Have you ever gotten mad at someone who talks to you like you are an idiot?

This morning we went to our local Farmer's Market and I admired a Foxglove in a pot.
I mentioned to the fellow that I was on the lookout for different colored flowers since all of mine are purplish. He says "We have more down at the nursery". I said "hmmm, wonder how I missed them when I was there"? his response, now this is what made me mad "You probably weren't looking in the shade plants". That's all he said but it did not sit well with me I might not have a degree in horticulture or floriculture but I am a member of Garden Stew!
Young whippersnappers

 

Lol yep it happens often,..i was walking the dog along the river met a guy who was Irish but living in the US and home on holiday,..i was swatting Midge,..which are like miniature Mosquito,..he said back in the US we have Mosquito as big as Bees,..really i said,..i was North/West and East and in between many times when in the US,..guess i was lucky,..never spotted one,..he walked off red faced

 

I'm a newbie gardener, so mostly people I talk to know more than me.

It IS annoying however, when I'm spoken down to about computers, cell phone, and just technology in general because I'm old so young folk just assume I don't know what the hell I'm doing! It's almost funny sometimes, like when I need technical support, and a little way into the conversation I realize I know more than that young whippersnapper does!

 

When we lived in town I was working in the vegetable garden which could be seen from the church parking lot.
I tan easily, and darkly. A lady came to the fence and said rather loudly "Do you speak English?" (She seemed to think I was Hispanic, slightly deaf, and hired to do gardening.) Being a little warm and wanting to get the weeding done, I replied,"Yes, I have a degree in English, and I speak Spanish, and read French and Portugese. Do you need some some help with any of those languages?" She turned the most amazing shade of red and mumbled something about wanting to hire garden help. Sometimes a girl just needs to be a little snarky . . . .

 

Philip, I have seen mosquitoes about an 1" long. I was actually quite startled to see one that large. They had banded legs and were HUGE! I have bees that are smaller than these 'squitoes! I prefer a bee sting to a mosquito bite anymore due to the diseases the 'squitoes are passing along.

 

Glad to know I'm not alone!!!

 

Hi Carolyn,..i still didn't come across one ,..i have seen ones like you describe in Africa and Thailand so i imagine with the warmer weather and climate change insects and birds are arriving in many countries from further afield,..a bite from one that big would sure be sore

 

I don't think I so much react to the words as the tone of voice. If I detect a tone that is becoming placating or condescending the speaker usually gets the silent stare as I shift into my own version of a reply (or retort!)

Re: Mosquitoes - I'm fairly lucky here and ours are like the bowls of porridge - not too big and not too small. "Just right" for smacking!

 

It used to really annoy me (and to be honest very little does) when I heard people talking down to children.

 

I guess it is a bad habit that I developed over the years. I am a college educated closet geek. I decided to give up on my engineering training at a early age and made a career doing what I love driving a boat. Lets just say they call us boat trash for a reason and though highly trained in an apprentice environment, let just say people who work on boats are not the most learned people. Over the years I found they gain in respect for ya if ya one of them. It was easier for me to lead as a Captain if I came off as one. Now that I am off the boats I am guilty of talking to friends like deckhands. It's hard for me to remember to engage my verbose vocabulary. Now that we wrote a sci fi book and I am again moving in more technical circles It's almost like speaking 2 different languages.
Sometimes I forget which is which and confuse ole Cajun country boys or get accused of talking down by my more educated friends its actually a tough adjustment for me. Thankfully most folk understand and know me so they get it.
A good communicator can speak on many different levels and on line its tricky cause ya don't know who ya talking to.

 

@cajuncappy - "Definitely"!!

 

Having worked close with Police in England and had great respect for them i found a different species here in Ireland,..gruff in many cases and tended to talk down to one,..so when two arrived at my door one said,.."you are the owner of a Double Barrel,..under and over Shotgun",..i replied,..is that a question or a statement?,..lol he nearly went purple in the face,..which is it i asked?,..you should be more polite and specific when talking to a member of the public,..so begin again please,..oh boy did he shrink in size.

Do you have a Shotgun he asked nicely,..no i replied,..well you are on record as being the owner of a Shotgun and your permit has expired so we need to collect your firearm,..i don't have it now,..i gave it away,..WHAT,..its against the law to give a Firearm away to someone unless you get permission and the other person has a Permit,..i have permission from your own Police Station,..the other person has a Permit and its all recorded in your Police Station,..did you not check that before coming here?,..er well,.. we couldn't find any record,..soooo its lost or mislaid or never recorded,..right,..right,..sorry yes,..sorry to have bothered you Sir,..lol i can be a bad boy when someone jumps to conclusions or talks down to me.

 

last year my sister went to take her diving test to drive school bus. you must have a CDL to do this here in Ohio. She flunked because she didn't park behind the "imaginary" line..... So, isn't that a bit arbitrary? who gets to decide where the imaginary line is?
My son flunked it because he couldn't recite the test word for word to the instructor.... but he can take the truck apart and put it back together again and it runs better than before, but he couldn't pass the test until the 3rd try... (because it is all about the $$$ these private testers make on retests. no one seems to pass on the first try). You can't argue or call them out on it, either if yu want to pass the test.
I think some people who behave this way are control freaks just to make themselves feel more superior than the person they are addressing.