Seeing how often I write (ok rant) about this one particular subject, Lisa and I could easily call this site: Theimpolitenessofeverydaylife.com.
Once again, being out and about I found just how pushy, living up their own asses, pretty much unaware of anybody next to them, my fellows are. And while I write this as a reaction to what I met today when out and about, I realize that even if this blog was read beyond the few millions who already read it (that’s, um, a joke) the people I am speaking about wouldn’t much recognize themselves in the behavior I describe here, or if they did, because of the very nature of the problem they have, wouldn’t give a toss about what I am saying.
Say it though, I must. At least just to make myself feel better…and really, in the end, isn’t this what the world is about? Me. My feelings? (See, I’m just as bad as the people I will describe herein).
I was standing at the small checkout space of the store, my stuff on the counter before me—pretty much taking up the entire counter since I had a few items and the space wasn’t a big one—and this lady simply put her mess of items adjacent to mine, pretty much pushed mine to the side, while I was still well in the process of checking out. She shocked me so much that I looked from the clerk, who seemed as taken aback by her encroachment as me and leveled the lady with a hearty “Oh good morning,” hoping she’d get the message of being too much in my lane. No such luck Ralphie!
I am generally an amiable guy to even the most blatant intrusions on my space and time. But this was kinda too much, and for so early in the morning. It was another instance of that ‘Um, so like, what’s with people?’ question I ask myself too often these days.
Look, if you get yourself around a roulette table in Las Vegas and expect Chinese tourists to understand the concept of personal space while laying on your shoulder to place a bet, you’ll be running a fool’s race, my friend. The Asian culture in that country is such that there are so many people that the folks there do not understand or adhere to the boundaries we do. One can’t blame them. As much as I learned that when dealing with Swiss-born folks in business, they do not expect nor do they even respond to opening pleasantries in an emails. It’s just the way of these cultures. There’s plenty of stuff we aren’t culturally conversant in because of where we were born and bred and plenty of stuff thats viewed as bad manners in other countries.
Live and learn and try to be tolerant I say (and I’ll admit, as much as anybody else, I can be impatient, especially when I win a couple hundred on black).
But this lady who muscled my donuts (and I mean no euphemism here) was a fellow American like me, she spoke perfect English, she knows our customs…or maybe pushing people out of the way with your groceries is indeed customary these days where I live.
Jesus, I hope not.
Am I the one running a fool’s race?
