On Having a Forgettable Face

I have a forgettable face. Scratch that. I’ve got a forgettable face and name.

At least that’s what I convinced myself of after a public official forgot my name and forgot he ever met me previously though we’ve met in professional settings multiple times.

This blog is not about that public official who forgot me because, hey, it happens (multiple times apparently). It’s about my experience transitioning from one role in the community to another and how people have forgotten my face even though we’ve met.

I used to/occasionally still work as a newspaper reporter. It was a generally respected job. People weren’t always glad to see me coming at them with a notepad and quizzical face, but for the most part they treated me with kindness and respect (aside for those few slammed doors and dead phone calls that ended with me wondering which question pushed them too far).

Flash forward to today. Now I work for Iron Horse Brewery with one of the best teams ever. I’m the event coordinator, which means I am often at tastings and dinners etc. serving beer to all our fans. My job has changed, but my face, attitude and level of efficiency is the same. And yet, I have been treated differently since taking on this new role.

People I formerly met as a reporter who were then respectful to me now talk down to me. Some have even told me I should get a better job and are generally disrespectful and entitled. And it’s not because I’m doing my job incorrectly or inefficiently.

Maybe it’s a stigma with the beer industry or the perception of people who pour drinks. Maybe I just have the kind of face people think they can say anything to, even if it’s rude. But it’s interesting to see how many people have forgotten who I am and say whatever they want, while I’m pouring them beer.

That’s fine, forget my name, forget we’ve met, but don’t treat me any differently than you would have in my previous job. I deserve the same level of respect no matter what career field I’m in, and so does everyone else out there.

P.S. Anything you tell me while you’re drunk and being rude is on the record.