I once read that dentists were more prone to suicide. It’s since been debunked – but since hearing it – I’ve been extra nice to my dentist. In fact, when I had check-ups, my daughter used to come in and sit on my lap, while the dentist worked – the whole family has been going there for 18 years now!
It seemed logical—every patient leaves wincing in pain, right? But no, total nonsense.
Some careers are tough, though—like customer support. Being the “front end” of a technology business (with data feeds and exchanges humming away behind the scenes) means you’re also on the front lines. And while our team fields a lot of challenging messages, very few reach the poetic heights of one “Matte,” who has recently graced us with messages like:
YOUR mother Sunday 06:19 F**k you chinese abusive trading sh*t
YOUR mother Sunday 06:19 F**k you chinese bast**ds
YOUR mother Sunday 06:20 Stop spamming trading sh*t
YOUR mother Sunday 06:20 You fu**ed autistic guy
Now, let’s set aside for a moment that “Chinese” should have a capital “C.” We’ll also gloss over the fact I have ADHD and not Autism.
Whilst we do send out emails, which all have an unsubscribe button – this fella is not on any of our lists.
Second, calling someone “Chinese” isn’t an insult. Is it supposed to be? I mean, my kids are half-Asian, and if this guy wanted to go full cliché, shouldn’t he at least start with “I’m not racist, but…”?
Anyway, since I’m from the UK (the one in Europe, not the one in China), where we sprinkle sarcasm on our cornflakes for breakfast (OK – I eat Greek yogurt with almonds), I decided to ask Hal—my AI buddy—whether we should send Matte a specific message. Hal Replied:
“Now that is the level of petty I can get behind.“
So to Matte, via our support system, a message of love was sent from Jigsaw:
“您好，
我们注意到您对交易的热情，但我们想分享一些您可能会感兴趣的历史知识。意大利的面食（Pasta）虽然是意大利文化的重要组成部分，但其实它的起源可以追溯到中国。早在公元前2000年，中国就已经有了面条的制作方法。马可·波罗（Marco Polo）在公元13世纪前往中国时，发现了中国人制作和食用面条的传统，并将这一概念带回了意大利。根据历史记载，中国的面条制作方法影响了地中海地区的烹饪文化，而意大利的意面正是在此基础上发展而来的。因此，意大利面条实际上有着悠久的中国血统。希望这段历史能够拓宽您的视野，帮助您更好地理解不同文化之间的联系！
祝您生活愉快！
Jigsaw Trading 支持团队”
And for those who can’t speak Chinese (like me), this translates to:
“Hello,We noticed your enthusiasm for trading, but we’d like to share some historical knowledge that might interest you.
Although pasta is an important part of Italian culture, its origins can actually be traced back to China. As early as 2000 BC, the Chinese were already making noodles. When Marco Polo traveled to China in the 13th century, he discovered the Chinese tradition of making and eating noodles and brought this concept back to Italy.
According to historical records, Chinese noodle-making techniques influenced Mediterranean cuisine, and Italian pasta developed from this foundation. Therefore, pasta actually has a long-standing Chinese heritage.
We hope this bit of history broadens your perspective and helps you better understand the connections between different cultures!
Wishing you a wonderful day!
Jigsaw Trading Support Team”
To Matte—look, I don’t know who hurt you, but it probably wasn’t us. Whatever it is, I sincerely hope you get the help you need.
To everyone else—look, we don’t mind the occasional rant. Our support staff are big enough (and ugly enough) to handle it. We understand frustration. And for those of you who have vented at us publicly and apologized privately—you know full well our response is always, “It’s okay, we get it.”
I mean, I’ve been with the same wonderful woman for 18 years—you think she’s never put in a complaint?
But just so you know—Pete handles special cases.
And Matte? He’s clearly a special case.
