Why Huckleberry?

I had a truly liberating experience the other night at work. I met the vilest human being in existence, was forced to interact with him, and survived. He didn't even make me cry. Perhaps I'm finally developing one of those "tough skins" I've heard so much about. Working in a casino, I've been punched by a guest, shoved against a slot machine, propositioned, and threatened but none of those experiences compared to dealing with the likes of a guest named Huckleberry. Indeed that is his first name, and I shall omit his last name as I fear he is the type to google his own name and scour the internets for any information about his vile self.

Huckleberry is a professional poker player. Anybody who has worked in the casino industry will tell you, professional poker players are simply awful. Their success has been earned through cold, ruthless behavior and they have chosen a career that thrives on the defeat of others. Naturally, this strips away at a person until all that is left of their soul is a withering flicker of light, no larger than the poker chips they toss in their careless hands. To say I don't like poker players would have been an understatement before I met Huckleberry. However, after paying him a few jackpots I found myself praising other poker players for not being nearly as bad as the insidious entity that loomed over the video poker progressive that fateful evening. In fact, Huck makes other poker players look like pretty decent fellows.

Huck is always followed by friends who sit patiently by while he abuses employees. Oft times they look uncomfortable with his behavior but say nothing. Also, my management sits idly by while their staff (me) sits and takes whatever the loathsome creature feels like dishing out. Verbal abuse, spilling water on me, etc. I of course, smile and do my job for fear of write-ups or terminations. Which led me to contemplate the following: how responsible is everyone else for Huck's bad behavior? If his entourage of yes-men and well-meaning casino staff would only tell him "no" occasionally, would that change him at all?

If casinos were more apt to encourage guests to behave like civil human beings and treat the staff as people and not mud-spattered peasants from Lord and Surf times, how much better off would everyone be? I for one, feel better when I'm kind to others. Perhaps the miserable wretches laden down with the burden of wealth would feel better too if only they made eye contact and spoke a friendly word from time to time.

I guess the point of this whole post is, its nice to be nice.