I'M MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GONNA TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!!

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

So, I'll start off saying there's this curmedgeonly but amusing old guy who owns the little video store I go to, and although he's flamboyantly gay, he's one of the toughest bastards I've ever met in my life. He has jaw-dropping war stories about his battles with the Sewage and Water Board, his bank, his credit card companies, the phone company -- any big corporation that has ever tried to screw him over and then cover it up with the bland nonsense of bureacracy. The other night he was telling my boyfriend and me about an ongoing battle he's had with city hall involving his taxes and them taking money out of his bank account without his permission -- dude called New Orleans' mayor's office, talked to various people, and Mr. Ray Nagin himself actually returned his call and listened to the complaint.

This is by way of saying I'm so fucking passive I make myself sick. I just found out my employer has been paying my "overtime" at my regular hourly pay rate, instead of time-and-a-half. I never even fucking checked it but I got what will be my second (or third, I'm not sure) last check and there was overtime on it and I did the math and realized I'd been screwed. And have probably been getting screwed all along, though I don't have the past paycheck stubs to prove it. And the thought of going to the corporate office and attempting to raise Hell a la Video Store Guy just makes me tired. But I'm also furious -- as much with myself as the company.

How many of you out there lie down and take it? At what point have you said NO! I'M NOT GONNA TAKE IT and fought whatever beauracracy (sp?) was pissing you off?

― jewelly (jewelly), Friday, 15 August 2003 21:42 (twenty-two years ago)

rutgers university bureaucracy. and shortly before my graduation, i told the dean of rutgers-newark law school to never expect an alumni contribution from me as long as he's still the dean. none of which changed anything for the better or got rid of the dean, but it made me feel better.

― Tad (llamasfur), Friday, 15 August 2003 21:47 (twenty-two years ago)

My roommate doesn't do shit when he gets jacked over (which is all the time); he bends over and takes it in the ass every time. I always tell him he's being stupid because it encourages that sort of bullshit in the future, but he says it's more of a headache to fight it. how sad.

― King Kobra (King Kobra), Friday, 15 August 2003 21:48 (twenty-two years ago)

I had such a free ride through public school that I got into the habit of not bothering with shit if it seemed like it was going to take much effort. Pizza guy overcharged me four bucks? Eh, no biggie. (Actually, I would still probably overlook four bucks, but only cause it's not as much money now. In constant Tep dollars, it'd be like forty.)

I just mentioned the other day on another thread that Hampshire College fucked me over for $15K by repeatedly cancelling appointments until a deadline had passed and then miraculously being available. That pretty much ended the "eh, fuck it" for me. It took two years and a lawyer to fix that, and all I succeeded in was telling them to fuck off because they weren't going to get the money they kept asking for (the portion of the $15K I hadn't paid yet).

I also had the most annoying "neighbors" possible while at Hamp, so I think it's the combination of the two things.

― Tep (ktepi), Friday, 15 August 2003 21:53 (twenty-two years ago)

(Sorry this is so long. I'm still shaking.)

So, I stood up for myself against my landlord at least -- maybe a dry run for the payroll thing. The wiring in the overhead light of my tiny apartment (which provides most of the light in here at all at night) went out on Thursday. I called the landlord Thursday night. When it still wasn't working when I got home Friday afternoon he said he'd call the person who was supposed to have checked on it that day. Then I didn't hear from him. So I called and left a message later that night, and again today. He called me half an hour ago and basically bitched at me and said the guy would be hear "Monday or whenever he can get out there" and then he said "Please don't call me again." I got a little shrill. I pay rent, this is the third night I'll have to come home and stumble around in a dark apartment, etc., if he's not here by Monday you better BELIEVE I'm going to call you again and I'm sorry if that inconveniences you but this is a bigger inconvenience for me, etc. I was seeing red and stammering my words and sounded like an idiot, but I got the point across I guess. Then I hung up the phone and cried for fifteen minutes. I'm so bad at confrontation. I dread confronting the corporate fucks in payroll. Uggghh.

― jewelly (jewelly), Saturday, 16 August 2003 22:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Jewelly, I wish I could help. Good luck with it all.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Saturday, 16 August 2003 22:33 (twenty-two years ago)

God, I just talked to someone on the phone about this and realized how pathetic I sound. Sorry to have burdened you all; tell me how long it took you to read these posts and I'll try to find a way to give you the time back.

Pre-back-to-school jitters combined with the overall suckiness of other people have sent me off the deep end, I guess.

― jewelly (jewelly), Saturday, 16 August 2003 23:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh, and thanks for the pat on the shoulder, Martin ... Did I mention I also tend to be ungrateful? Heh.

― jewelly (jewelly), Saturday, 16 August 2003 23:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Best of luck with it all, Jewelly. :-)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 17 August 2003 00:13 (twenty-two years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.