Hi 6 Chimes
I do not know if this story is true but it certainly could be
Very much doubt it's true, but that isn't the point.
The story causes a paradigm shift in the way one looks at things.
I saw a CC member be really rude to some pax last week, well out of order from what I could see and after my initial emotional reaction of anger, then quickly slipped back into rational mode and wondered why someone in a crew on a well respected airline would behave like that.
I subsequently saw the #1 carefully observing her colleague with a concerned look, maybe she knew something I didn't and the rudeness was a symptom of her having a bad time.
So, true or not, the story is a brilliant technique to get people to think about things differently (cognitive shift) and when someone shared a similar tale with me over 10 years ago, I never forgot it, either and it helped me to change my reaction last week.
As to the original post, "insulting" is not the right word, "threatening behaviour" is and it is totally unacceptable.