Why I couldn't ever consider socialism seriously: SRO Jean Amilkar. ...
It's not a hard job. The rules are simple. Stay awake, be polite, be professional. When among failing that he shove some faded state worker badge in my face as his basis for me not to have a right how to tell him to do his job to the standards expected of us, mockingly calling me boss and telling me he hope I get paid Captain's wages for the way I talk, and threatening to tell HIS direct supervisor that I 'always' give him a hard time... all I can do is chuckle.
Chuckle that the first night we met I was my polite, professional, self at work, while the whole night he called me 'sweetheart' and ended up leaving empty food wrappers (including a huge chip bag) in the patrol vehicle. PS: I hate the nickname Sweetheart from anyone under 65.
I chuckle that even Darla, another SRO, fiercely insisted I forcibly remind him to clean the gatehouse as the last time she relieved him it was filthy. I did, he all but saluted, until he realized I logged off the computer. He insisted that I was to log back in so he could use my screen to log vehicles. The hell I would. I told him to log in to the temp screen, the instructions are on the wall. He tried to pitch a fit so I repeated myself and told him if he had problems to call Darla, as she was on patrol and knows how. He's been an SRO for months, how could he not know how to log in.
He smiled and made jokes when I relieved him the next morning, though I'd not been in the mood seeing as I WOKE him up in the gatehouse. I'd also reminded him that morning that we aren't suppose to park our POV's behind the gatehouse as the resident next to the gatehouse complains (word of mouth). Either way it's unsightly. I didn't even mention the unspoken fact that he would have had to abandon the gatehouse to go retrieve his POV from the parking lot.
Today I did mention it, but suddenly its 'always'. I simply asked him what time he left the gatehouse unmanned to go get his vehicle from the parking lot. His confusion written on his face, though his English comprehension seems to be passable in a way his speaking of it isn't, I slowly asked him what time during his shift he had abandoned the gaehouse to go get his vehicle. All the sudden its 'oh I didn't know you were the chief' and 'I hope you get paid good, Chief'. All the sudden, I'm 'always on his case'. He brings up the patrol car being parked 'in the parking spot' but (me?) not saying anything about it to the other guy (insert something mumbled sounding vaguely accusing me of being anti-Haitian... interesting since the guy on patrol, who speaks Creole, and I had a nice chat last night. I didn't seem racist to him.) I outlined that this is an easy job, but he needs to take it seriously because what reflects bad on him reflects bad on the company. Oh he didn't care.
He stormed to his car and brought back some faded clip badge and shoved it two inches from my nose. I think I get points for not raising the argument to a physical altercation at this point, the presumptive prick. He made noise about being 'a state worker' and that he could 'come back here' I spat 'I don't care! In THIS job you follow THESE rules.' Tired of it all, I went back (as I had said it before) to telling 'Just go home Mr Amilkar. Get out of my gatehouse.He stormed to his vehicle, muttering bullshit under his accent, and drove away.
Go on. Go tell your boss that I've aaalways been mean to you. Tell him I'm racist, and think I'm the boss. Go tell him all the bullshit you can think of. I wrote a report when I caught you sleeping. I'll write a report for all of this too. You'll keep your job, because there somehow aren't enough useful, hardworking, intelligent, capable people applying for your job.
More's the pity.
