The Demographics of Rudeness
Current mood: amused
Category: Jobs, Work, Careers

With my job, I have met many different types of people, of many different ages, with many different jobs, of many different walks of life. A lot of my coworkers thing that none of these things matter in terms of how rude a customer is on the phone. I however, disagree.
For instance, I have noticed that generally, the younger a caller is, the more polite they are. They are less likely to argue with me. The older they get, the more likely they are to fight with me about the steps I take them through. The older they are, the more they seem to think that they know more than I do. The funny thing is that the younger ones are the ones that are better with computers.
Socioeconomic status also seems to make a difference. Middle-class consumers are the least likely to be rude to me. Upwards or downwards from that point, I get more rudeness and arguments. Lower-class consumers seem to think they have something to prove, and upper-class consumers seem to think they are above what I have to say.
Educational background also makes a difference. Generally speaking, individuals with a technical background will be less likely to argue with me, more willing to do what needs to be done to get the problem solved. These individuals generally only call tech support as a last resort, when they have run out of options. They seem to understand that I have to dot my i's and cross my t's. The less a person knows about a computer, the more likely they are to object to whatever I want them to do, and question my knowledge.

Something interesting to consider.