� 2001-2006 by Shiloh
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sleepyLetter to the small-or-narrow-minded people everywhere
Dear Sirs and Madams:
I know you aren't being intentionally rude or demeaning or even patronizing when we converse over the telephone. But, you happen to be so when you refuse to leave a message or a name and number for me to convey along to whomever it is you are calling. I know, or at least have a good suspicion, why you will not leave a message with me. I can guess from your tone and how you behave over the phone as we briefly talk that it is because of my speech impediment.
I can tell in the brief moments we talk you are either uncomfortable with me or have been taken in by the stereotypical view that people who talk like I do are mentally retarded. Let me assure you, voices, just like looks, can be deceiving. I am not mentally slow. I am as intelligent and capable of rational and logical thought processes as the next person. I am a college graduate who received an Associates degree and a Bachelor's of Arts and Sciences in Mass Communication. On the ACT entrance exam for college I was in the 99 percentile in the area of reading and writing. I've even taught myself all the HTML codes I know over the last several years and make my own layouts for this blog I have. If I've done and can do this, plus crossword and logic puzzles, then surely I can deliver a simple message like: "Bill's Auto called. The Bronco is ready, Dad."
I know my speech impediment is off-putting and unpleasant to the ears and that some mentally slow people do talk this way. They can't help it, and neither can I. I don't like it myself; in fact I hate hearing my voice on any type of recorder. I avoid them when I can. But my voice--or theirs--doesn't sum up the person I am--or the people they are. No, just like with anyone else, you need to get to know me personally. Making erroneous assumptions like this one can turn you into a horse's patootey.
I'm writing to warn you I'm getting seriously tired and annoyed with small-minded people like you who make such assumptions. It's getting to the point where, if this treatment continues as frequently as it has in the last little while, I'm going to seriously be outright nasty and riled at the next caller who refuses to leave a message and acts like others I've dealt with. They'll have a surprise. And it's (this attitude of yours) not the first time either.
Please give me the consideration you give others whom you call or who take the messages for those who aren't available at the time. That's all I ask. And it isn't too much.
Sincerely,
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moon phase |
