Thursday, May 28, 2009

What, you? Stupid?


Do you ever work with smart people who say stupid things? Or talk to you like you're a complete idiot? OK, that was an idiotic question, wasn't it?

I've had so many of them in the past week that I just want to dump a milkshake on the head of the next person who makes an asinine comment. Sorry, sarcasm is my second language.

Like our national organization, which supplies our event with t-shirts, ordered many fewer shirts for our event this year. And we had 500 more people there than last year, so - surprise! - we ran out of shirts. I sent the request for extras. One of the people on the list runs an entire chapter of our organization, so she's down for 25 shirts.

I get a call from our national director. A CALL FROM OUR NATIONAL DIRECTOR ABOUT FUCKING T-SHIRTS THAT COST $1.85 APIECE! BECAUSE SURELY THIS IS THE BIGGEST CRISIS FACING MENTAL HEALTH CARE RIGHT NOW! This man runs a multi-million dollar, 80-event-a-year program. Mind you, I have already gotten a lecture about remembering that only people who raise $100 can have the hideous nipple shirts that I have previously written about. I have reminded him that I edited the event manual for our national organization - and I can read - so I know these things.

Him: "So, I see Madam X is getting 25 shirts?"
Me: "Yes, she is the executive director of chapter X and she took all of the requests from that county." (Mind you, he LIVES in that county!)
Him: "Oh. So I guess I should just trust you on these things."
Me: "Yes, you should, at $1.85 per shirt. Madam X is not having a t-shirt party."

Then later on one of our volunteers, who barely came to any event meetings, says her suggestion for next year is that we get both major metro papers to sponsor our event AND give it great press coverage.

No problem! There are NO OTHER EVENTS in our metro area of 1.5 million, and they aren't practically going out of business, and they actually cover every single walk and run, but I just forgot to ask! They have nothing else to write about! Nothing!

Oh yes - and had you bothered to come to any meetings, you would have known that we sent our event information far and wide anyhow, just in case! And one of our other volunteers knows the publisher personally and STILL couldn't get a sponsorship because things are so tight for that family of billionaires!

In fact, let's take this one step further - here's an idea - why don't we just simply ACHIEVE our big unrealistic fundraising goal?! No one thought of that!

Sorry, I couldn't figure out anything else to write about, so there's my rant.

15 comments:

listen for azure said...

I can't even imagine. Oh, wait. I can! Sorry they are so oblivious. Some people just don't get it!

Susan English Mason said...

I want to laugh but this type of stupidity is all too common. I had someone at my new work place who is 23; 29 years my junior, tell me to make sure I checked that I was putting letters in the right envelope before mailing them. Really? Like I'm going to sign my name to letters and NOT make sure they are put in the right envelopes. I'm like - what do you think I am a moron? Just because I have a few wrinkles???? God help us all. So the next time he was meeting a client I asked him if he was going to straighten his tie before his meeting. Ha-ha. As if he'd just walk in there with his top button unbuttoned and his tie half way down to his belly button. Mewah!

LL Cool Joe said...

"Do you ever work with smart people who say stupid things?"

I LIVE with smart people who say stupid things. Is that worse?

I prefer to work with stupid people that say smart things.

Anonymous said...

It could be worse. Imagine working for a usually smart person who always says stupid things, but that the smart person is also your father.
Such is the joy of entering the family business.

Aliceson said...

So irritating! My husband used to work for a company that installed new lighting in factories. They would always short him on supplies then have a fit when asked for more. They couldn't get counting right but they were running an entire business... Sounds similar to the yahoos you work with.

Darth Weasel said...

that is just awesome. Kind of reminds me of a current favorite saying.

"if there are no dumb questions, in can be intuited that was a smart question for you. So the question might not be dumb...will get back to you on what I think of you shortly."

Vincent Santa Cruz said...

I used to work with a twat like that. Every time he's ask something pointless I'd just agree, then circulate an email to everyone pointing out what he'd said. I'd write it in such a way that he, and everyone else, knew I was taking the piss out of him, but I did with a touch that made him unsure whether I was a bit slow or not.

When he finally met me, he knew. I didn't last much longer after that. Mind you, I left with his database and the boardroom table, which still sits in my dining room!

themom said...

Oh yes, I have dealt with some relatives of those morons I'm sure. I'm sorry, I don't really think we can escape them - they are everywhere. But you handled it all so well.

skyewriter said...

I am not sure what is worse; working with stupid people or working with asinine academic people who think they are smart.

Ugh, as they say "can't fix stupid."

Fireblossom said...

I know why you ran short of tee shirts. They got diverted. Mhm. I was in the local Lover's Lane store, um, just to ask directions, and there they were, all those NAMI shirts. The Decency League was confiscating them. I swear!

Scarlet said...

That National Director's an asshole!

JoeinVegas said...

And, just what do those people say about you when you aren't around?

I hope I never find out what my idiot coworkers say.

Riot Kitty said...

To clarify, they're not coworkers - thank god! - my coworkers are great. There are only two of them, so that's pretty much the way it has to be :)

Grandpa Eddie said...

Sometimes there isn't anything harder to deal with than stupid people who can not understand what you are saying, or see past the end of their own fucking nose.

I'm sorry to hear that you work with executives who are such idiots.

Phil said...

LOL, I feel your frustration. My company recently told med that they will have Spanish language flyers for our website, which is only in ENGLISH!