Let’s get back for a moment to that thing about me being mean. I have to tell you that I had the best time talking with some mall…. uh…. twerps today. Three very young girls (more on this later) came charging into the store. Only, of course, they think of it as their personal internet cafe/arcade. One was miffed that she couldn’t use “her” machine because I was using it myself. I allowed that, indeed, we weren’t an internet cafe, we were a store and I was using this computer.
OK, so they get on with their real mission which is to talk to each other via AOL Instant Messenger. They’re 6 feet away from each other but they’re chatting via the net. The one closest to me said she was going to go over to help one of the other ones, but she was going to leave her IM stuff open ok? she’d be right back.
Well, I said, that’s not really a good idea because someone, like me, might go over and use your IM account or take it by changing the password. This totally horrified the girl. I wouldn’t really do that, would I, she asked? Oh yes. I have and I will (which is true). And I tried to explain how if you wanted to and found someone’s account open you could pretend to be them, or change their password or get their profile information. But WHY would I do this, she asked? Well, that would be because I’m mean.
This blew this young girl away. She asked me a bunch of times – are you really mean? Oh yes. Matt walked by, so I asked him – hey matt, am I mean? OOOOoooh yeah, he said.
Eventually the girl didn’t quite know what to do about this so she went back to chatting. No doubt they were chatting about this rather authorative older woman who made no bones about being mean!
Awhile later the same girl comes back and wants to ask me a question. Are you really mean? Oh yes, I answered. Definitely. Why? Just because. But are you really mean? Yes, we’ve established that. I explain again why it’s important to log out of your email and IM account when using a public computer. But are you mean? Yes.
Suddenly she asks “How old do you think we are?” Now I’d been puzzling over this. These were very short girls, and no real frame or physical development. They were wearing the uniform of much older mall rats – low slung jeans with skimpy tops. I really thought they might be 9. I hedged my bets. FIrst I asked how old she thought I was. She thought maybe in my thirties. I told her I thought that was very nice. Then I said – I think you’re all probably 11.
well! I had seriously dissed them. what!??? How can you say that???? we’re THIRTEEN! Of course I was laughing about this. I don’t believe they were thirteen at all. One of the other girls came over the and got in my face asking how I could believe they were anything but 13. My reply — well I believe you’re about to be out of this store if you don’t get out of my face! LOL
We did a couple more rounds of “are you really mean?” and then the game ended and they went off to play with someone else.
So let’s be clear here folks – I’m mean. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. A few minutes later I went to lunch and I really hoped to meet them in the food court. I was going to go over and tell them that they were going to buy my lunch or at least a soda. I imagined their howls of protest. And my reply would be – of course you’re buying my lunch. Because I’m mean!
