Call Me Mr. Tibbs

In the movie In the Heat of the Night (1967) Sidney Poitier insists on being respected when the "chief" calls him "Tibbs" or "Virgil boy". Poitier finally retorts, "They call me, Mr Tibbs." People throw around familiarity at the workplace and when conducting business as if we are all friends. Often times they have no more respect for you than a pet. They want all the benefits of friendship but none of the mutual respect that would fit such familiarity. It's beguiling how people can feign friendship. I'm convinced that telemarketers use it to try and disarm you, and co-workers and superiors use it to try and patronize and condescend you. Have you ever had someone call your house and ask for you by your first name as if you are buddies? They usually give themselves away by mispronouncing mine. Or do co-workers call you by your first name as if you have some type of relationship outside of work? I am perturbed at how naive I can be by allowing myself to be subtly relaxed into forgetting that I need to be on my P's and Q's in order to maintain respect and divert undue scrutiny and cowardly manipulation. Yeah, so I'm venting. "Wise as serpents and gentle as doves." (Matt 10:16)