Huh??...oh... I'm coming, I'm coming...(lurching upward and forward to phone)...
RRRRRRIIING...RRRRRIIIING...
Okaaay, Okaaaay, (looking at caller id)...
"NO NAME 888-888-8888"
Oh, for Chrissakes, here we go again...
RRRRRIIIING...RRRRRIIIIING...
Turning my back on the phone, fingers in ears, muttering,
"I don't hear you, la-la-la, don't f.....g hear you!!!
Grrrrr, sound familiar? Well, it looks as though every kook in kookdom has now figured out a way to use our natural curiosity against us yet again. I know, because I have actually picked up these calls in the past and was rewarded with, "Are you so-and-so? This is Company No Name. You're bill is overdue..." Well, no s...t, Sherlock. I know it's overdue, and the check is in the mail...blah-blah-blah...it doesn't matter, they'll be calling again tomorrow.
Or, "It's charity Boo-Hoo, and how would you like to give just 10 bucks to do whatever-we-need..." Tell you what, how about you pay my bill from No-Name ~ then I'll be more than happy to give you money...blah, blah, blah, and I hang up...but it doesn't matter, because they'll be calling back tomorrow, too. I would like to feel sorry for these poor schmucks that dial the numbers, but I pretty much don't care anymore.
Then again, and especially now, there's the.."Hi, I'm Candidate Dick Head...blah, blah, blah, my message, and I could sure use your vote on November 2nd. God Bless America." Mister, call me again, and you'll be hoping to God that I don't scald your ears off with my rather colorful dialogue.
But the worst is the silence when you first say hello, then the tell-tale clicks that tell you a computer just dialed your number and there's a scramble to get a real person on the line to start the bulls..t ...I learned to hang up after the first hello...that is, before I stopped answering the no-name numbers at all. So much for being at all curious or kind in our society today. You can't pick up the phone, access a website, or go out in public without wondering if you are going to be hassled in some way; it doesn't matter how much you explain or act nice, or finally just tell them to leave you the hell alone. Being polite, having manners, common courtesy, none of it matters. It's either ignore the ring, push the delete button or stay at home. Practice the law of disengagement.
Or not. Engage at full speed, or even just at half-speed. Jump in with both feet, then die early from stress-related dis-ease. Whoopee.
And no-call lists are a joke; if they work at all, they usually keep the companies you want to call from calling you, and every example listed above continues to be able to call because of some legal loophole.
I wonder how parents teach their kids now; Now Johnny (or Jill) go out, my child, explore the world, seek out information, learn all you can...but don't go there/do that or explore too much because some monsters are real, and people just don't give a s..t. I remember watching that realization dawn in my own children's faces and it broke my heart.
No, it's just not worth it to even pick up the phone anymore ~ if I want to talk to you, I'll tell you to do us both a favor and just call my cell. I'm really picky about who I give that number out to; it only goes to those that are my true friend and family ~ my own little corner of the world where kindness, consideration and courtesy still are alive and well.That's all for now,
Susan
