Anyone else notice this?

[CancelMyService]

I've seen it happen a lot over at CS, the longer a thread goes on about someone with a patently obvious problem (the thread about people with righteous BO comes to mind) sooner or later someone will chime in and suggest the person in question has some form of rare disorder that makes the issue not their fault.

I know these things exist, but really, 9 times out of 10 the person's not suffering from some disorder .00000000000000000000000001% of the population has. It's like some people live to try to make people feel guilty.

[Boozy]

I haven't noticed that, but now that you mention it...

There are a lot of CS members who are too kind and charitable for their own good. Sure, someone might be suffering from some uber-rare weird-ass BO disease, but more than likely they just need to shower.

[Sylvia727]

I think it matters when and only when the interaction is bumped up to the next level. So if someone comes in and buys a sandwich from me with righteous BO, it doesn't matter that he has some random disorder, because I still have to smell it during a causal transaction. But if I start coughing and sneezing from the amazing reek, then it would matter, because presumably at that point I'm within the range of politeness to mention his odor.

The other subject that gets my goat is poop. Yeah, we've heard that playing with your poop is a symptom of mental illness, but we still have to scrub it off the wall, and frankly if someone is so disturbed that he smears his own feces on the wall than someone should be taking better care of him, because he obviously can't do it himself.

[Boozy]

...frankly if someone is so disturbed that he smears his own feces on the wall than someone should be taking better care of him, because he obviously can't do it himself.

I was one of the members who pointed out that finger painting with feces is a pretty sure sign of mental illness. And for the record, I did not say this in order to downplay how horrible it must be for an employee to clean those bathrooms. Believe me when I say I know what its like. I have been that employee.

And I agree that "someone" should be taking care of that person. What's sad is that not everyone has a someone. The fact that a mentally ill person is out on his or her own is a tragedy. But I get angry at the society that allows it, not the person.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Yeah, but it doesn't stop the fact that most of these people are just arseholes who revel in making a mess everywhere. Most yucky toilets are traced back to SCs who are just plain disgusting pigs; not mentally ill people.

[Boozy]

Most yucky toilets are traced back to SCs who are just plain disgusting pigs; not mentally ill people.

I agree. I am referring only to incidents of "finger-painting".

[Lace Neil Singer]

Could be small kids; some kids are fascinated with poo, wee and puke. X_x In which case, it's their parents who deserve the wrath for not keeping an eye on their kids.

[AFPheonix]

It just really puts the counter person in a bad position no matter which way they choose to handle it.
If you mention the stink or the fact their zipper is down, they take offense. You don't say anything, they walk around making everyone else smell their funk or see their junk.

Just a lose-lose situation. Thank god for a can of air freshener behind the counter.....

[Sylvia727]

The fact that a mentally ill person is out on his or her own is a tragedy. But I get angry at the society that allows it, not the person.

I realize that my previous post could have been read as anger against an innocent party. That is not how I meant it. I get angry at the society too. And part of that mentality is "let him do whatever, it's just a symptom, and someone else will take responsibility." Or worst to worst, "if he's uncontrollable, just throw him out on the streets". Someone should take responsibility for him. If he has no family, then healthcare should step up to the plate. And whoever it was that tossed him out, that's who I'm angry with.

Assuming of course that Picasso wasn't high or feeling assholish just then.

[CancelMyService]

The BO thread was the one that prompted my original post, but it seems like every time someone makes a thread about a person they encountered having a stunning lack of social/behavioral/hygene skills, there's always someone to list all the extremely rare illnesses that person might have.

It happens a lot with the threads involving out of control kids too. There's always folks who sound like the parents of a precious darling when it's usually appearent that the kid in question probably just needed a swat on the ass.

[ArenaBoy]

I've noticed that those who chime in with that are usually the ones who are walked over easily. Just giving everyone the benefit of the doubt even if it's on a security camera and the SC just says he was bored and doesn't plead insanity. Like someone said people are too charitable for their own good. A case of grow a spine is needed.

What people do need to take into consideration is that we or the clerk don't usually see the perpetrator. Meaning we don't know if he was mentally ill, a kid, or just some person who has a strange fascination with bodily fluids. But either way it's still disgusting. That's the part I don't get. Excusing people for doing something disgusting, uh NO!

[Seshat]

I think in my case it's a symptom (ha!) of a serious concern:

* if my blind friend is staggering around looking drunk, she's probably in the middle of a petit mal epileptic fit. If the ordinary bystander just presumes she's drunk, she may not get help. If the fit continues for too long, or repeats too often, she should be hospitalised.

* if my husband reeks and is flat on the ground shaking, most people will assume he's drunk. Actually, that's the symptom of his heart disorder, and he'll be in the middle of a syncope: his heart's primary pacemaker will have stopped. (I've had him come from the shower, totally clean and smelling of soap, and go into an episode. The stink just happens somehow - I don't know how.)

In neither case do I expect the ordinary bystander, nor even the ordinary paramedic, to be able to accurately diagnose the problem. Especially in my husband's case. But I am concerned that people will simply glance, write them off as drunk, and walk on by. What I'd hope is that instead, someone would look at them, realise something might be wrong, and seek out a first aider, paramedic, or call emergency.

I think I occasionally jump in on threads and say 'maybe they're X', because in the back of my head is the constant worry that people only ever look at the surface, and never consider that maybe the staggering or collapsed person actually needs help.

I know that a person who happens to reek while they're going shopping, or happens to be morbidly obese, doesn't need immediate medical attention. :o I know that jumping in like that achieves nothing. I'd just never considered WHY I might jump in sometimes until I saw this thread.

Heck, I might even be wrong. But I was thinking over this thread, and then thought - hey, maybe that's why I do it. Innnteresssting.

[AFPheonix]

It's one thing if they're acting a little off, and those I see occasionally coming through the pharmacy. I had one poor kid today who was going into anaphylaxis. Holy shit, I've never filled a refill as fast as I got that epipen done today. Hope he's doing ok tonight.

It's another thing if it's a regular customer who's so large that they drive those little scooter things, have no teeth, and leave a cloud of funk behind as they motor off.
Bleagh.

[powerboy]

I have noticed it also. Yeah it could be a symptom, or they just need a shower or what have you.


It's one thing if they're acting a little off, and those I see occasionally coming through the pharmacy. I had one poor kid today who was going into anaphylaxis. Holy shit, I've never filled a refill as fast as I got that epipen done today. Hope he's doing ok tonight.

It's another thing if it's a regular customer who's so large that they drive those little scooter things, have no teeth, and leave a cloud of funk behind as they motor off.
Bleagh.

[Seshat]

It's one thing if they're acting a little off, and those I see occasionally coming through the pharmacy. I had one poor kid today who was going into anaphylaxis. Holy shit, I've never filled a refill as fast as I got that epipen done today. Hope he's doing ok tonight.

Know that you did the best you could. I hope the kid's okay, too. I'm sure his family is grateful for your rapid refill.


It's another thing if it's a regular customer who's so large that they drive those little scooter things, have no teeth, and leave a cloud of funk behind as they motor off.

Hey, I use one of those scooter things!

(But I don't fit the rest of your criteria.)

[AFPheonix]

I hope you also don't sit there at the pharmacy counter, block the whole works, bitch to everyone around about how long it's taking, have gone to prison for awhile for phoning in fake scripts, etc etc etc.

She's a piece of work.

I'll also add one of our favorite customers ever has a scooter thing coated in fun stickers. He's a kick in the ass anytime he comes in, even if I know he's not feeling so hot that day.

[Seshat]

Heh. No. I move my scooter to the back of the waiting-near-the-counter area after I've ordered, and usually just slump there a while until my scripts are ready. I'm afraid I'm not laugh-a-minute - maybe I'll get like that as I get better. (I hope I will!)

Sounds like you have a cool customer, though.

[AFPheonix]

The vast majority of them really are. There's just a couple of shitters who need to go away. Just like everywhere else :)

[horror]

I remember reading in one post someone justifying a SC's behaviour who refused to approach the employee, and instead insisted on shouting at them from a distance, by saying he likely had a personality disorder.
It couldn't be that these people are disgusting, rude, arrogant twats. Nay, it's a disorder and we should be sensitive to that.
CancelMyService is right: 9/10 times the issue has nothing to do with a disorder of any sort, and the mention of the possibility of this disorder only leaves us feeling guilty.

[Seshat]

I can't speak for anyone else, but now that I know why I've been doing it, I'll do it less often and (hopefully) only in situations where it's called for.

[theredbaron47]

It's always something to keep in mind, but we then have to keep in mind too that for as rare as some of these conditions are, 98 times out of 100, it isn't a condition.

Or, as some could argue, there is a disease state present:

"Needing a shower-itis"
"Change your underwear-itis"
"I'm an asshole-osis"

My vote is for the latter, although working in a pharmacy, I always run through the possibilities in my head before deciding to label someone one thing or another.

[Ree]

I don't know if it's so much that people offering up that side of the issue are walking doormats.

I think there are just some people who were raised with a strong belief in the Golden Rule, as well as the credo, "Walk a mile in someone else's shoes".

Many have been conditioned to give the benefit of the doubt or attempt to see the good in others first.

Some have just seen too much horror and sadness and inhumanity to others.
Some have been on the receiving end of it.

I agree that 9 times out of 10, there is a fault that lies with the person who is standing there, reeking, or high on drugs, or buzzed on alcohol, and it has nothing to do with unfortunate circumstances of their life or mental illness.

There is that 1 time out of 10, however, when it is the result of things in the past that are out of the person's control. Since none of us can really know which is which, some choose not to cast that stone without really having all the facts.