By: Jeff Toister

I distinctly remember the first time I apologized on behalf of America. It was 1995 and I was living in Dublin, Ireland. I wandered into a gift shop near Grafton street to purchase some Waterford crystal to send home to my mom.

As I walked around the shop, I observed another customer berating an associate. This lady was RUDE. She obnoxiously demeaned the employee while constantly stating that she was an American. As if being American entitled her to treat people with utter disrespect.

The associate politely tried her best to help the woman. She was calm, patient, and kind, though I could tell she was unnerved by the customer’s outrageous behavior. Amazingly, she kept her cool until the customer eventually stormed off.

Let’s get one thing out of the way: being polite to a rude customer is not easy. It’s not even natural. Read more here.