[dtw]

A couple nights ago I was walking out of the side entrance of a retail/office building where I'm working this week. It is a brand new building and they are finishing up some details. A contractor was on his way in for some OT with a ladder and his little kid walking in front of him. He was struggling to get in the door; he had a painter's ladder under one arm and a cell phone propped against his ear with his free hand. I held the door open for him. Nothing, no thank you, no nothing, he just kept yammering on his phone. Didn't even give me a 'man-nod'. If I wasn't at my client's premises with my company's name displayed prominently on my briefcase, I would have had 'words' with him.

Hispanics? Here's a funny one - when I was a kid I was working in a fast-food drive-thru. A van full of Mexican guys came through, ordered about a dozen meals. When I handed out the food, one of them shot a smartass comment at me in Spanish. Guess he thought the pile of burgers they ordered took a few seconds too long. Me being fluent in Spanish and in 'no mood', instantly shot back a retort and used the same epithet on him that he had used on me. Envision 15 Mexican guys pulling out of the drive-thru, slack-jawed.