Kevin'sMom Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 Yesterday, I was happily pumping gas when the following happened: Lady (stepping about a foot from me): I see you are famous. Me: Whaaat? Lady: Your Obama sticker. Me: What? Lady: I want to encourage you to think about your eternal soul etc. on and on... Me: I want to encourage you to mind your own business. Lady: I thought we were supposed to be our brother's keepers. Me: Speechless...I drove off with my gas cap not on... I know I was a little rude, but I had no idea what to say. How would you have handled this? I am still angry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candicane Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 Same way you did. I don't get the 'famous' portion anyways, so I'm not sure where she was even coming from. But yeah, I would have told her mind your own business, or just simply ignored her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 OH. MY.WORD. I just don't know what goes through people's minds sometimes. I would have been quite repulsed and I think your response was fine, but I have a felling mine would have been a bit harsher and included something about this being a republic with free elections and not a communist dictatorship, and if she didn't like it, Cuba and a Iran might be the countries of choice for her! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mama27 Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 You were way nicer than I would have been! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 You were JUST fine. Great response. It would be hard to pick up my jaw off the floor. Bless her judgmental and misguided little heart. :cursing: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieSong Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 I see that you are famous?? What the heck does that mean? And...pretty presumptuous to start lecturing you about the state of your soul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 Why would you be famous? I don't get it. . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 Obviously she was inhaling gas fumes? I probably would have done as you did. Who approaches a person with crap like that when they're holding a gas nozzle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigs Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 I probably would have told her if she didn't back off I would spray her with gas. Sorry this happened to you. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heatherwith4 Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 You did fine. She was the goofy one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephanier.1765 Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 I don't know what I would have said but I would have wished that I had said what you said. I always regret not coming up with great remarks like that on the spot. Go you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hikin' Mama Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 So what I want to know...was she worried for your eternal soul because of your fame or your Obama sticker? ; ) Some people are so weird! And I think you handled it fine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 So are you famous? Who is this Kevin that you are the mom of? Does he have anything to do with Sparkly's dancing signature? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 Wait, you were happily pumping gas? I am never happily pumping gas. That aside, I think you did fine. I try hard not to engage crazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 You handled it great! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 Wait, you were happily pumping gas? I am never happily pumping gas. That aside, I think you did fine. I try hard not to engage crazy. :iagree: I would have said as little as possible and left as quickly as possible, I think. The nutjobs who apparently believe everybody in our "land of the free" should agree with them scare me just a wee bit. On many counts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne in CA Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 So, so nutso. You were much more kind than I would have been if she had caught me pumping gas. I hate pumping gas. One of the few things I REALLY miss about Oregon is that you don't have to pump your own gas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 You should have slapped an Obama sticker on her bumper while she was pumping her gas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butter Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 Um, what the crap?!?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieSong Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 Maybe you should have asked if she wanted your autograph. Haha! That would have been a great response! However, I am never quick enough to think of the great response until after the moment has passed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin'sMom Posted May 18, 2014 Author Share Posted May 18, 2014 I was afraid I would use up my quota of "likes" liking everyone's response to this. I was truly shocked and upset. I am starting to think I might have been famous for happily pumping my gas. I should have offered my autograph and free tickets to my yard sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gil Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 So, so nutso. You were much more kind than I would have been if she had caught me pumping gas. I hate pumping gas. One of the few things I REALLY miss about Oregon is that you don't have to pump your own gas. What? What do you mean? Who pumps the gas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gil Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 It's like that in at least one county in Mass. I was surprised too. We went to see a concert there. DH got out to pump gas and the guy came out running yelling at him and didn't he see the sign. What sign? You guys are weirding me out here! Are you saying that full-service gas stations are more common than self-service? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 What? What do you mean? Who pumps the gas? The gas station attendant pumps the gas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myeightkiddies Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 I'm so lost. What did the Obama sticker say? Why would she care? Why are you famous? May I have your autograph so I can say you are my bestest e-friend to impress people as long as I don't tell them about the soul-sucking bumper sticker? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Bizarre! It's best not to feed the trolls--the real-life ones included! I would have probably hurried to finish pumping my gas even if the tank wasn't full and retreated to my car as quickly as possible. If a person has no qualms about invading a stranger's personal space and launching into a tirade, she may feel free to launch into a physical confrontation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 I would have figured the woman was a certifiable nut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Really, it sounds like she perhaps had a mental health problem. People can say some nutty things when they aren't in their right mind. I doubt it was personal. I mean it didn't even make sense! That was my assumption, also. I don't know what I would have said or done in that situation. My usual response is to nod politely and then extricate myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gil Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Sorry about the gas-tangent, but to the point of this thread: She sounds like a weirdo. Do you happen to live in the Bible Belt? I have had some real nutters disguised as 'good Christian folk' bothering me from time to time. Heavenly harrassment, I call it. I don't even get involved with them, I just roll my eyes and leave. If I were you OP probably wouldn't have even finished getting gas, I'd have just put the nozzle up and drove off because she might have been unstable and I wouldn't want to find out. If there was anyone around and she was giving me the creeps, I might have started screaming my head off--she probably would've been spooked and run off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 The trajectory of this thread is :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 What sign? You guys are weirding me out here! Are you saying that full-service gas stations are more common than self-service? I don't know if it's still the case, but when I lived in New Jersey, all gas stations were full service. We were not allowed to pump our own gas. You would pull up to the pump, and an attendant would come to the window. You would tell him/her how much of what kind of gas you wanted ("$15 of regular unleaded, please"). The attendant would handle payment while you sat in your car, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 That was my assumption, also. I don't know what I would have said or done in that situation. My usual response is to nod politely and then extricate myself. :iagree: I think that is usually the very best solution. You shouldn't try to argue with crazy. Smile and get out of there. And in this case, if the woman was at all aggressive, I would have agreed with her wholeheartedly and told her that I hated having to get my boss's car filled up with gas for him for that very reason. ;) When dealing with a nut, I tend to forget all about the whole "honesty is the best policy" thing, and just tell them whatever they want to hear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danestress Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 And in this case, if the woman was at all aggressive, I would have agreed with her wholeheartedly and told her that I hated having to get my boss's car filled up with gas for him for that very reason. ;) When dealing with a nut, I tend to forget all about the whole "honesty is the best policy" thing, and just tell them whatever they want to hear. I actually think it's aggressive to walk a foot up to someone in a public situation where mingling isn't part of the social expectation and try to talk to them. I think that most people already understand that you don't walk up to someone pumping gas and try to talk. Maybe if you want to say something like, "Hey your tire is flat," but even then, you don't need to get in their space. I would treat this as possibly dangerous person from the beginning, and would say something like, "I don't know you, and you are making me uncomfortable. Please go away." If you are wrong and it was a nice person with a weird social sensibility, oh well. But you have to protect yourself and asking someone to go away is a good test to see if they are someone you really need to worry about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 I would have stood there gape-mouthed dribbling gas on the ground. I think you can't pump your own gas some places because you aren't "trained" and the EPA doesn't trust you not to make a mess. Or maybe it's a union thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 What sign? You guys are weirding me out here! Are you saying that full-service gas stations are more common than self-service? In Oregon full service is the LAW. It's tedious to wait for the dude because they start it, run away to do someone else's gas and then theoretically come back when you're full. It's a PITA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Beware nutbuckets. I think you were fine. I'm sure there are lots of zingy comebacks, but anyone that crazy? Nope. I'd have stopped pumping and finished filling up later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Yesterday, I was happily pumping gas when the following happened: Lady (stepping about a foot from me): I see you are famous. Me: Whaaat? Lady: Your Obama sticker. Me: What? Lady: I want to encourage you to think about your eternal soul etc. on and on... Me: I want to encourage you to mind your own business. Lady: I thought we were supposed to be our brother's keepers. Me: Speechless...I drove off with my gas cap not on... I know I was a little rude, but I had no idea what to say. How would you have handled this? I am still angry. If it was me it would have gone something like this: Lady: i see you are famous Me: Whaat? Lady: Your Obama sticker me: What? Lady: blah blah Me: I dedicated my soul to Odin Lady: Who? me: Norse God of wisdom, magic, and war. he sacrificed his eye for wisdom and himself to himself for the knowledge of magic blah blah blah enthusiastic blah Lady (backs away slowly, goes back to her own car and flees--otherwise, if she tried further prostelyzing a joke about Thor's hammer and nails that is not very kind to the Christian POV might come up). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeAndTheBoys Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 I'm so lost. What did the Obama sticker say? Why would she care? Why are you famous? May I have your autograph so I can say you are my bestest e-friend to impress people as long as I don't tell them about the soul-sucking bumper sticker? Yeah--I can't get past the first line of famous--what exactly did the sticker say? Bizarre. I'm like a bizarre-comment magnet myself and end up just smiling and saying, Hmmm, a lot-- Betsy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tangerine Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 I actually think it's aggressive to walk a foot up to someone in a public situation where mingling isn't part of the social expectation and try to talk to them. Yes, this. And proselytizing makes it doubly so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin'sMom Posted May 19, 2014 Author Share Posted May 19, 2014 Sorry, I'm bumping this up, but I'm feeling SO much better about this. The Obama sticker said nothing other than Obama 2012. which apparently struck her as deeply offensive. I am enjoying all the gas pump information, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 If it was me it would have gone something like this: Lady: i see you are famous Me: Whaat? Lady: Your Obama sticker me: What? Lady: blah blah Me: I dedicated my soul to Odin Lady: Who? me: Norse God of wisdom, magic, and war. he sacrificed his eye for wisdom and himself to himself for the knowledge of magic blah blah blah enthusiastic blah Lady (backs away slowly, goes back to her own car and flees--otherwise, if she tried further prostelyzing a joke about Thor's hammer and nails that is not very kind to the Christian POV might come up). And then the lady would have rushed home and told her family all about the crazy person she met at the gas station! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Sorry, I'm bumping this up, but I'm feeling SO much better about this. The Obama sticker said nothing other than Obama 2012. which apparently struck her as deeply offensive. I am enjoying all the gas pump information, too. I save my deep offense about outdated campaign crap for Dukakis 1988 stickers. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belacqua Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 I save my deep offense about outdated campaign crap for Dukakis 1988 stickers. :D Sometimes I wear a Nixon Now! button just to rile people up. And then the lady would have rushed home and told her family all about the crazy person she met at the gas station! :D And that particular place would live in her family's stories for generations as "that gas station where Grandma met the Devil Worshiper." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 I so need a Nixon Now! button of my very own. If I wore that with an Obama button, people's heads would just explode. On all sides of the aisle! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isabella Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 I would have assumed she was a little, actually a lot, kooky. I would have answered similar to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Sorry about the gas-tangent, but to the point of this thread: She sounds like a weirdo. Do you happen to live in the Bible Belt? I have had some real nutters disguised as 'good Christian folk' bothering me from time to time. Heavenly harrassment, I call it. I don't even get involved with them, I just roll my eyes and leave. You apparently do not get out much, so let me fill you in on something: there are crazy people everywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gil Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 On second thought, nevermind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 If she hadn't said the 'famous comment' I would just think she was very politically rabid......but yeah I think she was probably just a little unstable. The best thing to do in those cases is smile and wave as you slowly back a way. One time when I was about 19 I was sunbathing behind my apartment...this man comes walking down the alleyway and looked at me....and after he passes he rushes back and starts screaming at me that I was going to burn in hell. It really shook me up. I guess my bikini offended him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GailV Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Bizarre! It's best not to feed the trolls--the real-life ones included! I would have probably hurried to finish pumping my gas even if the tank wasn't full and retreated to my car as quickly as possible. If a person has no qualms about invading a stranger's personal space and launching into a tirade, she may feel free to launch into a physical confrontation. Yeah, being with a whackadoo concerned about your eternal soul in an area filled with inflammable liquids isn't a great time for coming up with witty repartee and zingy comebacks. I would've gotten out as soon as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Sounds like someone with mental health issues. I used to live near a delusional lady who was convinced I was Chelsea Clinton. She used to bring me presents I never knew what to do with... I've never looked anything like Chelsea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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