All I can say is "you reap what you sow". You may have had a more sympathetic reaction if you had not damned a whole nation of people during your rant.

I've had many years of experience in the hotel business and I know what a slog it is. Perhaps the reaction from some of the staff is justified if your attitude towards them is anything like the demeaning vitriol you poured forth here.

Perhaps you just not a peoples person.

You don't happen to have a curl in the middle of your forehead do you?

But this member is not a new member: She joined way back before most of the regular users of the board. This is a person who doesn't post anything for two whole years, then treats us to two great dollops of negativity within minutes of each other.

I can understand that life can be hard sometimes - nobody would deny it - but to expect sympathy in return for a moronic diatribe like the one above, especially given the fact that we've seen little evidence of anything else from the member in question, is naive at best, unbelievably arrogant at worst.

I was tempted to respond last night with some thoughtless diatribe about lazy Americans, but I've too many American friends who I'm reluctant to insult just to make a point to one rather stupid and hateful one who hardly ever bothers to grace us with her presence and who, when she does, really oughtn't bother.

So I don't think you need to apologise, Martin. This user is getting exactly what she asked for.

Actually... two whole nations of people!

I hadn't heard from this user before, so looked at her posting history. I'm glad I'm not that angry all the time.

I still do not understand what it has to do with one nation or the other. IMHO and from work experience and social life (with Portuguese expats from Angola and Mozambique back in SA), I perceive them as one of the hardest working nations creating SA economy, food, music and culture and very polite. You would be surprised...

BTW: Maybe my experience means nothing as I only have worked with Portuguese people for only 10 years and still have a good contact

To be fair to the OP the title of this section is:

"Complaints Corner Something really annoyed you lately? Get it off your chest here. If you are easily offended, please look elsewhere"

She wanted to get it off her chest, and she did... only problem is that the people who are easily offended don't look elsewhere...

Why should we be fair to her?

Have a look at her posting record. All she ever does is complain. She managed to earn groans from two of the most senior members of the forum on her very first day of posting, back in 2007.

She's a whiner, pure and simple.

Is the Complaints Corner really for people like her? Or is it a place where otherwise quite emotionally stable members of EF go for the occasional rant in between sharing tips about living in Switzerland, discussing random stuff, and generally contributing to the overall life of the forum?

It's one thing when Bert in the corner goes off on one between his pint of mild and his whisky chaser. Quite another when some lunatic wanders in off the street and starts putting the world to rights when she hasn't even ordered her Bacardi and coke yet.

I didn't think the Complaints Corner was specifically for anyone as that seems to be runnning along the lines of discriminating who can and who can't use it... which kind of goes against everything public forums stand for.

The forum description is pretty self-explanatory in my opinion... say what you like, get it off your chest, and if people have a problem with that they can look elsewhere.

I don't see much room for interpretation personally, other than some members trying to dictate who can and who can't use it. So she's a whiner... big deal... stick her on ignore and let her be, there's no need to get up in arms about it at all.

Have you noticed how black people are all so lazy? And all those Jews, stealing the gentiles money, eh? And women, pshah! Useless! And queers... and wogs... and dagos... and... and...

How much do we ignore, Richdog?

In general, I agree. However, I can't see how her generalisations about entire nations of people can be left without comment.

In any case, why post here unless you expect someone to respond?

This should be the first post of a "dramatic exit" thread....

Considering my son and husband are Portuguese, and we have a Portuguese surname, I for one was really p*ssed the OP's post.

BTW, we all speak German, as well as English (hubbie even completed his degree in English), we don't work in service industry and would never steal anything.

It's the internet, she's a faceless person on the other end of a computer... we can ignore whatever we like simply because her opinion means nothing and never will. Who's it going to influence or affect?

Despite the OP's obvious ignorance (another reason why her opinions mean nothing in the grand scheme of things), I think if you read what she wrote properly and take into account her less than clear way of expressing herself, by "these people" she is clearly referring to the people who work for her rather than all Portugese in general.

And as for the PM's she has recieved that contain personal attacks... I really can't say that surprises me given the amount of knee-jerkers i've noticed on the forum, though it saddens me that people actually go to those lengths over some silly comments written in frustration.

That's just my opinion anyway. People have the right to free speech within reason, and I don't think she crossed any real lines worthy of uproar, i've seen much worse.

What lengths?

Writing stuff? If her bigoted diatribes are harmless, then the replies of the 'knee-jerkers' (not sure what you mean by that) must be harmless, too, no?

And it is a little disingenuous to suggest that people are unable or unwilling to 'read her post properly': If another poster is unable to express herself clearly, that is no concern of anyone else. On a forum, we are judged by our words. If we write like morons, we will be judged to be morons. If that isn't what the OP intended, then that's her lookout, and no concern of ours.

Like I say: Read her entire contribution to this forum, and tell me she didn't have this response coming.

I'm not going to get into a somewhat increasingly pedantic argument about it, i've stated my opinion and so have you, so we'll just civilly agree to disagree in this instance.

A complaints corner surely allows complaints about complaints and people uttering them. Let us not restrict the privilege of steam-venting to the sole issuer of the initial grievance. If the somewhat incongruous caveat "if you are easily offended, please look elsewhere" should apply to responders, then let it also be a guideline to people who feel the need to pen vitriolic complaints in this section in the first place.

It actually states:

I guess the 'easily offended' bit applies to poster and reader alike. It does not say that tissues will be handed out and a communal hug be given to everyone who gripes - especially a taker who brings nothing here but maligns the Swiss, the Portuguese and the membership of EF...

There's nothing pedantic about objecting to the people of Portugal being characterised as lazy, dirty, workshy and dishonest.

Hi DB,

I've always admired your ability to rise above the fray and keep a cool, level head. But why so judgmental here? I'm a bit surprised to see this from you.

I had a look at the OP's history. It's not that bad! As for the instant thread, I didn't get the impression that it was a racist diatribe against all Portuguese specifically, but, rather, the workers in her hotel (who, I'm guessing, happen to be Portuguese).

In all fairness, this IS the complaints corner. Why is it every time someone levels some grievance or another here (legitimate or not), the PC police come out in full force and proceed to pillory the complainant and then attack them for their nationality (especially if they're American)? Let them vent. So what? If anyone doesn't like it, they can click on another thread. Simple.

Absolutely spot on, I agree 100%. I think often when people on forums have got themselves up in arms about something, I don't think actually realise how slightly irrational they are being. Seen it many times, on many forums... and it's certainly no different here. Sometimes one (me included, sometimes) just needs to take a deep breath and step away from the keyboard...

DB's profile this week mentions something about a heavy dose of paracetamols - maybe the inside of his head is feeling slightly tender and not so sharp as usual