You Can't Be Nice To Everyone...

I try to be polite and courteous to everyone I meet. I am very welcoming and try to entertain those that I meet. I used to take it hard when people didn't like me or had something negative to say about me because I pride myself on being the guy that everyone likes. That is... until i found out that you can't please everyone.

There's always going to be someone who hates you for something, be it something you've done purposely or something you have no control over. People may be racist, may not like your voice or smell, or they just may think you're a chump and want to mess with you.

Let's investigate some of these people that no matter what you do, it's damn near impossible to be nice to.

Racists. This is a group of people that hate other people just because of how they were born. Ironically, racism isn't prejudice, anybody can be racist. Most of the time it has to do with their upbringing and life experiences, but everyone you encounter isn't from your past and it's ignorant to assume that every person is the same because of their color. I look at it like this, different brands of crayons are different, just because Brand A's Brown crayon broke everytime you colored with it doesn't mean Brand B's Brown crayon will break. I know the noble thing to do is try to educate these people on how different things are, but honestly, you can't save everyone.

Bullies. I'm not saying a dedicated authority figure can't work with a bully, but if you're being targeted by a bully, it's damn near impossible to be nice to them. Bullies prey on those that they think are weak or who have something that they want. It's an inferiority complex, they don't want to be seen as lacking in any aspect so they have to use their physicality to compensate for their shortcomings.

Drama Queens. Sure, most of the time they're moderately mellow, but who can predict when these time bombs will explode all over the place in a nuclear meltdown of emotions and tears and blaming you for "ruining her life". It's best to try to avoid this occurrence at any cost. You never know when the politest gesture may be misconstrued as the death blow to her reputation.

Your Boss. In a personal setting, I'm not saying it'd be impossible to be friendly to your boss. It's a known fact that 85% of all bosses are jerks. Regardless of the industry, it's known across all borders. We all know the promise we make to ourselves that if we ever become the boss that we'll never be like our boss was to us, but then you start looking at things differently when you're being held responsible for everything in your business. So, you have to become a jerk, therein making you damn near impossible to be nice to.

Police Officers. I'm not saying don't be respectful to them because that's how people get beat or shot. Show them all the respect in the world, but don't think that they're the type to be nice to. It's a simple fact that police are shifty and not saying ALL cops are criminal, but due to the overpowering corruption in the law enforcement field, it's hard to tell who's on your side. So you never know who you're getting, the cool cop who's trying to eliminate corruption or the cool cop who's corrupt, but is only cool as to avoid detection from his superiors. Don't get me wrong, it's not all the cops' fault that people don't trust the police. With all these criminals, putting their lives on the line, and the social isolation that comes with being a policeman/woman, it's arguably understandable that you'd be a prick, but come on... they're not making friends with the whole traffic stop encounter. That's where the majority of people have interactions with the police. I think a more united effort to help the communities without all the racial profiling, itchy trigger finger, drug running, money hungry tendencies would make for a better cop-consumer relationship.

Just my thoughts...let me know how you feel.