I fear for the English language

[Fidgets]

Question: do people even flaming know what an assumption is any more?  I had ordered a new PS3 controller from Amazon.  Sadly, it wouldn't hold a charge of longer than 30-45 minutes, so I went to the local UPS facility yesterday to return it.  This is my conversation with the UPS Guy (UG):

UG: Amazon return, huh?  (hefts box). Well, it's too light to be a book, so I guess you ordered the wrong kitchen gadget.  (big smile) (strike one--nice.  I'm female so it must be a kitchen gadget and, being female, I'm not bright enough to order the right item)

Me: (idiot that I am for not using the phrase here).  Nope, it's a defective PS3 controller.

UG: Ah!  Good thing your man (ugh!) has you to run errands for him.  I imagine he's pretty cranky not being able to play.  You're probably happy about that, though, right? (strike two--only men play video games and all females resent them bitterly for it)

Me: (left eyebrow shoots up) Now, that's an interesting assumption. (better late than never)

UG: Yeah, you chicks (!!!!) are just too hard on us guys for wanting to play.  (Eyebrow goes higher). It's like you guys getting into your chick flicks or on the phone--you just don't notice how much time goes by.  (Eyebrow is now attempting to reach escape velocity) (strike three--chick flicks?  On the phone?  Stereotype much? Please.)

Me: Moving right along; I need to run some errands.

UG: (as he completes the transaction) Yeah, my girlfriend is on the phone all the time.  What's with women and phones, anyway?  (my eyebrow may never reach baseline normal again.  On the plus side, I'm only a word, maybe two, away from getting a Sexist Bingo, so it's all good.) I really wish she was more into games.  Well, she loves Farmville, but all you chicks (!!!) do.  Here's your receipt.

Me: (not able to refrain myself) Thanks.  By the by, the controller was for me.  I'm at level 45 in Skyrim with a DiD Nord warrior and yeah, I am a little cranky about not getting to play.  I've also never played Farmville in my life.  You have a good day now. (leaves, massaging painful eyebrow while fool stands there)

My only conclusion is that people have no clue as to what the word "assumption" means.  I may need to type the phrase out with definitions for each word and print up business cards with it.  And, as an aside, who on earth uses the word "chicks"?

[TheVapors]

...*sigh*... I feel your pain, sister-in-arms (arms being every virtual weapon we've ever had a character wield).

One of the reasons why I love love love the phrase "what an interesting assumption" is -because- it often flies right over the offender's head. It's not that they don't know what the word assumption means, it's because they don't hear the word assumption. They hear the word interesting.

I love it when they continue with their nonsense. Usually, because they just keep digging that hole.

As an aside, guys like that still exist in the world? They must have decided what a woman was really like in their head when they were 12 years old, and never took a look around them once.

Edited for spellin'.

[O'Dell]

UPS guy? Was he good looking and did his uniform fit nice? .... Ooops was that another stereotype?

I dunno...sexist comments like that get mock outrage and corrections from me. His defective controller comment would have gotten your final parting comment...or equivalent from me. I try to make my point in such a way that we can both laugh about it. Not that it's required, but if you tackle it head on you don't have to listen to more offensive comments. And if you can end it on a more humorous note, then the next encounter doesn't risk being uncomfortable.

For me it's power tools. I use them most often around the house and many were gifts to me. A friend asking to borrow "my husband's" tools was corrected right then and there that they are *my* tools.

[wheeitsme]

And, as an aside, who on earth uses the word "chicks"?

<raises hand>

LOL.  I have to admit saying something like this as we were trying to get out of the stadium after a game:

"Hey dude - did you see that chick? She totally walked directly in front of you and then came to a complete stop.  Srsly?  Who does that?"

[Morticia]

Is it rude to throw up on somebody? Because I am sure that would have activated my gag reflex.

[Piratelvr1121]

No kidding. This guy sounds like a caricature.  Not saying you're making it up, OP, cause I sadly can believe that guys like this exist. 

[QueenfaninCA]

UG: Yeah, you chicks (!!!!)

After this I would have asked to talk to the manager on duty.

[BeagleMommy]

Ugh, guys like this make my blood boil!  While I am a girly girl I love superhero movies (well, I love a lot of movies).  DH's friend couldn't believe that I went willingly to see "The Avengers" and had never seen any of the "Twilight" films because "all women love those movies".  Yeah, right.  Apparently he's never heard the word variety.

[Chip2]

I never make assumptions about who does and doesn't like games or other media.

I ran into a salesgirl once who said she loved my t-shirt. (It's got an image of the "Hello, my name is..." name tag on it followed by "Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die.") We ended up talking for nearly twenty minutes about "The Princess Bride," Billy Crystal, "Howl's Moving Castle," anime in general, and computer games. She gave me some recommendations on anime and I gave her some on older games. We would have kept talking except MsChip was getting a little miffed.

And MsChip? She's as big a gamer as me. She even took the day Mass Effect 3 was released off from work so she could play it with being bothered.

[Giggity]

Why are you assuming he doesn't know what it means? It's equally likely he does know, and doesn't care.

[jedikaiti]

UG: Yeah, you chicks (!!!!)

After this I would have asked to talk to the manager on duty.

I wouldn't have made it that long.

[Fidgets]

Why are you assuming he doesn't know what it means? It's equally likely he does know, and doesn't care.

He could be one of those for whom the rest of humanity are but non-speaking bit-players in the technicolor extravaganza of their fascinating lives, but that would require an interesting assumption on my part.   

TheVapors, I would gladly stand at your side, battleaxe at the ready, and joyfully slay any number of nasty critters with you.

O'Dell, I, alas, cannot tell you--he was wearing long, brown pants.  His attitude, however, was not attractive.

For everyone else, I've thought about calling and asking to speak to a manager, but still don't know if I will--they weren't very receptive about an earlier complaint involving a driver leaving my box of $$$ worth of books at the end of our veeeeeery long driveway, in the rain.  I don't think I'll get very far with a rudeness complaint.  They're the only UPS facility within 50+ miles, so they don't feel they have to care.     Surprisingly, I've run into attitudes like that fairly often in places like GameStop--unless there's a female clerk that works there.  They seem to straighten the guys' attitudes out right away.  Oddly, I've gotten the same sort of thing from a female Radio Shack employee, but all the guys I've dealt with there, not.  And I'll agree that he sounds like a caricature--all I could think of was that he sounded like a very bad actor from the last sexual harrassment training video I had to sit through, but no, sadly he exists in real life.

And, Chip?  Did you get it from ThinkGeek?  I love their t-shirts!

ETA: typos all fixed, I hope.  Time to turn auto-correct back on on the iPad.  :p

[jedikaiti]

If you don't think the local management will care, or if they blow you off, pass on their response to corporate.

In fact, don't call, email. You want a digital paper trail.

[pwy a wyr]

I've been known to cheerfully offer a shovel if they need to dig a hole that big. They ask what do I mean, at which point I get to correct their assumption. That generally changes things. Is that a rude response?

[Piratelvr1121]

"Hey, have you spotted the Great Wall, yet?"