This is a very common phrase especially, in my rather strong opinion, amongst the Muhindis here in Kenya. All my self-help books proclaim it is good to have high self-esteem but there is a certain select clique of Do-You-Know-Who-I-Am type of people who give a bad name to the rest.

These people were probably thrashed as kids by their parents because they grow up to be these sullen bullies who are cowards deep down. Just because they were thrashed they feel it is payback time and turn into control freaks around people who are not in a position to punch them and break their nose.

 

I have watched such people unleash their terror on unsuspecting waiters in posh restaurants. First of all, these dimwits should know if there is something wrong with the food, ask for the chef. You can’t start yelling at the poor waiter and shove the food in his face telling him to try it, and because he values his job he’s torn apart and stands silently allowing himself to be humiliated. Then out pops the mobile phone and those famous words ‘Do you know who I am?!’ and the poor waiter is cowering.

I have got this phrase thrown at me a few times. This happens usually when I’m on air in the studio at East FM and someone doesn’t win a competition or there isn’t enough time to play a song request and I actually get threatened that I will be out of a job very soon. This used to intimidate me before. I used to get really worked up and upset and I reported to the bosses that they’d be called with a complaint.

 

I’m proud to say I have the best bosses in the world. All of them unanimously agree that such bullying will not be tolerated and I was given express instructions to ignore such people.

 

A high position in society often allows one to feel they’re powerful; and they may be powerful indeed, but why use this power so negatively? Why can’t people just afford others good manners that will actually take you a long way? I get told all the time by people to write about what they feel is wrong being done to them. Well, even if it was written about in the Star have you got a guarantee that your problem will be sorted? Instead of being such a silly bully who deserves to be smacked and made to stand in the corner, how about approaching the problem calmly peppered with some good manners and a polite tongue instead of threatening me that you’ll report me to William Pike? (William’s my boss at the Star) Anyone and everyone always respond so well to a word kindly spoken.

 

The next time you whip out your mobile phone and yell at some poor unsuspecting person shaking in his boots asking him ‘Do you know who I am?!’ please stop yourself. No one really knows or cares who you are. If self-importance is driving you to be a mean bitch then I suggest you go for counselling to deal with this and get off your high horse.

 

And if you really were that well known you would NEVER have to ask, ‘Do you know who I am?’ Bloody imbecile.