Nosy Parkers

Some people have nothing better to do with their sad little lives than to poke their noses into other people's business and offer unwarranted, unsolicited and often completely irrelevant advice.

To wit...recently, I was at a local home (repair) store, and overheard the following conversation between two apparent strangers. To give you some context, one lady was a bit younger than myself, very heavily pregnant, and obviously doing some solo plumbing repair. The lady doing most of the speaking was older (and pompous).

Older lady to younger lady (in checkout line) "I see you are doing some plumbing repair. Did your husband send you off to get some parts?"

Younger lady "I'm not married"

Older lady "Oh. Well, where's the baby's father?"

Younger lady (turning red but still being polite) "We're not together"

Older lady "The things you people do in this age".

Now. Seriously.

There is polite conversation, and then there is blatant rudeness. In three sentences, this older lady managed to insult this woman quite thoroughly. First by implying that a woman can't do her own plumbing repair (I can, although not well), second the whole you need a husband to be pregnant thing, thirdly by managing to insult by saying without saying that having a child out of wedlock is wrong. What is wrong with this woman? What does she know about the other woman's circumstance? Maybe her husband left her, and they are now divorced? Maybe she had a boyfriend, or a fiancee, and he died? Maybe she got pregnant, wanted to keep the child (for personal/religious reasons) and her male friend didn't, and left?

The point is, the older woman's snap judgement made no accomodation for any circumstance in this young woman's life. She looked at her pregnant belly, presumably her ring finger and made the worst possible social assessment. What the FUCK gave her the right to do that? Who died and made her god?

I really do believe you should refrain from judging other folk until you have walked a mile in their shoes. Otherwise, shut your mouth.