How to respond when you've said or done something people are calling dumb, in poor taste, mean and or very bad:
You're right, that was dumb|mean|in poor taste|bad. I am sorry. <walk away>
You are probably feeling defensive or mad and angry. Wait for that to pass. Nothing good will come from acting on it. Later its a good idea to reflect on why that interaction happened.
Maybe they are right, maybe you need to change behavior.
Maybe they are wrong, if so change your behavior to avoid them.
@peregrine Hard earned lessons :)
@peregrine the "walk away" and the reflection steps are key!
@electret world would be a better place with a little bit more of both.
@peregrine I agree, and want to suggest an additional cases I’ve found helpful, if that’s alright
Maybe they are wrong and you can change your behavior to accommodate them anyway because the stakes are low
Maybe they are wrong and you can adjust so that they have less opportunities to be wrong
Maybe they are wrong and you can tell them graciously because being wrong about this thing isn’t particularly important
Maybe they are wrong and so what?
It costs nothing to apologize to someone. It costs nothing to walk away from a fight. You save no face fighting in the heat of a moment. You have zero upside.