N.W.A...

No, I’m not talking about the group, I’m talking about actual Negroes With Attitudes! A male with an attitude can be classified as that guy who is just sensitive, gets mad at EVERYTHING, is always offended, always feels disrespected, etc., I could go on. This is a horrible trait, and I find that it’s becoming more common among the male breed. Bottom line, leave the attitudes to the ladies! Now, if I blatantly disrespected you, then be mad at that…but don’t get an attitude because I called you at 4:03 instead of 4:00 when you requested. Gentlemen, I beg of you, these attitudes have got to go! If I’m not fussing, then why should you be? The last thing that we need is someone who is going to pick fights for no reason…that’s our job! On top of this, some males try to uphold this hardcore persona, pretending to be tough in front of friends, then will be the first ones to try and recite the poetry they wrote for you behind closed doors! Whatever, tell that to the next chick! I don’t mind someone being a little sensitive and affectionate, but don’t start with the attitude every time we have a conversation. The more attitude you have, the closer you come to getting moved into the “sensitive” category, and we all know you don’t want that. Now if something is genuinely bothering you, then let's sit down and talk about it like adults. Don’t play the “I have an attitude, so I’m not speaking to you” game or say “Whatever” when you KNOW you’re upset.

Here’s a scenario that recently took place in my life…we’ll call the guy, Chris:

Chris calls me. We engage in small talk, he talks about his day, and is anxious to tell me the new plans he has for his life, so I listen. He tells me that he’s looking to go into the medical field, got this new job at a hospital doing whatever he’s going to be doing. I ask him if it pays well, he says yea, it pays x amount of dollars an hour. I say, “That’s good. You will be fine since you don’t really have any bills to pay.” Ding ding! He gets offended. He says, “What grown man do you know doesn’t have bills to pay??” with a lot of attitude in his voice. Keeps up with the attitude, and we hang up a couple of minutes after. Mind you, Chris is not grown at all. He’s 21, in college, still lives with his mother, doesn’t have a car, etc. I figure the most he has to pay is a phone bill, and whatever he gives to his mother to help around the house. Now if I was wrong, let me know. But I don’t think the attitude was necessary at all. All he had to say was, “Yes, I do have bills,” and if he really wanted to put me in my place, he could’ve told me what they were. No, he had to go the other route and get all upset, trying to storm off the phone like a little girl. This is not the first time Chris has done this either. Every time we speak (which isn’t often), he always gets an attitude, tells me I’m mean, blah blah blah. Those who know me know I’m very sarcastic-this I cannot change. For him, I’ve tried to tone it down a little, just so we can have a decent conversation. I don’t know what his problem is, but I do know that he is a certified N.W.A.

I need feedback on this. If I was wrong, then I’ll call and apologize. If not, then I’ll let him have his little attitude for 2 more weeks, until he decides to call spilling his guts to me, and then gets an attitude when I don’t respond the way he wants (and no, I’m not exaggerating-he does actually do this)! If you have had a similar experience, let us know! Your opinions are always valued.