“I really feel sorry for you and wish we could help you”: condescending?

Question

I had a group work meeting and expected to have a confrontation with another employee who I dislike.  During the meeting, I corrected a few things that he said.

He stopped and said, very slowly, “I really feel sorry for you and wish we could help you.”

Was his remark totally offensive and condescending?

Answer 1

Favourite answer

He's telling you indirectly that he knows you "dislike" him and he doesn't really care.   You can take the comment anyway you like.   The next time you're in a meeting with this guy, keep your mouth shut, act like he's not there.  Other people will realize his inaccuracies on their own.

Answer 2

Since you corrected things he said..................you were the one being rude and offensive.  He was just responding in a positive and polite manner.

Answer 3

In that situation definitely was inappropriate of him to say that.  Although if you dislike him and you knew that was going to be his response you probably should've refrained from provoking him.  In the future don't even bother correcting him because he obviously already knows it all.  

In all seriousness though, most people aren't huge fans of political correctness and don't like being corrected on trivial details constantly.  Especially if it's something as trivial as holding up a Navy flashcard and asking someone what color it is.  They say blue and you tell them they're wrong and must be colorblind because it's Navy.  

That was dumb.  You're dumb.  NAVY IS A SHADE OF FRICKIN BLUE!!  You know what?  Nothing pisses me off more than that.  Cut it the fug out.  You're driving me nuts.  That makes you come across as the condescending know-it-all azzhole.

It's like the kid in class who keeps looking up patent information in real-time on his laptop and correcting the professor every 5 minutes with information cited from the US Patent and Trademark Office website.  OMG!!  STFU KID!!  Nobody cares!!  It's just a class not a fuggin game of Trivial Pursuit.  Annoying at best.

Answer 4

i dont think so

Answer 5

In that context, yes. Perhaps that meeting was not the place or time for your confrontation?

Answer 6

No, I don't think so. He handled it very gently. You won't last very long at any employer if you become offended at such minor things.