Old man hates whispering

[Willis]

Went to Taco Bell yesterday with a friend after a book signing for Dan O'Bannon's (writer of Alien, Total Recall, etc.) newest book. It was actually his widow and assistant at the session. Anyways we get to Taco Bell and as soon as we walk in:

SOM - Sucky old man
C - Cashier

C - So that will be a chalupa with ---
SOM - WHAT!
C - I said ---
SOM - This is some bullshit I just want a chalupa and small drink.
C - Ok sir, that's a chalupa with ---
SOM - WHAT! Speak up I can't hear you, you whispering fag.
C -
SOM: *Storms past me with super cat butt face*
Everyone eating:

Mind you, there was a mother and her two kids sitting in a booth and a couple with their kids in another. I look over at the mother and she looks at me in total shock shaking her head at the old man. I look over at the couple and the guy is looking at me with a wtf is wrong with that guy look and he's shocked shaking his head too. My friend and I were just like man this sucks. The conversation happened as my friend and I barely walked in. It lasted for about 10 seconds but after the old guy insulted the cashier, as he was walking away, the anger on his face was unnecessary and just vile. He was literally beet red and pissed. When we went to order I could tell the guy was new since he took a little bit of time entering in my order and had to go get his manager to help him out. I told him to take his time and we chatted him up to try and make him feel better.

[XCashier]

I get the feeling that the cashier was speaking at a normal volume, and the mean old geezer desperately needs a hearing aid.

[Willis]

I get the feeling that the cashier was speaking at a normal volume, and the mean old geezer desperately needs a hearing aid.

Although soft spoken, he was speaking at a medium to normal tone. So just just barely normal from my hearing and according to my last hearing test, my hearing is roughly the equivalent of 20/20 vision. I think in audiology it would be 0/0 and I'm 0/-5 which is nearly perfect. My vision on the other hand is blurry and I wear contacts. Anyways yea I think he due for some hearing aids.

[Hyndis]

Ahh yes, the people who refuse to accept that they need some sort of hearing aid, and berate you for not screaming loud enough that they can hear you even while stone deaf.

Those guys are no fun. Particularly when they call in. If you are deaf, why are you contacting us by telephone yourself? You can contact us by email, or one of those sign interpreter services. Demanding to speak to us by phone, but being completely unable to communicate because you're deaf and refuse to get hearing aids doesn't do anyone any good.

[Willis]

Ahh yes, the people who refuse to accept that they need some sort of hearing aid, and berate you for not screaming loud enough that they can hear you even while stone deaf.

Those guys are no fun. Particularly when they call in. If you are deaf, why are you contacting us by telephone yourself? You can contact us by email, or one of those sign interpreter services. Demanding to speak to us by phone, but being completely unable to communicate because you're deaf and refuse to get hearing aids doesn't do anyone any good.

Exactly. I can't see for shit without my contacts so I wear contacts. I can't walk around with blurry vision if I can help it, same for that geezer and his hearing loss. He needs to invest in some hearing aids. I can see without contacts but, things are blurry. If I saw you 10 ft away without my lenses you'd be a blurry figure to me with the surrounding area blurry as well. I wouldn't know who you were even if I knew you because of the blur unless you spoke and I recognized your voice. With contact lenses in, my vision is corrected to 20/20 and I can see at least a mile up to probably miles up the road. In my situation, it's true that your senses compensate for the others when one is lacking. With poor vision without contacts, my hearing has compensated. Even if I can't understand what you said, I more than likely heard the sounds you spoke. Anyways that old man was way out of line calling that guy the F word.

[Seshat]

Not all hearing disorders can be treated with a hearing aid. Mine can't.

That said: my hearing problems are not everyone else's problem. I don't exactly wear a sign saying 'look directly at me and enunciate clearly'!

SOM should have said 'sorry, kid, I have a hearing problem. Could you speak up a bit?' (Or if he lipreads, 'could you let me lip-read? Speak as clearly as possible, please'.)

(Note: if you suspect someone is lipreading, that's the thing to do. Keep your face where they can see you, and try to speak clearly. Not loudly, just clearly and carefully.)

[Cooper]

Yeah, I had that happen once. I was at the golden arches, where the poor cashier really needed some help up front, but wasn't getting it. I look up from my book (as I read when in lines), when a guy suddenly storms out from the front of the line, screaming that someone needed to 'come help the retard at the counter.'

When I got up she quietly apologized for the wait. I lifted my book and said: "I expected a wait. I'll be okay." and gave her a smile.

Some people need to take major chill pills.

[Pixilated]

*snip* If you are deaf, why are you contacting us by telephone yourself? You can contact us by email, or one of those sign interpreter services. *snip*

Because that would require them to acknowledge they have a hearing problem, when of course the problem is that everybody else in the whole wide world is whispering, just to make their lives a misery.

[taurinejunkie]

I work as a relay operator for the deaf/hearing impaired, and sometimes have to practically scream at the "hearing user". And then the next call i'm like "before we start - can you hear me properly?" and the person on the line says that yes, they can. So I know I have no equipment (headset, mute, or extension) problem.

And a story of a clever solution to a hearing problem: last night I went to a grocery store and I was looking for a specific product, so when I saw a guy stocking shelves I asked him if he knew about it. He pointed at his ears and mouth and shook a finger, then dug a pad of paper and a pencil out of his pocket for me to write my question on. Unfortunately my handwriting is so terrible he had to fetch a coworker to help me, but I still think it's a pretty good idea.

[dalesys]

.... Unfortunately my handwriting is so terrible...

...and in Klingon...

[wolfie]

Yeah, I had that happen once. I was at the golden arches, where the poor cashier really needed some help up front, but wasn't getting it. I look up from my book (as I read when in lines), when a guy suddenly storms out from the front of the line, screaming that someone needed to 'come help the retard at the counter.'

At which point it would be appropriate to ask "And what do YOU need help with?", then see how long it takes for him to realize what you're implying.

[b2addm]

Some people need to take major chill pills.

And choke on them.

When I'm in a line behind an enormous, abusive asshat, I try to be such a good customer that I set the cashier's whole day back on track. Especially if they seem to be upset to the point that they are flustered and messing up.
I find that saying something like "I promise not to be an asshole like the guy in front me. Could I just get ..." Insulting the asshat is something the cashier can't do but usually wants to. When I do it for them it seems to lighten things up and put them at ease again.