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From: Jen
Date: 2/2/01
Time: 8:12:36 AM
Remote Name: 208.37.105.75
***Because I will NOT allow myself to be so miserable that I take it out on everyone around me.***
Look at it from their point of view. They deal with students who are free from parental supervision for the first time, and based on my observations, most of these kids -- and they ARE kids -- are obnoxious. They probably look down on "mere" lunch ladies, and I'm sure that feeling of superiority shows in how they treat these women. You really can't compare working for a high-end clothing store in a mall to shoveling food for (mostly) ungrateful college students.
My grandmother was a lunch lady for a high school, and she was treated like shit. I doubt the 18-year-old high school kids who insulted her suddenly matured when they stepped foot on a college campus.
When I worked for the State of New Jersey, I dealt with every bitch and prick you can imagine. If I called to remind clients that they or their spouse had turned 65 and needed to send in proof of Medicare coverage to continue their State health coverage, it was inevitable that someone would throw a fit over such a small request. I was told that I was stupid, a moron, not fit to breathe the same air as them -- you get the picture. I was a lowly State worker, while s/he was a god-like retired educator. (Nine times out of ten, the rude person was a retired teacher. If I were a psychology major, I'd study this dynamic.)
I like to think that this treatment didn't affect how I treated other clients, but people can only tolerate so much abuse. It's easier to be detached.