Author Topic: "Snitches get Stitches"  (Read 2327 times)

Offline gpw11

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"Snitches get Stitches"
« on: Monday, January 24, 2011, 06:07:44 PM »
Social Fluency 101:

See, when put in a situation where one can deal with their own shit or go to a higher power, it's always better to take the option of dealing with your own personal problems - ideally in a diplomatic way.  An example from a recent experience in the work place:

As you may or may not know, I work construction.  This is partially because I needed a certain amount of technical experience in the field in order to get into the Project Management program I'm about to graduate from and partially because it's kind of awesome to regress and not have to worry about being late to work, etc.  It's also fun to fuck around and pull pranks all day...and people love jokes/pranks. Well, almost everyone.

Recently, a co-worker and I came to heads.  He's a nice enough guy...a bit socially awkward, but no one really rags on him and he likes to get into the give and take insult wars and prank battles. A few days ago, I was questioning him on some socially awkward things he had said to a woman we had on site (they were creepy), and while doing so I was poking him in the chest with my measuring tape.  Now, everyone knows if you're ever interrogating or lecturing someone, you have to poke them in the chest with your tape...it's just what you do.  Well, while I was doing this, he became agitated and stated "poke me again and I'll make that tape disapear."   Now, everyone knows that when someone gives you an ultimatum, you try to push things to the limit without actually crossing the line which would lead to the stated threat....it's just what you do.

So, as I inched my tape closer and closer to his chest, I could see something break deep down inside him.  When the tip of my tape was approximately 3 inches away from his person he snapped and broke it.  This is an easy, but very drastic action when there are far less permanent and destructive alternatives available to a person.  Horrible conflict resolution...especially when dealing with me.  I should also point out that up and to this point, this is nothing out of the ordinary for a day of work.

As I looked at the smug smile of satisfaction on his face, the world froze.  People literally held their breath and there was a tangible feeling of excitement and dread in the air....I'm known for my creative ways of getting revenge.   I looked him in the eye, gave him a "touche" and walked off.

I then proceeded to walk to the sea can where various equipment is stored, get his jacket, and throw it up onto the roof of said can.  Not to be a total dick, I causally walked by and told him that his jacket was up there.  In doing so, his fate was placed in his own hands - if he didn't care he could retrieve the jacket whenever he liked. This was a.) a very mild form of retribution, and b.) did not permanently damage any of his goods or cause him any financial loss.  Oh, also c.) it was a red herring. The real revenge was yet to come.

See, this guy loves his coffee.  He's also a bitch and whines when he doesn't get his way.  Lastly, he does not process a vehicle or a driver's licence, meaning that he can't go get a coffee if no one gets him one.  I intercept the co-worker we usually send to get coffee for everyone and let him know I will be taking over duties doing so for the day.  I then proceed to do so, making sure to let my new arch-nemesis know that he would not be receiving one. Again, these kind of jokes happen...nothing that unusual.  In the back of his mind he's thinking he's still getting one because no one would DARE to do that.

So, I go get coffee...and one extra (smaller) cup.  I then throw some rocks into the cup to weigh it down and place a note on top of it saying "Fuck you....Faggot".  Keep in mind that construction sites are the one place on earth where homophobic slurs are seen as fully acceptable. Upon my return, I place this cup at the end of the drive way.  I bring the coffee inside and give it to everyone.  He's already choked, but then someone tells him that there seems to be a cup at the end of the driveway.  Excited, he exits and everyone looks at me like "what the fuck?  you gave in?".  The smile on my face and the devil in my eyes lead them to believe differently however. 

He reached the end of the driveway.  As he realized it was a smaller coffee his shoulders slumped. When he picked it up his body language told us of the inner embarrassment and torment he was going through, and when he opened it to see the note, the sound of a broken heart could be heard throughout the work site.   He calmly walked back into the house, grabbed his toolbelt and left, mubiling that he "can't take anymore of Gregg's shit".  The bosses son looked at me with wonder in his face and said "I've never seen someone broken down so quickly or effortlessly."  All were impressed.

40 min later, two co-workers walked up to me and said I was going to be furious. See, this guy had left the site, called the contractor, told him the story and said he was going home.  The inside information I received was that he not only retold the story (again, not a big deal...this kind of shit happens daily without reactions like that...it's to be expected), but he started to go into work ethic issues. Essentially, he was ratting me out solely based upon spite. 

Backround information:  Construction industry is not doing all that well, and work is slow.  While we previously had 3-4 large projects at a time, we now have one and maybe a smaller one.  Staff has been reduced through both layoffs and people leaving, but there's not enough work to keep everyone busy.  A lot of fucking around goes on during any given day and we're all guilty of it.  Employers know this, obviously, but can't really afford to let more people go as they'd lose their operational capacity to start new work were they to do so.  It's a very strict, and non-gay, "don't ask/don't tell" sort of thing.  As long as people outside the company don't know about the fucking around, everything is good.

Now, the story my boss was telling his son and the lead was that the injured party called him and complained about the jokes, as well as my personal work ethic.  They know this to be bullshit and stood up for me.  My bosses' personal take on it is hard to read as he lies through his teeth.  Regardless, he understands that I'm still working there because he asked me to as a favour, and I had planned a career change at the end of last summer. Nevertheless, this co-worker who I had stood up for in the past, given rides to, and supplied with coffee and cigarettes on many occasions had done a 180 and stabbed me in the back. This shit doesn't fly.

Boss rolled by, talked to me about the making fun of (didn't mention the work ethic), and did the same to pretty much everyone else.  His take (to my face) was "go easy on the guy. I know you all mess around, but you're being a bully, shit rolls off of you, but it doesn't to everyone.  I know you like your jokes, but maybe just leave him out of it".  Fair enough.  I admitted I MAY have gone too far (I stand by the fact I had not...he cost me $30, I cost him nothing). End of story.

Those of us who knew the full story...that of the ratting on issues unrelated to the altercation came to an agreement that we would be showing him no kindness or respect.  We would be civil, but not engage him in personal conversation.  This isn't a revenge thing, it's a matter of what he did not being socially acceptable.  It shows disloyalty, poor judgment, and breeds contempt.  The fact that he showed up the next day "trying" to be all buddy-buddy without mentioning he had talked the boss (he's currently unaware that we know, or at least the extent of what we know).

And then today I received a text message "I have some info...you need to call me".  A labourer on another site had overheard a conversation between two of our contractors.  The guy I had basically forced home didn't single me out when he was talking about poor work ethic...he had pointed a finger at pretty much all of us...citing examples which were repeated to me (and all true). And to be clear: this guy is no more innocent than any of us and yet offered up this information as if he had no part....for no reason.  Conversations were had, and another pact has been made amongst those concerned (arguably the more influential personalities within the company) that he has to go.  He's a spiteful rat, and there's no place for that in the social environment of a close-knit company such as ours.  Inside information leads us to believe that those at the top pretty much feel the same way....if the guys next to him can't trust him, can they?  He's a ticking timebomb.

Ostracized, outcast, and possibly soon to be unemployed.   Snitches might not literally get stitches in some situations, but there are more than one way to skin a rat.


Offline Cobra951

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Re: "Snitches get Stitches"
« Reply #1 on: Monday, January 24, 2011, 07:15:15 PM »

Offline gpw11

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Re: "Snitches get Stitches"
« Reply #2 on: Monday, January 24, 2011, 07:50:10 PM »
That could be a concern.

Offline Ghandi

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Re: "Snitches get Stitches"
« Reply #3 on: Monday, January 24, 2011, 11:10:23 PM »
I was thinking -

Offline idolminds

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Re: "Snitches get Stitches"
« Reply #4 on: Tuesday, January 25, 2011, 12:25:16 AM »
I was going to post "too long, didnt read" but then I read it anyway. You bastard.

Offline gpw11

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Re: "Snitches get Stitches"
« Reply #5 on: Tuesday, January 25, 2011, 01:14:04 AM »
I was thinking -

Didn't show up, but hells yes, that's more like it.

Don't get me wrong - I don't feel good about it, but what can you do really?  I'm being civil to the guy, but forgive and forget?  Please.

Offline ren

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Re: "Snitches get Stitches"
« Reply #6 on: Wednesday, January 26, 2011, 09:50:04 AM »
That guy reminds me of Ziggy from The Wire and you remind me of that guy who put Ziggy on top of the container.

Offline Quemaqua

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Re: "Snitches get Stitches"
« Reply #7 on: Wednesday, January 26, 2011, 08:43:03 PM »
haha

天才的な閃きと平均以下のテクニックやな。 課長有野

Offline W7RE

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Re: "Snitches get Stitches"
« Reply #8 on: Wednesday, January 26, 2011, 10:36:13 PM »
I did this once, sort of. I was working at McDonald's and the assistant manager was a total bitch. When I got fed up and quit, the owner called me at home and asked me to come in and tell him about why I quit. I told him about her, he chewed her the fuck out, and I was moved to a morning shift so I wouldn't have to work with her.

After that, they sort of kept an eye on her, and realized that both her and her husband (the maintenance guy) were leaving themselves clocked in overnight. They were both fired at some point around then, probably for that.