I don't want to be that guy...but I can't read any of the second row in LiA and have it make sense.  Can someone break it down for me?

In The Actual Article:

So much this! I have pretty significant social anxiety in my everyday life, but most people in my workplace environments would never have guessed my struggles. I worked for many years in direct customer/client facing positions, talking with people in different settings all day long (retail, banking, client support,…

In the checkstand, go to check a $20 or $100 bill for counterfeit with the special pen.

To be fair that can go the other way too.

I think they’re mostly bad jokes by socially awkward people, too.

I get that from servers. “Looks like you hated it!”

Now I’m in the elevator industry and about once a week I get “I bet that has its ups and downs.”

*SO* very much. He’s got a lot of other good qualities that aren’t grade A dad jokes. =)

I think in those situations, they understand we’re not doing it to be dicks. We’re just freaked out and looking for a bit of reassurance. Maybe it’s a power thing—in situations where I have some level of power over the person to whom I’m telling the bad joke, it’s way less okay because they’re obligated to laugh in…

Not speaking for Cane3... But I’d rather have no interaction than forced, scripted interaction (at best).

Um... If they tell the same joke to every server... They don’t see you as a person. They see you as something for them to toy with.

Don’t treat interactions with service people like its a comedy routine. Just interact with them in a polite direct way, and don’t be an asshole about it. 

Yea same here, I had to do abdominal ultrasound and I was worried cause they were still trying to figure out my illness. So yea I cracked the same joke cause I was nervous. So W/E I get you find it annoying but I’m trying to lighten the mood cause I’m nervous as fuck.

Also, my tech did find it funny and we had a nice…

Dead-pan: “I won’t leave you hanging.”

Even if it’s a tired joke, isn’t it better than dealing with dead people who just interact with service persons as if they are owed that service?

Okay, how bad was this: A few years ago when my daughter was in high school, she and I stopped at a restaurant, and there was only one table occupied, totally empty otherwise. When the hostess said, “Sit anywhere you like,” I replied, “I want to sit where they’re sitting.” My daughter really loved that, I can tell…

My dad is silly, likes to make jokes with servers, cashiers, etc. When I was in college, we went to a really nice steakhouse with my roommate’s family. When the check came, my dad looked it over as he always does, called the server back, and told him there was a mistake. The server got all nervous and apologetic and…

And here we have a perfectly fine comment ruined by multiple people who simply MUST correct your word choice and continue as far as to demand you speak their way going forward.

Sounds like you got the shaft.