Have you ever noticed when someone follows a suggestion with the phrase “problem solved”, the suggestion is usually condescending as fuck?
I don’t know if it’s condescending, but it’s such a bizarre story, I have to share.
I worked at a Verizon Wireless retail store, and the mentality there was SELL SELL SELL, but that wasn’t really my style. I did alright by getting people what they wanted, and didn’t push the other bullshit we had.
So, one day the store manager brings me in to his office to discuss why I’m not selling as much as I could be. He went into a rant that eventually led him to say “You’re just, like, annoying, and people don’t respond well to that.” I was blown away by that so I asked how he recommend I be less annoying.
“I don’t know, maybe like some hair gel or something.”
That’s funny. He thought you were annoying cause your hair was messy?
I honestly still don’t understand what he meant, but it didn’t take long for one of my coworkers to leave a bottle of hair gel in my locker as a joke, and/or mention “You better check your hair, you’re getting a little annoying.”
I was told I’m too direct. And that kids would ‘level me out’
Adding “problem solved” is a 10x condescension multiplier, so that tracks.
It implies that the problem was so trivial that they could solve it in an instant, and also assumes that they have the context to accurately assess whether the proposal is a good solution, when they almost certainly have received an abridged version from you.
deleted by creator