There are rude people all over the place, as anyone who has ever driven in rush hour traffic or navigated a crowded store will attest to. Rudeness is widespread, whether it takes the form of an insulting remark or a dismissive attitude. This negativity from ungrateful people tends to rub off on us all too frequently.
Even though you have no control over other people’s actions, you don’t want to be offended by their rudeness. So what do you do?
Here are some tried-and-true strategies that smart people use to deal with rude people when faced with toxic behavior, whether it’s coming from a cranky friend, a cranky coworker, a cranky social media troll, or a grumpy stranger.
Table of Contents
Rudeness Vs. Bullying
It can be challenging to distinguish between bullying and rude behavior at times.
Bullying is usually more overt than rudeness. It often manifests through passive behaviors, such as:
- Excluding someone from an important email
- Not inviting a person to a get-together
- Ignoring someone’s question or point in a meeting
- Not praising subordinates
Bullying, in contrast, is typically intentional and overt. The perpetrators frequently act violently toward the victim. Due to the imbalance of power created by their actions, the victim is afraid to speak up.
Rudeness can cross the line into bullying if there are unresolved issues between people. Additionally, it may reduce your productivity and impair your decision-making. Additionally, it raises your risk of returning the favor.
Therefore, it’s critical to stop toxic behavior before it spreads and becomes the norm. Group leaders must create a safe environment and deter rude behavior.
Active behavior is another trait of rude people. For instance, it’s rude to:
- Take credit for a colleague’s work
- Spread rumors at school
- Start an “inside joke” at someone’s expense
It can be difficult to figure out how to handle a mean coworker, particularly if their behavior isn’t malicious on purpose.
Bullying and rudeness have the same effect on their victims: they lose confidence and suffer a decline in self-esteem. You can get past this toxicity with the aid of BetterUp. They’ll assist you in developing your ability to advocate for yourself, hone your communication skills, and enhance your general well-being.
12 Ways to Respond to Rude Behavior
Rude people can be found almost anywhere, and your surroundings can help you deal with them by providing you with various strategies. However, there are some general rules you can abide by, regardless of whether it’s a rude classmate, coworker, or customer. To develop your own solutions, you can also use these techniques as a springboard.
1. Realize That Rudeness is Nothing New.
Rudeness seems to be ingrained in human nature. Plato famously railed against disrespectful and impolite youths, and we have been griping about it ever since. For many people, being rude can quickly turn into a habit. The value of being kind, sympathetic, and understanding to others is something we frequently ignore or forget.
Rudeness is contagious because it often results in additional rudeness. However, if we can see how these bad habits harm our happiness, productivity, and health, we will understand the significance of stopping these bad habits. Although being rude is nothing new, this does not mean that we should keep up the vicious cycle of rudeness and rage.
2. Stop the Spiral of Rudeness.
If you allow it, rude behavior can spread like a disease. One rude act can easily lead to additional rude acts, inciting foul moods and bad behavior in its wake.
It’s simple to understand how this occurs. On your way to work, a rude driver cuts in front of you, making you angry and frustrated. When you find yourself getting angry at coworkers without a valid reason, you take those bad feelings out on your office mates. As a result, your coworkers become irritated and rude to others. And so it goes.
You have the ability to put an end to unfavorable circumstance and break the cycle of rudeness. You can diffuse rudeness with kindness by showing a little empathy.
3. Don’t Take Rudeness Personally.
Stop taking a rude person’s behavior personally as the first step in breaking the cycle of rudeness. Everybody experiences bad days where it feels like the world is against them. It’s all too easy to vent your frustrations on others, which really just means on those closest to you.
Realizing that the offending and negative person might just be having a bad day can help put things in perspective because this happens to all of us. They might have been dealing with a challenging situation when you unintentionally walked into their line of fire. By refraining from reacting negatively to rudeness with your own negativity, you can frequently end the cycle of rudeness.
4. React to Rudeness With Kindness.
Don’t allow a rude person to prompt you to say even more hurtful things in return. Maintaining a friendly and upbeat attitude is one of the best ways to diffuse rude and unruly behavior. This gives the other person a chance to cool off and modify their behavior so that it more closely matches yours. The best way to combat rudeness is with kindness.
It can be extremely challenging to be kind to someone who is being rude or offensive to others. However, you can encourage them to do so by modeling composure and good manners. If this doesn’t work, you can be proud of yourself for not lowering your standards or adding your own rude behavior to the mix. You remained composed instead.
5. Be Direct
Keep your passive-aggressiveness and evasiveness to a minimum. Face them directly, make eye contact, and get right to the point about what it was they did that enraged you. Without knowing what they did wrong, they can’t improve.
- Don’t sigh loudly and roll your eyes at the person who cuts in front of you in line at the grocery store in the hopes that they will notice if you do. Address them directly by saying, “Excuse me, but I think I was in front of you in line” or “Sorry, but that is where the line actually begins.”
6. Use Humor to Defuse a Difficult Person.
![humor](https://www.theperfectideas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/humor.png)
A difficult and rude person can make everyone around them feel tense and anxious. Always keep in mind that if someone is being rude, it’s probably because they’re upset or angry about something they’re going through. The tension can be broken and diverted by humor, allowing everyone to laugh it off.
This can be accomplished by finding a way to laugh at a shared experience or circumstance. Self-deprecating humor can also be reassuring. To help everyone hit the reset button and start over on a better note, try to find a way to inject some humor when someone is feeling off.
7. Call the Person Out on His Or Her Behavior.
Simply pointing out their rudeness and asking them to stop is another way to break the cycle of rudeness. You need to deal with the situation head-on if someone who you can’t escape is constantly being rude to you. You don’t have to put up with anyone’s constant abuse. Never let anyone treat you disrespectfully.
Discuss what is happening with someone. Does the offender understand how hurtful their actions are to you? It’s possible that the offender is unaware of how impolite they are being. A person is given the opportunity to apologize and make an effort to be more courteous after being made aware of the situation.
8. Don’t Escalate.
Your first reaction might be to strike back when someone irritates you. But always keep in mind that you are the only person in control. Decide not to succumb to drama. Regardless of how someone else behaves, you are responsible for your own actions, just as they are responsible for theirs.
If someone has upset you, maintain your composure. Take a deep breath and give yourself time to cool off. You don’t have to lower yourself to their level, and doing so will probably only make things worse. Keep your composure and rise above the conflict.
9. Have a Civilized Conversation
If the person insulted you directly or made a statement that you vehemently disagree with, politely express your viewpoint or inquire as to why they are acting in this manner.[5]
- Try to understand their perspective by saying, “I find what you just said to be impolite and disrespectful; why do you say that?” This could start a constructive discussion or debate, but watch out that it doesn’t get out of control.
- If it “does” turn into a heated argument and person continues to be rude and disrespectful, walk away. Realize that you have done everything you can and let go.
- Keep in mind that some people are adamant about their viewpoints. Everyone cannot agree on everything, and there are times when trying to convince someone of your point of view will not succeed.
10. Show Empathy and Sympathy.
To demonstrate empathy, you must make an effort to comprehend the rude person’s motivations. Perhaps that person is going through a trying time in their personal life or is feeling overburdened with work deadlines. They will feel more connected and less alone in their struggles if you can find a way to demonstrate that you care about them and what they are going through.
Let them know you understand if you are aware that they are going through a difficult time. Don’t criticize them for acting out or having a bad day. You might find a way to express that you understand how the person is feeling because you have experienced difficult days as well.
This might aid the person in becoming aware of any transient bad manners they may be exhibiting. Let it go if the other person becomes more agitated. There is nothing you can do to make someone act in a certain way.
11. Be a Good Role Model.
There are many different hidden agendas behind people’s behavior. Recognize that some individuals may demonstrate their dominance or power by acting rudely. They might be attempting to get you to retaliate and ruin their chances. Don’t give them the satisfaction of seeing you lose it.
You are modeling the kind of conduct you want from those around you by treating everyone with fairness, kindness, and empathy. It might be time to enlist outside assistance if they are unable to reciprocate with the same degree of decency.
![rude](https://www.theperfectideas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/rude2.png)
12. Avoid the Rude Person.
Remember that sometimes it’s best to just leave if all else fails. If you’ve tried your best to make the person aware of his or her behavior and to be kind and understanding, it’s possible that this person is simply unable to treat you (and others) with respect and good manners.
You remove their target audience and decrease their number of targets by avoiding people who are consistently rude. An empty room will also diffuse the situation. Perhaps it will serve as a wake-up call if everyone around them starts to keep a safe distance from them. And even if it doesn’t, everyone else will at least benefit from it.
Final Words: 12 Tips to Deal With Rude People
Having unkind people close to you is not what you deserve. You are prepared to begin getting rid of rude people from your life now that you are more knowledgeable about how to handle them.