Stressed Out: Rude people put a frown on everyone’s faces
I just went to a wedding, and the maid-of-honor gave some good advice to the new groom. “Henry,” she said, “all of you have to do to remember your anniversary date is forget it once.
“When a man and woman get married,” she continued, “he thinks, ‘I hope she never changes.’ She thinks, ‘I can’t wait until I change him.’”
Last, she said, “Don’t go to bed angry. Stay up all night arguing.”
Would you say she’s bitter?
There are four main tastes we detect on the tongue: sweet, sour, salt, and bitter. Bitter-sensing taste buds are in the back of the tongue just before you swallow. Funny how things that are hard to swallow often leave us bitter.
I had some teenage know-it-all write to me about a column a few months back, “Doctor, you misspelled this– I think. Don’t use words you can’t spell.” Ironically, she wasn’t sure how to spell the word herself. She just wanted to vent her anger. A perfume called “Arrogance” should be created with a bitter scent that creates a slight wave of nausea.
That is the problem with most bitter people: they close their minds to alternatives like terrorists close their minds to peaceful solutions and love. It should be no surprise the world has an Osama Bin Laden. Look at Hitler, KKK members, and Russell Crowe– all angry people.
Angry people are everywhere– at the grocery store, bank, and gas station. I wish I were an orthopedic surgeon, so if someone had a bone to pick with me, I could simply put it in a cast or surgically correct it: “Ma’am, I’m going to take your negativity and replace it with a prosthetic joint. That will be $10,000.”
I feel sorry for customer service representatives because they smile when someone is screaming, “You dumb *#@^&%! Give it to me now, or I’m going to call your supervisor!” People who order food point their finger and command, “Bring me that and this” without saying “please,” or even making eye contact.
The medical office faces a lot of bitter people. Like Paris Hilton, some patients want it now, and they want it served on Tiffany’s. Recently, a patient called, “I’m at the pharmacy, and you haven’t signed the fax from this morning.” My assistant attempted to explain: “Sir, the doctors review faxes at the end of the–”
Click. Dial tone.
We had a woman screaming four- and five-letter words (six would be pushing it for her) at the entire staff because she forgot to renew her referral number. It was her fault, but the staff tried to help her. However, she stormed out of the office leaving skid marks on the carpet. Thank God she wasn’t wearing Prada, because I’m sure her shoes had no soles left.
Studies show angry people die of cardiovascular diseases like heart attacks and strokes. The increased blood pressure causes damage on arteries the way an overheated car engine pops a hose. However, it appears that mean people live longer than nice people. Perhaps angry people make everyone else so miserable, an hour seems like a month with them.
Beta blockers can calm an impulsive person down because they don’t allow the heart to pound when someone’s angry. Antidepressants can help a person not pop her cork, though where is the fun without the bubbly to drink? Benzodiazepines like Valium can turn a nasty Judy Garland into a Carnegie Hall singing diva. New age antipsychotics can really deflate a hot air balloon, but angry people are too busy throwing out punches to take their medicine.
I don’t know the solution for angry people. Therapy is out there, but most angry people scoff, “That’s for psychos. I’m fine– Hey, you, get away from my car before I punch your lights out!”
