The security staff at the building where I work is the perfect example of people who use and abuse my "niceness". It all started about year ago when I came into work on a Saturday to finish up some last minute details for an event I was attending the following day. My building, usually buzzing with commotion and full of the sounds of clicking heels and ringing BlackBerries, was silent that Saturday morning and I could almost hear the hallways whispering, "get a life, go home". Feeling sorry for myself, I was even more saddened to see the same security staff I see Monday through Friday sitting at the front desk. I gave a friendly smile, a smile they had seen every morning for at least the past six months, and went about my business.
A few hours later I was ready to finally enjoy my Saturday, or at least what was left of it, and on my way out of the building, I looked up the 80 stories and thought, "hey, this would be a cool picture". Okay, so that's a lame thing to think of, but normally, when I'm at work I'm surrounded by hundreds of hurried people and never had the chance to really sink in my surroundings, so on this Saturday afternoon, I was taken back by the view.
So, I step back. Pull out my snazzy camera phone. Point. Click. And then get grabbed by security.
Within seconds, a man from the beloved security staff, who I was just feeling sorry for hours before for having to work on a Saturday, had his hand wrapped around my wrist demanding that I give him my phone. If only I knew the man's name I would have been like, "George or Chuck or Whoever, its me! The NICE girl you see every morning - I'm not doing anything wrong. And its Saturday for God's sake!".
Turns out, you can't take pictures of the building according to "George or Chuck or Whoever", which is nonsense because I was on public property and I'm pretty sure that every person who has every taken an architecture tour in the city has snapped some photos of this specific building. So what was really happening here? I'm convinced that the building security needs to make a "smack-down quota" and since I have "I'm non-confrontational" tattooed on my forehead, I'm the perfect target.
Recently, I was waiting in the lobby of my building for a friend as we were meeting for coffee, and "George or Chuck or Whoever" approached me once again and told me I couldn't "loiter" and asked for proof that I worked in the building. I have seen these damn security bullies, M-F for the past 1.5 years! I don't look like trouble. I don't look like I don't belong in my casual business attire. I do look NICE. That's the problem. The security can say they are doing their job by harassing me, which is obviously the better choice compared to Mr. Money Bags, CEO of "I Make More than You" Corp., who would throw a fit.
Its such a shame that nice people are taken advantage of and the grunting, pushy, attitude-heavy folks get to avoid issues such as my security staff woes. However, in the end, nice prevails, and I have reaped major benefits from my own niceness - free coffee (for nicely saying and not barking my Starbucks order to the barista in the morning), promotions (for being someone that people enjoy working with), a great boyfriend (trust me, the good ones don't like the bitch, they like the nice girls with a cute butt) and amazing friends.
So to "George or Chuck or Whoever" - let me say this - harass me all you want... you ain't breakin' my nice!
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