If you personally know me or have at least read my bio, you would know that I run radio stations for a living. This author thing is just a side hustle and is presently not as lucrative as my “real” job. Like many, about half of my day is the same thing I did the day prior. In one column I have the daily checklist of tasks that have to be completed or I cannot go home for the day. The other two thirds of my notepad consists of a buffet of random tasks, as I like to have everything in writing and stay focused on getting ahead. Everything I do, from the mundane to the items outside of my daily process, go on the notepad. I have written about this before in previous blogs…
Like any job, you work hard to create a product that people will love (or at least like?). You respect your work and expect others to feel the same way. In radio and other media, that often means that you are always working. Entertainment is more of a lifestyle than a vocation. Not saying it is more difficult than any other job, but have you ever had to be on a three hour webinar while sitting at Disney world? Have you ever had to remove your mouse ears before the video conferencing connected? Have you ever booked an entire festival worth of entertainment as you’re driving to get your marriage license? You have to be all in or you won’t survive very long. You can occasionally check out mentally, but if you work in a creative field, you are constantly looking for inspiration.
The work is never meant to be done, you don’t ever get to finish and the process starts all over again at 12:01am. At least when you paint a house you get to eventually leave a wall or even the house when you’re done. Whether it’s media or any other career or passion, if you take it serious, sweat for it, bleed and respect what you do, it’s disappointing when someone from the outside attacks your product and questions your credibility. You know, like writing an Amazon best seller and one person, out of all your amazing reviews, gives you just three stars?! YOU MONSTER! (Breathe in. Exhale. It’s gonna be ok).
Part of my job is to do damage control when someone is unsatisfied with their listening experience. Whether it’s a song they don’t care for, a commercial that upsets them or an on air talent that rubs them the wrong way; my job is to hear them out and try to wrap my head around what it really is that is bothering them. Most of the time, they just want to be heard.
So I call them back and let them vent or I respond to an email and let them know I am listening and taking their (often ridiculous) ideas and opinions into consideration. The majority of the time I can appease them and they will continue to listen to the radio stations. Every once in a while you get that one person that NEEDS to be right. No matter how outlandish their opinion or request may be, they refuse to walk away from an exchange without the “win”. I will go point-counterpoint with them for a few minutes, mostly to make sure I understand exactly what they are saying, but after that I am done. You will never learn a thing in life if you don’t listen. Even if what you’re listening to makes your head explode and your eyes roll into the back of your head. I look for convenient exit from the exchange and allow them to “win”.
If you’re a religious person than Proverbs 26:4 would resonate with you.
If you love Mark Twain as much as I do, then you would recall this quote…”Never argue with a fool; onlookers may not be able to tell the difference”.
I always say-“Don’t dance with idiots” (Chase Murphy-ism). I don’t exchange with people that refuse to listen to reason, or what I consider reason; and I don’t lower myself to anyone’s level. The can pound sand for all I care.
If you need to “win”, I’m gonna let you win. That’s the problem-people are too fixated on the win. They want to verbally (and sometimes physically) beat the point into their rival. They are not satisfied till the opponent knows the “truth” and sees their side of the story as the only logical explanation. As for me, I have a long list of things I would rather be doing than drilling a lesson into the head of someone who wants to do the same to me. I focus on the people that come to me for advice and guidance and give little time to those who want to exchange with me. I’m just as passionate about the things I love or consider myself an expert on, but that doesn’t mean I have to defend it to anyone. You’ll never see me get into a public debate on Facebook (although it bothers me that there are people out there that think In-n-Out burger is better than Whataburger? Nope!) And I have no desire to get you to change your political affiliation. I would rather us be different, than to have a world full of people that think the way I do. I don’t have all the answers in life and like you, I am a work in progress. It’s ridiculous to think any one of us have it all figured out. We don’t know what we don’t know. Yet, that’s not going to stop an idiot from trying to get me to be their dance partner.
Your time on this planet gets less with every minute that passes and there are far better and healthier ways to spend it than trying to convince someone you’re smarter than them. Most idiots will never realize they are idiots.
#Tryharder to not dance with idiots. Remember, people look dumber when they are dancing by themselves.
