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@ SubconsciousErosion_0x0
2025-04-24 23:54:42
We all know it's true, but we seldom fully realize how much people love to prove others are stupid. Especially lately, it feels like most people absolutely relish the idea of being slightly more intelligent than their peers/neighbors/friends.
I have a whole list of examples of people annoyingly basking in my wrongness or trying to prove I'm not intelligent because it hurts their ego... Constantly dumbing myself down because I don't want to deal with the hassle of other people on their bullshit. But ehh... Today though.... Oh man.
I go to the store, I see a middle aged man stocking shelves, I think to myself, I hope he's not coming this way. It's always awkward when you have to fight the employees to get something off of a shelf.
He starts talking, I wasn't 100% sure he was even talking to me at first. I didn't catch the first couple of words, but I heard "is leaking"... So I look at the floor. Admittedly, my hair and my boobs are obscuring my vision. The man is laughing. I say "is it?" And double check. The man erupts with much louder laughter and says "she's checking the floor again"
I immediately think, why are you talking as if we're not the only ones in this isle. I suppose life is like a movie for you. There's some detachment here. I simply say: "I wasn't sure, I mean, it's happened before." He continues to laugh and say: "but I was smiling and laughing " to which I replied "that doesn't mean you're lying." I think: You're laughing at me either way. If not my misfortune, then my alleged gullibility because someone tried to warn me of something and I checked. The behavior is not uncommon, and I assumed regardless of if he was lying or telling the truth, he'd be laughing at me either way. Laughing at misfortune doesn't equate to lying.
But..
I didn't actually go further into explanation... I just laughed with him and told him to have a nice day. He did not return the sentiment.
i then realized how much he hates his job and his life. It's probably really hard for him and he NEEDS to feel superior in some way. Anyway he can. Making other people feel dumb is a common outlet for feeling inadequate in your career, or your life, or your relationships.
Soon enough people like him will be absolutely obsolete. At least he's bilingual, more than half of store workers usually only know how to speak Spanish. (Seemingly irrelevant details but not)
I'm sure he'll go home and have a story to tell his family, or his cat, and it will be an almost entertaining moment to keep the silence at bay. To feel like he's connecting.