@denmarkguy it does indeed seem like there are a lot of these people that we run into... the instant gratification mentality that exists today is part of it - i.e. it took you so long to respond...lol But, that's just part of the problem...
When I have these encounters with people that are negative, critical, and only seem to want to place blame on something or someone else, I wonder: how or why did they get that way?
I try to put myself in their shoes... I ask myself what could have happened in their life that taught them that this was how to act? Did they grow up in an environment where they were criticized for every little thing They did wrong? I have realized that sometimes people act the way they do for reasons that they don't understand - it's simply the only kind of behavior they've ever known...
Pausing and taking this into consideration has helped me become somewhat more empathetic and understanding. I still don't like it, and sometimes am taken aback but, that pause tempers any reaction...