There are many ways a person can convince me to do something. These include guilt, asking nicely, guilt, logic, guilt, pleading, and a double dose of guilt. However, there is one thing that will almost never work and that is bullying.
Allow me to share with you a story. I'm a swimmer. My standard workout is an hour or 2,000 yards, whichever comes first. I am fully aware that my workout is substantially longer than your standard gym-goer who hops into the pool for just a short 10-20 minutes "workout" (a warm-up in my book). Because of this I try to be considerate of others and avoid the gym during the busy hours so I'm not hogging the pool. However, when I do go to the gym, I have every intention of completing my full workout.
Tonight was one such night. The pool was a little busier than normal for 9:30 p.m., so I had to stand in line for a bit until a lane to open up. As luck would have it, I got the much sought after solo lane which has room for only one swimmer (the other lanes are wider so two swimmer split the lane down the middle). About 800 yards/20 minutes into my workout this body builder in speedo barks at me, demanding to know how much longer I'm going to be. I told him my workout was only half complete. He got in my face and told me that the rule is if the pool is busy you can only swim for 20 minutes. I had never heard of that rule, and told him so. He suggested I go ask management. My response? I kept swimming. Yeah, like I'm going to give up my spot in the pool to question management about a rule that I know doesn't exist. He was not happy, but he also didn't get management (because the 20 minute rule does not exist). Instead he paced up and down the pool attempting to look threatening. He was just one good chest pounding and poo flinging away from looking like a hairless silverback guerilla.
I was really annoyed for a few reasons:
1) He was rude, and had not asked nicely.
2) He was making up rules.
3) He was trying to use his physical size to enforce his made up rules.
4) The girl in the lane next to me had been the pool 5-7 minutes longer than me, but he was hassling me, not her, because he wanted the single person lane in which I was swimming (obviously because he's clinically sharing-challenged).
I paid my dues to the club like anyone else. I had every right to do my workout. My day had already been piss poor. I didn't care how big and threatening he looked, I'd be damned if I was going to let him have his way. He stopped me 10 minutes later and told me he was getting into the pool in 2 minutes. I told him I was swimming, and pushed off the wall.
About 10 minutes later I heard him hassling the girl next to me. She was nicer than me, and was saying things like, "I'm not trying to be disrespectful." Fortunately he wasn't talking to me because at that point my vocabulary would have been less multi-syllabic and more of the 4-letter variety.
So how did it end? Well the girl next to me got out and the 'roid raging fecal-faced guerilla man took her spot. A short time later I finished my workout and got out. End of story.
Was my behavior foolish? Perhaps, but first consider these facts.
1) I was in a very public place that has working video camera.
2) Due to my nerdy swimming attire, there was no way he'd be able to identify me outside of the pool.
3) He was wearing a speedo, which leaves him clearly vulnerable to an extremely painful counter-attack if he took a swing at me.
That being said if you ever hear that they found my dead body floating in a pool, you'll know what happened.
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