Tsk-Tsk. I Do Not Respect Humans!

“Tsk-tsk.” The sound sets my teeth on the edge and I feel like giving that person an earful. Often enough we see people who seem to think that words like ‘excuse me’ do not exist. Their favorite form of calling attention is to purse their lips and hiss like a serpent that has caught a cold.

Once in a restaurant when the waiter was obviously ignoring this rude customer whose hissing calls were beginning to get on everyone’s nerves, I turned to the hissing man and asked him what was he trying to accomplish? Could he not use words and gestures instead of making that awful noise? Was he aware that he was being very rude to the waiter and the patrons who were eating there? Imagine my shock when he calmly said his behaviour was perfectly acceptable. He pointed out that there was no other way to catch the waiter’s attention because he did not know his name. I pointed out to him that the waiters had name badges and or otherwise he could use the generic term of “waiter” or be polite and say “excuse me.” Obviously I was wasting of my breath because nothing I said was heeded.

But why do humans behave choose to behave in this offensive way?

One obvious thing is that it seems to be a perfectly acceptable type of behavior amongst certain groups of people and they are actually surprised when anyone points out that “tsk-tsk” is not a respectable way to address any human beings and even some animals might snap at one’s finger is this were done to them.

The larger issue is the true lack of respect towards another human being, especially those who are rendering a service.

I completely agree with the film Munnabhai MBBS wherein the hero advises a young girl regarding a prospective groom, over a radio talk show. Reacting to a query on how one’s character could be judged in a few minutes meeting, the hero says, “Observe how he calls out to the waiter. If he says, ‘excuse me’ or something like that it’s fine. On the other hand if he snaps his finger and says, ‘tsk-tsk’, don’t waste your time and walk out.”

How I wish that that we legally throw out people who “tsk-tsk” in a hotel, restaurant or for the matter anywhere!