There are ways to avoid wasting your time without being a dick. That is clearly not what this guy did. If you consider making up a white lie about a sick relat

There are ways to avoid wasting your time without being a dick. That is clearly not what this guy did. If you consider making up a white lie about a sick relative or pulling one person aside and very politely saying this isn't for you 'ass-licking' - then sure, sometimes you need to lick some ass. Most people just consider that kind of behavior part of being a civilized human being though.