We have a real working salon at school. I'll be a senior student in that salon in three weeks so here's what I'd like to know from my fellow atheists.
It has been at least 14 years since I was last employed and that was in a one person office, run by yours truly. Given that I will be interacting with clients on the floor, many times, when I'm walking by students who have clients in their chairs, I am often hearing talk of jeebus and god. The profession I am entering is one where not only is it based on skill, but it is well known that hairstylists act as sort of a therapist for some of their clients. You can be a shitty hairstylist, but a great listener and that's why your clients come back - because they can talk to you.
Based on this, does anyone here have any words of wisdom to give me as I get ready to enter this next stage of my education? I would feel highly uncomfortable if a client sat in my chair and started talking to me about god. I honestly don't know what to say. I'm not good at confrontation in person so I feel I would be put on the spot. I'd just like some diplomatic ways of heading off any potential religious conversation that may pop up. We get a lot of older ladies that come in who are "lifers" to the school. They come in because we need to work on clients and they get services at a drastically reduced price compared to other salons. Given my area, demographically, we have many ethnic clients come in as well so often times, they are in a students chair for two or more hours getting a service done. This is a lot of time to be spending on a client and therefore, many subjects are likely to come up, religion included.
I'd like to just tell them that I don't talk about religion or politics because it makes me uncomfortable, but I think that would just make the rest of the service quiet and awkward.
It has been at least 14 years since I was last employed and that was in a one person office, run by yours truly. Given that I will be interacting with clients on the floor, many times, when I'm walking by students who have clients in their chairs, I am often hearing talk of jeebus and god. The profession I am entering is one where not only is it based on skill, but it is well known that hairstylists act as sort of a therapist for some of their clients. You can be a shitty hairstylist, but a great listener and that's why your clients come back - because they can talk to you.
Based on this, does anyone here have any words of wisdom to give me as I get ready to enter this next stage of my education? I would feel highly uncomfortable if a client sat in my chair and started talking to me about god. I honestly don't know what to say. I'm not good at confrontation in person so I feel I would be put on the spot. I'd just like some diplomatic ways of heading off any potential religious conversation that may pop up. We get a lot of older ladies that come in who are "lifers" to the school. They come in because we need to work on clients and they get services at a drastically reduced price compared to other salons. Given my area, demographically, we have many ethnic clients come in as well so often times, they are in a students chair for two or more hours getting a service done. This is a lot of time to be spending on a client and therefore, many subjects are likely to come up, religion included.
I'd like to just tell them that I don't talk about religion or politics because it makes me uncomfortable, but I think that would just make the rest of the service quiet and awkward.
Disclaimer: I am only responsible for what I say, not what you choose to understand.
