by Julius Albert Custodio

Created on: June 09, 2009

We meet rude people in different places and on a variety of circumstances. One of the mistakes most of us usually do when dealing with rude people is to fight fire with fire.

As much as possible, show that rude person that you can stand up to him/her while keeping your own character intact. There's this old American proverb which goes: "If you take care of your character, your reputation will take care of itself." If you can always come across as calm and composed in such sticky situations, even the rudest people around you may see the error of their ways.

~ Handle the Situation with Grace ~

There are times when a rude person doesn't even realize that he/she is being rude. If you can manage to give that rude person a piece of your mind without being rude yourself, then the whole thing may be settled before it can even escalate to a petty fight. With good composure and a calm manner, you can make a rude person see how being irrational he's becoming.

Of course, by handling the situation with grace, it doesn't mean being patronizing or condescending. There's a fine line between the two and should you accidentally cross that, it might turn even uglier. Just be careful with your tone or your facial expressions. Even a small hint of a smile can be seen as a condescending smirk. If you can manage to let the rude person realize how calm you are while he continues to be a jerk then he might just even realize that he's being one.

~ Be the Polite One: Avoid a Shouting Match ~

There's no point in shouting. If the rude person starts raising his voice, then let him at it. It's not like the one with the louder voice is the reasonable one. Don't be affected by the sudden change in volume. You do know that if you shout back at him more often than not he will only become louder. Who knows? He might even just be asking for it. If you're in a public area, you may come off as a rude person yourself if you will take the rude person's bait.

Instead, try to be more polite. Turn the tables on your tormentor by being the bigger person. Harsh words may be thrown at you at first but eventually, he'll get tired of all the shouting. After which, you can pat yourself in the back for not transforming it into a shouting match. But if ever the rude person shouts at you at an even higher volume, then try out the last two steps as described below.

~ If All Else Fails, Address the Rude Behavior ~

Again, try to keep your composure. If you are feeling intimidated, you may opt to tell the

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