Rude People - 2

This is in continuation to the earlier post on rude people.

I have been thinking about it, what are your options when some one is really rude, inconsiderate or just plain hurtful to you. What can you do? I guess it comes down to two things.

a) you can give one back to them, be equally brutal and crass. But then do you really want to stoop that low? Do feel comfortable doing that?

or

b) Be polite but tell them that what they said hurt you. But it is easier said than done. Rude people are intimidating. By admitting that they have the power to hurt you, you are making yourself even more vulnerable in an already imbalanced situation. How do you know how they will react and not hurt you further? But that is fear talking. umm...

I don't know. I have done both a few times , only it has always been more rewarding to tell someone they hurt you, instead of hurting them back. I almost always regret it after.

I guess there is a third option then, you could not do anything, with the realization that choosing not to act is an action in itself. If you think the situation is not compelling enough, or if you think that this person is not worth another ten minutes of high blood pressure, then you just let it go. And we all do that all the time don't we? Which in hindsight is a good thing. Why bother telling someone what you think if they don't really mean so much to you?