Haters to the Left

...Ok, just for "legal" reasons I feel compelled to say that the title of this post is a quote from 30 Rock. There, now the producers can't sue me...unless it means I get to meet Tina Fey. Ok, never mind that quote was all me!


This post has to do with the word "like" and profiling. I'll admit that when I was younger I used my share of the word "like." In fact, when I'm quoting a conversation I had or witnessed I use it in lieu of the word "said." Example: "And then I was like, 'I think we should rent a comedy,' and she was like, 'well, only if it's a romantic comedy,' and then I said something like, 'romantic comedies are the reason so many relationships fail. They set expectations too high, and women expect men to literally sweep them off their feet.'"


For the record, I never actually said that. I like a romantic comedy if the story line looks appealing and there's an actor in it that I'm a fan of.


This is the extent to which I abuse this word. Never have I said a sentence that goes, "It's like, you know, over by the books that are, like, sci-fi. But it's not, like, a sci-fi, it's like a fantasy that's, like, modern."


So I was very annoyed when recently (ok, a month or so ago) I was at the local book store looking for a certain book. I wasn't sure what the title was, because I was picking it up for my dad, and he wasn't sure of the title or the author's name, either. So I went to the counter asked the associate "Hi, I'm looking for a book, and the title is something like, 'Ramblings of a Lowcountry Judge," or 'Ramblings of a Judge.'" Yes, I used "like" instead of the more intelligent, "either." I'm much more articulate when writing, then when I am speaking out loud, and very often I speak before fully forming a sentence in my mind.


The associate sort of smirked and said, "Yeah, we like have something that's like that."


And because I'm in my early twenties (and probably looked younger to her since she was middle-aged), she automatically pegged me as a dumb-dumb who can't properly express herself--or one who can, but chooses to use "colloquial" words to do so. It irritated me, because I've been in there numerous times, and she knows for a fact I'm not this type of person. What was also annoying was that I could tell she assumed most young people speak this way. I hate it when people make assumptions like this! It's not as if I walked in there popping gum while listening to my ipod and texting with a 'tude sway of the hips. Then maybe I could understand her assumption a little better, but I still would have been pissed!


I know a lot of older people don't have faith in my generation (cue someone above the age of 50 saying, "You kids today and your music"), but don't assume we're all a bunch of idiots!


I know, I know, I should just let it go, and maybe after ranting about it in my blog post will help a little. But what also has annoyed me is that on three separate occasions when I went in there to buy a book she's looked at it and said something like, "What's this about? So many people have been buying it." You should know the answer to this! You work in a freaking book store! I went in there to get the latest Chelsea Handler book "Lies that Chelsea Handler Told Me." I know that Chelsea is a comedian, and not a novelist, but she has THREE books out that are all about her. She didn't write this latest one, but technically there are four books out that are centered around her. And they've been spread out by a few years. You'd think she would have figured it out by now, especially since all of the books have made the NY Times best seller's list.


Another NYT best seller that she hadn't read was "The 19th Wife." A local book club was reading it, and she said, "you'll have to tell me what it's about." Because apparently she's incapable of reading the summary on the back, or in the jacket, of a book. This was proven when I bought "A Discovery of Witches" (again a NYT best seller), and she looked at it and said, "What is this book?! So many people have been buying it, so I hope they like it."


I'm sorry, but WTF?!?!?! I understand that lots of books come out every week, and there's only so much time in the day for people to read. But if you work in a freaking book store, you need to know what you're selling! It's not hard to google a title and read a blurb and reviews of it. Even if it's just part of the review (I'd now like to refer you to that commercial where the woman says, "Recently I read an online article, well, I read the majority of an article..." I think this represents the majority of us Americans. I at least know it represents me).


Ok, I'll admit I feel a little badly saying all this because this woman can be nice. She and my mom know each other, and once when Mom and I were in there, we were looking for a book that hadn't been released yet, but she gave us the ARC. It was really nice of her to do this, which is why I feel like even more of a jerk for following that statement up with: I doubt she read the book herself, and was just grateful someone would end up reading it.


Now that I've ranted, I would like to direct you back to the title of this post "Haters to the Left." As someone who has proven to be a "hater" by bashing the bookstore lady, I will now take a step to the left.