Last week, I took a trip to Universal Studios Hollywood with my dad and my brother, Trevor. Expecting to have a fun, stress free day at our favorite theme park, we were rather shocked by how rude the people there were. We were constantly being shoved and yelled at, and I caught more than one person staring at me after I had already walked past. The icing on the cake, however, was at lunch, when a man stood behind Trevor's chair for fifteen minutes watching us finish our meal, simply because he wanted our table.
Needless to say, we haven't been able to stop talking about our lunch experience that day. Trevor, who's working on establishing himself on YouTube, has been talking about doing a "rant" video discussing just what about people's behavior annoys him. I've decided that this is a rather good idea, so this will be a post discussing the three things people do that I just can't stand. Of course, it will be a little less rant and a little more discussion.
1) Staring
I know I'm good looking and all that, but is it really necessary to stare at me? In all seriousness, I think this is one of the rudest things that people do. The freshmen at school do it all the time, and it makes everyone feel really uncomfortable. Even if you think that you're flattering someone with your attention, trust me, that's not what it'll feel like.
My solution? Just don't do it! Try glancing instead; you'll see just as much without making the object of your attentions feel like their being stalked. Actually, I would encourage glancing in a situation in which you're trying to catch someone's attention. The idea that someone is interested and yet trying to be sneaky about it is actually very mysterious and intriguing.
2) Making You Wait for Them
Okay, I know that I am not always so good about this one, but that doesn't mean I can't be bothered by it. This is probably the rudest thing in the entire world. As my mom has told me, it is a total control thing, especially when you start getting ready to go somewhere ten minutes before you're supposed to leave.
So what can we do to avoid making this social faux pas? Simple: if you set a time to meet someone, do everything in your power to make that time. Don't squeeze in meetings or appointments if you don't think you'll be able to make it in time. If you know you take a long time to get ready, give yourself a timeline and do your best to stick to it. Better yet, set fake times for yourself so that you have a buffer in case you run over. Trust me, it may just work.
3) Using Other's Things and Treating Them Poorly
Have you ever lent someone a shirt or a bag, only to have them return it to you damaged in some way or another? I have, and it frustrates me to know end. A shirt gets stretched out and never fits the same way again, or a bag gets weird stains on it that seem to never get entirely out. In college, people borrow clothing items to wear to parties and return them with additions of alcohol stains and bodily functions.
There are a couple of ways we can deal with this. If you are the borrower, it's really quite simple. If you use other people's things, treat them the way you would treat your own possessions. If you're the lender, maybe you should rethinking your lending policy. Try talking to your friend about how they are treating your things, and if that doesn't work, that may be a sign that it's better not to lend them anything at all. Keep in mind that you're lending policy should be the same for all of your friends. If you're not letting one friend borrow things, stay consistent and don't let anyone else borrow things, either.
I hope this can help in some uncomfortable and awkward situations. The best advice I can give, however, is to simply treat others the way you want to be treated!
