I went off(yelled) at an elderly person today... Not sure if I was wrong

[Rad1um]

Simple story really. Today I took my car to get washed as I always do every Sunday. There was a group of us waiting there for our vehicles and an older(id say about 65-75) walked up to the worker cleaning his car and started yelling at him. He told the worker he was going slow, and that other vehicles had gotten there after and left. The old man just went on and on. The worker tried explaning that he was trying to do just leave it clean and it would be done soon. So the older man just kept on going on how this is the worst and slowest service ever etc.

I went to grab my car and the old man was standing over the guy cleaning still, pointing out all the little things the worker was doing 'wrong'. I walked up to the old man and told him to back off. The old man told me he wasn't gonna be waiting there all day. And thats when I just yelled at him. Told him to go sit down, told him he needs to wait his ASS UP until his vehicle is ready or do it himself if he doesn't like it. He tried saying something else but I went super sayan at him and told him to go wait inside.

The old man went inside and didn't come back out -_-

So now im thinking im a monster. Maybe his car had been there for 10 hours. Maybe it wasn't any of my business. Maybe the worker was being spiteful so he was lagging it on purpose. All these variables cross through my mind now that I get to sit down and actually think about the situation.

On the surface its an older man verbally abusing a worker but who knows what happened.

I asked some people I know and some said good job and I did the right thing etc, other say I shouldn't have said a word since he's older, he's set in his ways and all the yelling in the world wouldn't have changed a thing.

IDK

What do you think?

[TirielWoW]

Well, honestly, I think you were right to intervene. You didn't touch the guy. He sounds like a bully - he was able to dish it out at someone who couldn't fight back (out of fear of losing their job), but he couldn't take it.

Seems fair to me.

[DanThePaladin]

Sometimes (read: a lot of times) elderly or old people think that they are entitled to more just because they are elderly/old.
Bullshit I say, you can wait in line just like everyone else. You can still have my seat on the bus if you have a hard time standing. But that's the only thing you get.

In my eyes you did nothing wrong OP he sounded like a bully or a spoiled person he should be told so to his face.

[Aori]

Don't know the backstory, neither did you. I start losing my patience too when customers are coming and going but I'm still waiting. It being a car wash.. I don't imagine anything overly complicated to where people are arriving after and leaving before his is even done. This is under the assumption the service is the same..

I think you were in the wrong. But again I wasn't there.

[Fincayra]

There needs to be more people like you. Don't think on it whatsoever. You did the right thing.

[Deleted]

You did the right thing, that's no way to behave, even if you're old.

[Puupi]

It was none of your business.

[Deleted]

You did the right thing! Customers that think they are better should just do it themself, or stay away.

[Powerogue]

On the surface its an older man verbally abusing a worker but who knows what happened.?

As far as you could tell, that was the situation, and you reacted accordingly. Unless you find out that wasn't the case down the line and feel you should apologize. Not a huge deal either way.

[Deleted]

I also tore a stripe off an older gentleman waiting in line at the pharmacy the other week. He was bad mouthing the staff asking why they don't have this items ready every week as he always comes in, but he seemed to forget they have a few thousand other people to deal with. He soon shut the fuck up and just gave me dirty looks instead.

Age doesn't excuse attitude

[TirielWoW]

Don't know the backstory, neither did you. I start losing my patience too when customers are coming and going but I'm still waiting. It being a car wash.. I don't imagine anything overly complicated to where people are arriving after and leaving before his is even done. This is under the assumption the service is the same..

I think you were in the wrong. But again I wasn't there.

No matter what the story was, screaming at someone in a position of less power than you currently hold is wrong. There is absolutely no reason to scream at an employee when that employee most likely can't do anything to fix the issue you have. You take it to management, or you shut up.

[DrMcNinja]

Old people are just really stubborn sometimes (read: a lot of times)

[Koji2k11]

yo man maybe the old man had only this one day to live and wanted to sort his stuff out and then you showed up and yelled at him to go inside .... maybe he went inside and died there because you told him too ? you were neither wrong or right you should have maybe chose another approach a more polite solution maybe you dont realy need to yell at people to make your point

[Felicia]

My grandma does crap like that, too. It irritates me to no end. It's gotten worse the older she gets... she feels like she's entitled to stuff... always asking about senior discounts and stuff. I love the woman, but damn! I told my husband if I EVER get like that when I'm older. Please tell me kindly to stfu, or else.

I've had to tell her a few times to back off, and that she has no right to treat people like that. Funnily enough... she's the nicest person on the planet. If you need help, she'd give you the shirt off her back and all the money in her wallet. But she's gotten pretty vicious in her old age. My dad's getting up there, too (he's in his mid 50s), and he's getting pretty snippy as well.

But I think you did the right thing, OP. I've always believed that you 'treat others as you wish to be treated'. Yelling and demeaning doesn't get you very far in life. I mean... it does... but it's not nice :P

[boyzma]

You were totally in the wrong and really need to learn to mind your own business. You yourself said who knows what happened. You didn't know, you decided to be the ass and go yell at an old man who was yelling at a car wash worker. If I'd been there and seen you do that you wouldn't be going on a gaming forum and bragging about it. Old people are treated like shit any more, people laugh at them, make fun of them, don't bother to offer a helping hand, are rude to them. Just sit back one day and watch how others treat older people...maybe you'll think next time before you yell at an old man, doubt it, but just maybe.

[Deleted]

You were in your right tbh and shouldn't feel guilty at all. Some old people can really be irritating. While they have shitloads of time, their level of patience and tolerance is quite low.

[Touch of Anarchy]

It was none of your business.

That argument is silly.

It absolutely is his business because this old asshole is now holding up the car line because he wanted to take time to yell at the worker, pointing out every detail that he did wrong/not up to their standards, and because he is doing that, the worker is now taking time out of other cars (including OPs) and wasting everyone elses time. I agree with the fact that some old folks have this odd sense of entitlement.

[callipygoustp]

You and the guy that was yelling both sound like assholes to me. *shrug*

[Deleted]

I would've stayed out of it completely tbh.

[Rudkobing]

Wow, somebody's a monster.

The worker might have been an idiot.