On Tue, 25 Nov 2014 13:27:57 -0700, RobertMacy
wrote:

I find that telling people to calm down
seldom has the desired effect.


If said incorrectly, appears as a 'control' statement. If said correctly,
can actually defuse a situation. But I'm probably more like you, Don't
tell ME to calm down, YOU'RE not in control here. However, oddly, the
person who maintains 'cool' is the winner and the one who blows their
stack is the loser.

I've had a confined individual tell me he had a "space ship" in his
cell. No need to argue with him, I'd never convince him.

He later called the facility, gave his name as Oren, when I happened
to be manning the operator lines on a busy day

Oh the memory... I fought against my Lieutenant giving this guy candy
bars just to shut him up. If you gave him raisin bran cereal or corn
flakes he would flick it under the cell door. He liked the candy.