I went to see a
surgeon a few weeks ago, and his
intern comes to take all the bullshit notes that the doctor was too busy to deal with. The intern was a friendly looking chap, strong handshake, good looking kid.
Good afternoon Cliff, I am Dr. Hector Ybarra
So I think, good, we're being friendly, I'm a little nervous, don't want to cause any waves, so I smile and return his greeting.
Hi Hector, it's nice to meet you.
Hector gets a weird look on his kisser, like I'd just said something obscene. The room gets noticeably frostier.
You have trouble saying my last name? It's pronounced dock-ter ee-BARR-ah
I'm a little flabbergasted. I have no trouble saying his last name, I lived in a Spanish speaking country for a good bit of time and could get all crazy accent guy on his ass if I wanted to. I'm not trying to be overtly rude, this time at least. I'm silent for a couple of long seconds.
You called me Cliff, I call you Hector. If you preferred to be called Dr. Ybarra, forget it. The most I will do is Mr. Ybarra, and to get that you need to start with Mr. Lampe. What should we do now, Hector?
This guy is going to take something very sharp and make an incision in my body, and I'm giving him lip. But I can't help it. This is precisely the attitude of anyone in the medical profession that gets on my last nerve. I did not sign up for the ego tour. You are not God, you are a fancy mechanic, now shut up, fix me, and get on with life.