Putting people on pedestals

I learnt a big lesson this past week. I am walking around with a bad aftertaste in my mouth. I need to cleanse myself with this blog post (thanks to the virtual blogosphere that's helping me to get rid of all the ill feelings!)

I loved listening to programmes by a certain controversial person here in South Africa. I religiously archived the programmes as well. I never met the person, but liked his out-of-the-box way of doing and saying things.

Last week he walked into my office. Not with a “hello, pleased to meet you, thanks for helping me...” But with bark, bark, bark: “I need the following things, and quick!” Not even a smile! I had to ask my colleagues to help me to complete the request the same afternoon. I did not even take my lunch break. And I had to put my normal work on the back-burner for the afternoon.

The programme went on air this week, and there was not even a thank you to the archive material that was supplied. It is also very old archive material that had to be recorded real-time from acetate record players. It implies as well that it is not an easy copy and paste process to make the sound available for re-use.

I was really let down in my opinion of this person. He is the most ill-mannered person I have encountered in a very long time! I am thinking of a lot of descriptive words to call him...

The lesson: Never put people on pedestals! It/they might come back to bite you...