I've been in a shitload of positions where I was assigned menial tasks for a variety of reasons. In some of those. positions I could say no without drama, in some I could quit, in some I could say "Yes sir/ma'am", in some I could delegate, in some I could outsource. In every case, I could respectfully and tactfully ask why.
"Is there any specific area that needs extra attention?"
"Will somebody else be covering my standard duties while I do this?"
"Is this going to be part of my regular duties or is this just to keep me busy?"
... and so on. Tone matters depending on the relationship you have with the manager. But a violent reactive act and profanity doesn't seem like the best way regardless of how righteous you feel years down the road.
I wouldn't hire you if this was your "tell me about a time you dealt with adversity in the workplace" interview answer, that's for sure.
What next, will he ask you to go grab shopping carts?!?!
Despite your rationalization, it's not uncommon to have the parking lot cleaned up and swept on a regular basis. I've done it for restaurants I worked at as a teenager, for example.
Your problem is being too sensitive.
Was a decent change of pace, didn’t mind it. Would have done it as long as mgr wasn’t a jerk about it.
Or do what everybody else does, and contract with one of those companies that comes through a couple of nights a week with one of those parking lot sweeping trucks?
The thing is, to a first approximation, nobody asks employees to go out and sweep the god-damn parking lot with a broom. This particular manager was just being a dick for the sake of being a dick. And I'm not somebody you can bully like that, because I will happily tell you to go fuck yourself and walk out. shrug
There's a reason job postings all say "And other duties as assigned"
And do you actually think that people take that to literally mean anything? Is there no task whatsoever that you would refuse to do? If so, I'd say you are a very strange person, as most people in my experience do have a line. That line is going to vary a lot from person to person, but I don't think I know a single person who would honestly say "Yes, I will do anything for my boss based on that clause in the job description."