Something about living here has successfully enabled my "bitch mode" to be engaged, and I didn't even know my system offered that option!!!
I was always the nice pushover who let bad customer service slide because either (a) I couldn't be bothered, or (b) I felt sorry for the schlep with the bad customer service. Not anymore, children, not anymore. I used to always cringe when I'd hear the expats bolloxing out the local service providers or tradesmen for doing shoddy work/offering shoddy excuses/being general all-around pains to deal with in one way or another. But I've always been a champion of the little guy and the biggest bleeding-heart, culturally-sensitive, benefit-of-the-doubter... also, I think all my previous years in the service industry being abused by ASSHOLES gives me empathy towards people who have to be subservient in their careers just to bring home the bacon.
NOW I'VE JUST HAD ENOUGH. I'm starting to *insist* on reporting rude secretaries to their employers, I just made the Mr. send a nasty email to our Insurance/Pension company in response to one of their "salesmen" who doesn't even know the FIRST THING about pensions and is in NO WAY qualified to advise us on jack shit... the Mr. called to ask for advice on pensions, and ended up having to tell this guy how a pension scheme works!!!! Not to mention the secretary of the same company speaks so softly into the phone (a typical Botswana-thing) that you can't hear a word she says even after 3 times repeating it WHY WOULD A WOMAN LIKE THAT GET HIRED AS A SECRETARY FOR A GIANT MULTINATIONAL BROKERAGE!?!?!?
And over at a different company, I just had some OTHER secretary with a TOTAL attitude get all huffy & sarcastic with me on the phone :-O and let me tell you as soon as I get a hold of her boss... boy howdy!!!
And don't get me started on the misogyny.... now this is something that is turning around big time in BW at the moment- women's empowerment has been Priority No. 1 for like, the last 10 years now in everything from implementing ubiquitous affirmative action (maybe that's how they get all the bitchy useless secretaries????) to advertising campaigns ad nauseum and information overload/propaganda on all levels. Nothing wrong there! But it seems to have back lashed in a bunch of misogynist pig men who resent the concept, and that we have to deal with in business who just won't play ball with me 'cause I'm a chick. Well let's just say they're generally rude and pushy to me, but not to the Mr. I already had to verbally abuse some dickhead architect for giving me unnecessary attitude and just generally being a big fat douchebag, and mark my words I'll do it again. Go ahead, asshole, stamp my forehead with the "stupid white self righteous expat overprivileged bitch" stamp... BRING IT.
I am just SO SICK of people having jobs that they can't do, and then providing absolute SHIT service with no motivation or drive to get it right, and then rolling their eyes at ME when I call them out on it.
For the record, out of all the Southern African countries, BW has the reputation (albeit a stereotype and you know how I typically resent stereotypes) of having the laziest and work-phobic inhabitants, which brings a lot of friction between the locals and the imports. Therein lies the "attitude" factor sometimes. Also the "I'm doing just enough to get by- stop pushing me!" mentality. Zimbabweans, on the other hand, are known as stereotypically being the hardest working, and therefore it's like every gardener and maid and domestic worker that you'll find in peoples' houses, even the locals, are always from Zim. Most of my Motswana friends will even come right out and say "oh god no, I'd never have a Motswana maid!!" Eh, I suppose in fairness they are a desert people- going from a life/culture of herding and self-subsistence to being thrown into the big world of capitalism and globalization isn't all that easy but my generation definitely has no excuse- they all want to be "modern" kids with their ipods and 3G phones SO THEN ACT LIKE IT.
There's about a microscopic molecule of hope on the horizon as BW develops though - the local radio station (see link to right) does one of these "Props for/Caught Napping" segments on the morning drive where they give props to service providers or workers who have been nominated by a member of the public for showing outstanding service or being of special help in the service industry. Conversely, if so-and-so at such-and-such a restaurant was of no help whatsoever or just plain nasty and useless, they name and shame those people as well. I dont know how well it's working so far but we can hope, I guess.
Actually- I did send a steak back to the kitchen in Ireland more than once when the chef was obviously just taking the piss. So in that respect I guess this isn't totally a new wild streak or anything - but as far as giving people a piece of my mind (verbally) because they're not performing, this is the new liberation of yours truly, the bitch. And I'm on the warpath.
I was always the nice pushover who let bad customer service slide because either (a) I couldn't be bothered, or (b) I felt sorry for the schlep with the bad customer service. Not anymore, children, not anymore. I used to always cringe when I'd hear the expats bolloxing out the local service providers or tradesmen for doing shoddy work/offering shoddy excuses/being general all-around pains to deal with in one way or another. But I've always been a champion of the little guy and the biggest bleeding-heart, culturally-sensitive, benefit-of-the-doubter... also, I think all my previous years in the service industry being abused by ASSHOLES gives me empathy towards people who have to be subservient in their careers just to bring home the bacon.
NOW I'VE JUST HAD ENOUGH. I'm starting to *insist* on reporting rude secretaries to their employers, I just made the Mr. send a nasty email to our Insurance/Pension company in response to one of their "salesmen" who doesn't even know the FIRST THING about pensions and is in NO WAY qualified to advise us on jack shit... the Mr. called to ask for advice on pensions, and ended up having to tell this guy how a pension scheme works!!!! Not to mention the secretary of the same company speaks so softly into the phone (a typical Botswana-thing) that you can't hear a word she says even after 3 times repeating it WHY WOULD A WOMAN LIKE THAT GET HIRED AS A SECRETARY FOR A GIANT MULTINATIONAL BROKERAGE!?!?!?
And over at a different company, I just had some OTHER secretary with a TOTAL attitude get all huffy & sarcastic with me on the phone :-O and let me tell you as soon as I get a hold of her boss... boy howdy!!!
And don't get me started on the misogyny.... now this is something that is turning around big time in BW at the moment- women's empowerment has been Priority No. 1 for like, the last 10 years now in everything from implementing ubiquitous affirmative action (maybe that's how they get all the bitchy useless secretaries????) to advertising campaigns ad nauseum and information overload/propaganda on all levels. Nothing wrong there! But it seems to have back lashed in a bunch of misogynist pig men who resent the concept, and that we have to deal with in business who just won't play ball with me 'cause I'm a chick. Well let's just say they're generally rude and pushy to me, but not to the Mr. I already had to verbally abuse some dickhead architect for giving me unnecessary attitude and just generally being a big fat douchebag, and mark my words I'll do it again. Go ahead, asshole, stamp my forehead with the "stupid white self righteous expat overprivileged bitch" stamp... BRING IT.
I am just SO SICK of people having jobs that they can't do, and then providing absolute SHIT service with no motivation or drive to get it right, and then rolling their eyes at ME when I call them out on it.
For the record, out of all the Southern African countries, BW has the reputation (albeit a stereotype and you know how I typically resent stereotypes) of having the laziest and work-phobic inhabitants, which brings a lot of friction between the locals and the imports. Therein lies the "attitude" factor sometimes. Also the "I'm doing just enough to get by- stop pushing me!" mentality. Zimbabweans, on the other hand, are known as stereotypically being the hardest working, and therefore it's like every gardener and maid and domestic worker that you'll find in peoples' houses, even the locals, are always from Zim. Most of my Motswana friends will even come right out and say "oh god no, I'd never have a Motswana maid!!" Eh, I suppose in fairness they are a desert people- going from a life/culture of herding and self-subsistence to being thrown into the big world of capitalism and globalization isn't all that easy but my generation definitely has no excuse- they all want to be "modern" kids with their ipods and 3G phones SO THEN ACT LIKE IT.
There's about a microscopic molecule of hope on the horizon as BW develops though - the local radio station (see link to right) does one of these "Props for/Caught Napping" segments on the morning drive where they give props to service providers or workers who have been nominated by a member of the public for showing outstanding service or being of special help in the service industry. Conversely, if so-and-so at such-and-such a restaurant was of no help whatsoever or just plain nasty and useless, they name and shame those people as well. I dont know how well it's working so far but we can hope, I guess.
Actually- I did send a steak back to the kitchen in Ireland more than once when the chef was obviously just taking the piss. So in that respect I guess this isn't totally a new wild streak or anything - but as far as giving people a piece of my mind (verbally) because they're not performing, this is the new liberation of yours truly, the bitch. And I'm on the warpath.
Well, if people did right all of the time then I'd be out of work, as far as my law enforcement career goes. You have my support, but I'm just a vicious bitchy Nazi cop myself.