• came_apart_at_Kmart [he/him, comrade/them]
    ·
    3 years ago

    the most italian-american guy i ever knew was back in my 20s. he had left NYC to come down to where i was (i always live in places that other places regard as "needing help" lol) to do some formal volunteer work coordinated through the catholic church. placements were like answering phones at a shelters, handing out PB&Js and water to unhoused people, reading to elderly people or children in libraries, etc. super basic stuff. non-evangelical, no preaching. the placement orgs weren't even catholic.... it was more like the church would cover housing and stipends for volunteers from around the US to come and volunteer at these places. regardless, i got the distinct impression he was pressured into it by his family, but he didn't want to say that part. to paint the picture of this guy, he literally would make women he was dating watch A Bronx Tale with him to "understand" who he was. thick accent, dumb, loud and just ridiculous as fuck. oh, and like routinely at the tanning salon. this was before jersey shore even.

    anyway, in less than a month of a 4 month tour, he got into a spat with somebody at wherever his placement site was, because he was a hothead of course and got booted from his placement. so he then started "working" at a volunteer coordinating office. basically paper shuffle b.s., because none of the linked charities that took volunteers would take him. so this meatball decides to just start looking up pictures of hot babes on the internet all day and printing them out for himself. the boss/admin is like, "what are you doing? ink is expensive and this isn't a proper use of office supplies." the italian guy gets real heated, telling his boss to "back off" because it's not a big deal. it's not like they are naked, amiright? i think he even implied the boss was gay because who wouldn't want to put pin up girls around the office?

    the guy had so little self-awareness, he is the one who told my friends and i the story assuming everyone present would take his side.

    and that is the story of how an Meatball-American got fired and sent home from a volunteer job at a charity.