I don't think you can blame the Internet on this one.

Did you read the report that came out recently that cell phone users are using their cell phones as an excuse not to interact with people (they will pretend to be on phone calls that they are not on in order to avoid talking to other people)? And that they will purposefully (and have admitted doing this) to going on phone calls so that waiters/waitresses and cashiers and other service providers have to wait to be able to finish a transaction? (Of course this means all customers behind them also have to wait while they have their little power trip.) I won't even both to mention the rudeness of cell phone users talking at the top of their lungs in restaurants and movie theaters and concerts...yes, they are so fascinating they want all the world to hear the fact that they can't choose popcorn with or without butter without help from someone else. And, a more dangerous class of inconsideratin, we have drivers so rude that they would rather have an accident than give another driver the courtesy of allowing them to merge into traffic.

Merchants are humans. Customers are humans. What is so sad is that we are losing our humaneness for no good reason other than to pretend we have control over other people (I suspect so many of us have so little real power in our lives). A little injection of humility on both sides would be no bad thing.

Oh well. It's too late now for that. The damage has been done.

But, for the record, I'm constantly awed by the service that merchants provide me. Thank you one and all.

Message edited on: 05/10/2005 07:21