[alexashka]

You have to understand that this is a poorly paid phone job for the person on the other end.

They don't have a PhD. They are not top 1% intelligence, top 1% compassion and top 1% drive to help others. They are just people who applied for a job, got it and are following a script or whatever little training they've been given.

When you're younger, you think there's adults who know a thing or two. Then you grow up and realize that's 0.0001% of the population. Everyone else knows how to do a couple of repetitive tasks and repeat sentences they heard other people say, not much more than that.

[ericbarrett]

In fact they may not even be employed; a relative of mine had to do a few shifts on such a hotline as part of a community service sentence for a non-violent misdemeanor.

[alexashka]

Haha my mind cannot believe this to be true and yet it'd take some 4D chess to have made up such a strange, specific lie.

[burnished]

I'm not like, broadly familiar with community service as a punishment across the globe, cultures, and time, but the way I'm familiar with is a mandate of X hours and its on you to find a place to volunteer and get them to sign off. So its not like the court told them to do this particular act of penance, which yes would strain credulity, it was self selected.

[ericbarrett]

I'm not sure why people don't believe this...? It was in California in the early 2000s and it was offered as an alternative to litter-picking and, if I recall, work at a soup kitchen. Said relative chose it because of the travel time since they lived far away from the jurisdiction where they were sentenced. I'd ask for more details but they passed away a few years later.