I had my own little "Debbie Downer" moment last night at a Santa Monica restaurant. I was having dinner with some new acquaintances when the woman next to me tapped my shoulder. She was a very attractive Asian woman with long black hair.
"I see you’re wearing the Lance Armstrong bracelet. He’s my hero."
As she spoke about Lance Armstrong, it was clear that she knew a lot about the man and his career. Everyone turned to us, and soon, Lance Armstrong was the topic of conversation.
The table agreed that Lance Armstrong was amazing, an inspiration, the coolest guy in the world, etc. I should have just agreed with everyone, but my tongue had a mind of its own.
"It was pretty cold for him to dump his wife. She stood by him throughout his struggle with cancer and was at his side for all his treatments, and now he’s going to movie premieres with Sheryl Crow."
It was like I had just mocked Jesus or told a racist joke. I should have known better.
THREE RULES TO LIVE BY
- Never say anything bad about yourself at a job interview.
- Never say anything bad about how a woman looks.
-
And never bring up anything bad about heroic figures who’ve overcome their cancer to win big sporting events.
The attractive Asian woman with long black hair hardly looked in my direction for the rest of the meal.
