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Aug. 20th, 2006 02:02 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
clayhornikI critiqued a homeless person today. I was standing out in front of the mall, smoking a cigarette before my shift, and he approached me.
"I don't mean any disrespect, sir..."
I exhaled and glared at him. "What?"
He stepped back. "I can see from your reaction that I'm bothering you. I was going to ask If I could have a cigarette. I'll leave you alone."
"Thank you," I told him, as he retreated to his spot by the bench. I finished my cigarette, threw the butt away and resumed my looking at shoppers. He was still there by the bench, occasionally glancing at me.
"It's your approach," I told him. "Every time someone asks for something, there's this preface. 'I don't mean this' or 'no disrespect meant' ... forget that stuff. Say 'excuse me' and go to the request. You're going to ask anyway, so why not just do it?" Then I gave him a cigarette.
He stared at me and said thanks.
I started my day as the Bizarro Pat Bateman.
Badly dressed, broke, doing an act of kindness... while still being an asshole.
--
BUT I have gotten several pages written since I got home. Real writing.
I think this one's it.
"I don't mean any disrespect, sir..."
I exhaled and glared at him. "What?"
He stepped back. "I can see from your reaction that I'm bothering you. I was going to ask If I could have a cigarette. I'll leave you alone."
"Thank you," I told him, as he retreated to his spot by the bench. I finished my cigarette, threw the butt away and resumed my looking at shoppers. He was still there by the bench, occasionally glancing at me.
"It's your approach," I told him. "Every time someone asks for something, there's this preface. 'I don't mean this' or 'no disrespect meant' ... forget that stuff. Say 'excuse me' and go to the request. You're going to ask anyway, so why not just do it?" Then I gave him a cigarette.
He stared at me and said thanks.
I started my day as the Bizarro Pat Bateman.
Badly dressed, broke, doing an act of kindness... while still being an asshole.
--
BUT I have gotten several pages written since I got home. Real writing.
I think this one's it.
