OK, now I don't blame Russell Crowe for the phone-throwing

[Patiod]

According to "The New Yorker", Crowe had called down to the front desk to complain that his calls to Australia weren't going through.

According to both Crowe and the clerk he threw the phone at, the clerk's response to Crowe's complaint was:

"Whatever"

[Blue-Jay]

1. Rudeness does not negate assault.

[aeolian]

3. No, but some assholes do deserve to be assaulted

and if I were trying to call home and a clerk said "whatever" I'd be pretty pissed myself.

But, I wasn't there, so I don't know. :toast:

[Texasgal]

6. Agreed.

There is NO REASON for someone to throw a phone in someones face. Period.

[aeolian]

8. Careful with the absolutes, there.

:)

[Texasgal]

10. Violence

is NEVER the answer, I don't care how rude the dude was.

Writing a letter, complaining to management is an intirely different situation.

Throwing a phone in someones face? NO. NEVER.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

38. The phone was thrown at a wall...

And Crowe never touched the little peckerwood.
Duckie

[On the Road]

God, How Clueless Do You Have to Be?

A clerk shouldn't say that to ANY customer with a complaint.

[H5N1]

11. What did Russell say to get things started?

He is known as a rude hot head.
Employees should NOT have to put with
rude asshole behavior. Never. Ever.

[On the Road]

2. dupe

[Kraklen]

4. whatever.

[Rabrrrrrr]

5. If more people assaulted rude and uncaring shitless service workers,

maybe they'd start doing their job and wouldn't NEED to be assaulted.

[aeolian]

7. Ahmen!

Testify!

[progmom]

9. ha ha ha ha

yes.

need to be assaulted.

:rofl:

[SOteric]

12. Sure. You know...

'Cuz a physical assault makes one so personable.

[Debi]

14. Well, that and low pay...

:eyes:

[progmom]

15. and this is all i can think of now:

[Rabrrrrrr]

24. Absolutely!

[eyepaddle]

13. First off, do you mean "shiftless"

and second, have you watched The Thing yet?

[Rabrrrrrr]

18. No, shitless

and yes, just watched The Thing last week! Always fun to watch that one. Such an amazing movie.

[eyepaddle]

19. Let's see if your etymology book can help us here

I think the origin of "shitless" comes from being so frightened as to involuntarily defecate, I think this was an American WWII usage and is most widely known as being "scared shitless."

"Shiftless" I'm not so sure about--if you're there, you've got a shift. You might not do much on it (like me, today) but you do have a shift!

And in closing WIlford Brimley as an Alien monster, surprisingly believeable!

[Rabrrrrrr]

20. No, it's not Fuchs... You must let me back in... I won't harm anyone... I

promise. I promise! I'm much better now! I'll be good!! I'm all better!! Don't leave me here!!

[eyepaddle]

21. NICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:rofl:

on edit: you've gotta take The Thing seriously!

[Rabrrrrrr]

22. I *love* that movie!

One of my favorites!!

[youspeakmylanguage]

16. Did he follow it with "F*** you, f*** you, you're cool, f***you I'm out!"?

n/t

[xmas74]

31. Gotta be stuck making hamburgers in a fast food joint

for that one to apply.

[Patiod]

17. I was more appalled by the use of the phrase "whatever"

which I find unspeakable, as opposed to the concept of "shiftless" service workers.

I'm not pro-violence or pro-phone-throwing in any case, but at least in this case, to quote Chris Rock, "I understand".

[Lannes]

23. Having worked in the hotel industry for a few years

The best thing to do in that situation is to tell that clerk to get the General Manager immediately and repeat what he/she said.The clerk will more than likely get chewed out in front of the person complaining or fired.

[prole_for_peace]

25. never pull attitude with russell crowe..

what was this thinking? he is infamous for fighting and being a all round general ass.

"fighting 'round the world"

[youspeakmylanguage]

26. He'll probably get a 6-figure settlement for having a phone...

...thrown at his head.

Pulling attitude with Russell Crowe is probably quite profitable.

[Susang]

30. Good

Crowe deserves to pay it. If he weren't a celebrity, I doubt anyone would be excusing his behavior.

[Susang]

27. That's not exactly the whole story

I don't care what the clerk said to Crowe, Crowe threatened him and then followed up on that threat. It's all on video and he deserves whatever penalty he ends up having to pay.

I'm a service industry professional who's been assaulted a couple of times on the job. It's not a laughing matter and it's nothing to wish on service employees just so that they'll do a better job. Not when I know service employees who've been stalked and attacked by their customers.

BTW, a more detailed account can be found here: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/gossip/story/323156p-276233c.html

[democracyindanger]

28. I just read that this afternoon

Pretty good piece on why "whatever" is a loaded word. And when you consider this was at the hip, pretentious W hotel, you can imagine the tone of "whatever."

I don't condone what Crowe did, but it's easy to see how he got set off.

[Susang]

29. So you're saying you understand this?

'Cause I guess I just don't. Maybe I don't get that upset by a little under the breath snarkiness from a clerk, seeing as I take far more abuse from my customers on a daily basis than a muttered "whatever".

~snip~
The word that set Crowe off was "whatever," which Estrada muttered after the frustrated Crowe had called repeatedly to berate him because he couldn't get an international long-distance line.

According to the source, "Crowe says, 'What's your name?' He says, 'Josh.' Crowe says, 'Well, Josh, I'm coming down right now to kick your ass.' When he got to the lobby, he said, 'Are you Josh?' He wanted to make sure he was assaulting the right person. Then he threw the phone."

http://entertainment.myway.com/celebgossip/pgsix/id/06_28_2005_1.html

[Rabrrrrrr]

32. Remember, Susang, there is a UNIVERSE of difference between

understanding and accepting.

Understanding is a sign of empathy and compassion; even when one utterly disagree with someone, one should strive for understanding.

I can *understand* Crow's anger. Hell, I can even *understand* racism and sexism. I can *understand* why Germany so readily stood behind Hitler.

Doesn't mean I think any of those things are good or acceptable (all joking aside from what I said before about assualting workers so they work better, which was said purely in visceral jest).

[Susang]

34. I understand

;-)

Seriously though, I wasn't kidding when I said I didn't understand his intensely violent reaction. Maybe I'm a freak, but I have never flown into such a violent rage (or any kind of rage for that matter) over a snarky comment that I felt the need to run down flights of stairs and assault them with a telephone and then follow that with a ceramic bowl.

I know what the word "understand" means and truly meant it when I said that I did not. I've never understood people who's first response to conflict is to lash out and hurt others, it completely confounds me.

On a lighter and more practical note, I also couldn't understand having as much weath as Crowe does and not thinking to own a damn cell phone.

[terrya]

33. Yeah...except this isn't the first instance of this kind of behavior...

on Russell Crowe's part. He has a very volitile temper and has displayed this kind of behavior before.

[Susang]

35. He's a fighter, not a lover

:hi:

[terrya]

36. Yeah...he's got a hard drinkin', hard fightin' reputation to uphold!

:hi:

[YellowRubberDuckie]

40. I hear a lot of guys in Australia behave this way....

I said I heard, I didn't say I thought this.
Duckie

[Initech]

37. Six words: Russell Crowe Fighting Around The World

[Zomby Woof]

39. Asshole clerks...

...still don't deserve physical assault.

Demotion or serious reprimand, yes. Even job loss, if the situation is part of a pattern.

But if Crowe couldn't come up with a better way to resolve a bad service problem, then he deserves massive scorn for his uncreative, ill-tempered, and disproportionately abusive reaction.