Today I went into the gym for my weekly yoga and Bodypump class. This is the same gym that I work for, in the past I was a door monitor and now I am a group exercise instructor.
I got there pretty early and I wanted to sign in so I could go kick a punching bag a billion times before class. From my experience working at the gym and the convenience of the sign in sheets just sitting there, I signed my name on a piece of paper and went to go workout.
I came back and the door monitor, having discovered that I signed my name early, said to me, “Don’t ever do that again,” in a very stern voice.
Gut reaction: What the fuck. Secondary reaction: Okay, maybe I shouldn’t have signed in early. After thinking about it: If I was going to be an asshole about it, technically I hold a higher “rank” at the gym than the door monitor and he shouldn’t have been so rude to me about signing in — as an instructor, I kind of hold immunity to the nonsense of the average gym member. Also, I used to be a door monitor, I know the torture of the bureaucracy, but honestly, if someone started a sign in sheet for me, I’d be grateful! So really, I didn’t understand this guy’s rudeness.
Maybe he was just having a bad day. Or maybe he is just one of the many numbskulls who “just follow orders” and there is a silly policy about class attendees signing in before the monitor shows up. Either way, it was weird to make such a big deal over something so meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Hopefully I’ll get over this.
stacylitz.com 
In my 20s I’d often get upset at some interaction like that and chide myself for being silly about something small.
In my 30s I read more about sociology and human interactions and I realized that these things aren’t small at all.
Humans are social creatures, and we live in semi-ordered semi-hierarchical tribes…and folks are always jockeying for position and status.
For someone to DEMAND that you behave a certain way is a VERY strong status challenge.
This person was doing the verbal equivalent of grabbing your face and pushing you backwards and down a step.
It was calculated and intentional, and your subconscious knows it.
The vast majority of interactions are not status games, and are friendly and nice. This person chose to be a dick.