]http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,126808,00.html[/url]
Check that link out...from Mike Straka, the man who has taken defintions of rude, obnoxious people to a new level.
[B]We were about to give up and call it a night when somebody dropped the girl off the bridge.[/B]--[I]Darker Than Amber[/I], John D. McDonald (Best opening sentence ever.)
Well, in a sense, isn't everyone selfish? people who go out of their way to help others including, because they wouldn't go 'help' unless they wanted to...
In september I moved into a rented house for five people, unfortnately for the landlords one of the guys who was going to move in with us dropped out the day before the contract was signed. The landlords were a little pissed off because we couldn't find anyone to rent the other room.
Since then one of my housemates has pretty much trashed his room. He pulled down the light, dented the plaster in the ceiling and smashed up his door. The thing is that after failing his first year of university (twice) and not getting a job he can't stay here so he's gone back home to Greece. Leaving us to deal with the damage to the room and the landlords only getting three peoples rent for a five person house.
The thing that really gets to me though is that he didn't even leave his room tidy! He only took what he wanted and left the rest. There's crap everywhere, he even left the dirty sheets on the bed!
I guess I ought to be a little bit more careful with the people I associate with.
!
[QUOTE=Worms;528954]Heh, yeah. I have the party one already. Some party goes on late into the night so the anti-selfishness task force goes in with guns, smashes shit/people up and takes everyone away. To gas them.
Thanks for the ideas, people. Keep 'em coming. I have most of the ones to do with public transport, purse fumbling and all of that sort of stuff already.[/QUOTE]
HA!!!! This sounds brilliant and really cathartic. Where can I read it?
[QUOTE=TwistedVision;928547]HA!!!! This sounds brilliant and really cathartic. Where can I read it?[/QUOTE]
this was from 3 years ago
they're long gone by now to answer any questions
[QUOTE=vandamage;540760]I worked with some chick like her.
I got in big time trouble for not doing a job I didn't know anything about. I took that shit personally, so I got personal with her. She claimed that she was doing her work just like she was supposed to, that everyone else was lazy. The way the situation was, there was no way I could prove my innocence. My only help came from a sympathetic assistant manager, who helped me set this chick up. It worked, and she was fired.
find an asssistant manager who agrees with your point-of-view, and set the bitch up for a fall.[/QUOTE]
Respect. How did that go down, exactly? Can you describe the bitch removal process?
Glad to be here.
one time a lady pushed me out of the way at the chinese buffet. she must have been STARVING.
“The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite insane.” -- Nikola Tesla
The tip of the selfish iceberg for me would have to be all the assholes who sit around making snide remarks if my son or daughter happens to start crying. Yes, I know it's loud and obnoxious. Unfortunately, he is only ONE, and she is only TWO, so reasoning with them is not an option. It's what children do. They call it a PUBLIC space for a fucking reason. If you have a gigantic problem with listening to the sounds of other humans, go back home. The worst part is that they will never say anything directly to you. (Which is probably for the best, since that wouldn't accomplish anything except getting their face a free smashing.) It's all mumbled bullshit from ten or twelve paces away.
Get on over to my website, young'un! www.subvertfromwithinrecords.blogspot.com
[QUOTE=jane s.;528611]Every time I think I'm being selfish or an asshole, I think to myself, Well....at least I'm not that guy.[/QUOTE]Everytime I push my way to the front of a two-hour line I think, "Well, at least I'm not those guys."
[QUOTE=corellion;984847]Everytime I push my way to the front of a two-hour line I think, "Well, at least I'm not those guys."[/QUOTE]
You guys can do better than good by comparison. Of course, we've all thought it.
Good coffee is like drinking Rock and Roll.
[QUOTE=corellion;984847]Everytime I push my way to the front of a two-hour line I think, "Well, at least I'm not those guys."[/QUOTE]
You really do this? Awesome. Tell me more.
“The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite insane.” -- Nikola Tesla
[QUOTE=DecoyRobot;529731]Kids who act like complete assholes/bitches on their birthdays. They demand that everyone bow down to them and do WHATEVER they want. Then, something stupid sets them off and they’re in tears, screaming that everyone hates them and wants to ruin their party and how no one cares about them blah blah blah. In a fit of rage they destroy the presents and stomp up to their room. Then, the parents just smile at you like morons and politely ask you all to leave because their child is ‘ill’. Meanwhile, the kid is still screaming and throwing things around in their room.
[/QUOTE]
and people that don't grow out of this, have countdowns to their birthday throughout the entire birthday, and use their friends birthdays as very loud landmark reminders of when their own birthday will be.
[QUOTE=rachel withers;993114]and use their friends birthdays as very loud landmark reminders of when their own birthday will be.[/QUOTE]
Hmm, who have we had this experience with? 
People who, in an overcrowded gas station (before big hurricanes is an ideal time to find one), pump their gas, and then go inside to pay without moving their car first so that the next peson in line can start pumping. I've called people out on this more times than you can imagine. They are always speechless. One asshole left his car running and went inside. I moved it for him. He came back out and his car was in a different spot. He didn't say a word.
[QUOTE=bigshrimpn;993227]People who, in an overcrowded gas station (before big hurricanes is an ideal time to find one), pump their gas, and then go inside to pay without moving their car first so that the next peson in line can start pumping. I've called people out on this more times than you can imagine. They are always speechless. One asshole left his car running and went inside. I moved it for him. He came back out and his car was in a different spot. He didn't say a word.[/QUOTE]
I thought that it was against "gas station policy" to move your car before you paid for the gas. A buddy of mine almost got arrested because the lady called the cops when she saw him get into his truck to move it from the pump. I agree it's annoying to have to wait, though...
Get on over to my website, young'un! www.subvertfromwithinrecords.blogspot.com
people who you hold the door for and they don't even look at you or bother to say thank you, because they think its your duty
people who double park on skinny one way streets
people who take up the entire sidewalk and make no effort to share it
people in cars who cut you off purposely because you're riding a bicycle
people in cars who cut you off when your trying to cross the street
people who think everyone needs to spend 50% of their income on a car, and if you don't, then they think you are trash
[QUOTE=Caligula7;993348]I thought that it was against "gas station policy" to move your car before you paid for the gas. A buddy of mine almost got arrested because the lady called the cops when she saw him get into his truck to move it from the pump. I agree it's annoying to have to wait, though...[/QUOTE]
We have to pay before we pump gas in California. So how does it work if you go to pay after moving your car and someone else starts to pump gas. Could you get charged for their gas?
[QUOTE=Caligula7;993348]I agree it's annoying to have to wait, though...[/QUOTE]Shit, yeah. Those ninety seconds are pure fucking torture.
Whenever I think about selfish people and that sort of thing, I remember one incident from my young life.
Flashback music:
When I was 14 I was flying to NY to stay with my aunt for the summer (this would have been a year before 9/11, so airport security was much more lax then) and my flight to JFK was cancelled because of heavy rain in Manhattan. So there I was, stuck in O'Hare, by myself, with almost no cash and no one to look out for me. Some of the airport passengers in the same bind befriended me, and saved my place in line while I called my aunt on the pay phone, etc. Just as I was getting up to the ticket counter to figure out what the hell I was supposed to do, a 50something man with silver hair, a tropical patterned shirt, and lots of gold chains pushed in front of me and said loudly to the counter-people "That line is AT LEAST two hours long and I'm NOT going to stand in it!"
"Sir," said one of the women behind the counter, "Other people have been standing in that line for upwards of two hours."
The guy continued to complain that he didn't care, that he wasn't going to stand in it, etc etc. Eventually they helped him just to make him shut up, and then it was my turn. Everything went smoothly after that.
Every time I think I'm being selfish or an asshole, I think to myself, Well....at least I'm not that guy.
There is hope, but not for us.