On depersonalising the bad stuff that happens
Last night on the way home on the bus de soir the driver was having a bad time.
To begin with he stopped to let some people off then took off with his usual brio but to an unusual accompaniment of various shouts, cries and yells. Someone was half-way off the bus when he zoomed away and they fell off. He stopped, they explained to him simply and clearly what had happened ( ! ) and off he zoomed again. Later on he missed some chaps' stop. As he got near my stop he said to me "It's just not working tonight ! I must be tired, it's this rain, it's just all going wrong." I guess their timetable must be tight because certainly they drive with an enthusiasm that I hope never to match on the roads.
This morning in the supermarket at the super-self-scan till I was behind this chap whose stuff had to be re-scanned by the till-lady. He'd bought a case of wine and because he couldn't scan the box he'd scanned six bottles up on the wine aisle. Now, of course, the cashier had to open the box to scan the bottles. He was not pleased.
"That's no good to me. Did you have to do that ? Is there no other way ?" He knew there wasn't. "What can I do with that ?"
"Well you can always get another one."
"Well you'll have to send someone to get it"
So I nipped into the next-door till which by now was vacant. All the cashiers were making faces and so was the chap.
The cashier phoned for someone to get a case of wine. "It's a gentleman who ...". "C'est un emmerdeur (it's a muck-stirrer)" said the man.
What struck me was that everyone was unhappy with the situation and everyone said so. Everyone pulled faces at each other. But in the end I think people feel that we are all victims in this crazy broken system. And that depersonalises it.
It's nobody's FAULT as such. It's just the mess we have to live with.
Now the good side of this is that it means people can express how they feel and nobody really takes offence.
The bad side is that nobody really takes responsability either ! It's the system. This thing is bigger than any of us so it's no good blaming me and there's nothing whatsoever that you or I can do about it.
To begin with he stopped to let some people off then took off with his usual brio but to an unusual accompaniment of various shouts, cries and yells. Someone was half-way off the bus when he zoomed away and they fell off. He stopped, they explained to him simply and clearly what had happened ( ! ) and off he zoomed again. Later on he missed some chaps' stop. As he got near my stop he said to me "It's just not working tonight ! I must be tired, it's this rain, it's just all going wrong." I guess their timetable must be tight because certainly they drive with an enthusiasm that I hope never to match on the roads.
This morning in the supermarket at the super-self-scan till I was behind this chap whose stuff had to be re-scanned by the till-lady. He'd bought a case of wine and because he couldn't scan the box he'd scanned six bottles up on the wine aisle. Now, of course, the cashier had to open the box to scan the bottles. He was not pleased.
"That's no good to me. Did you have to do that ? Is there no other way ?" He knew there wasn't. "What can I do with that ?"
"Well you can always get another one."
"Well you'll have to send someone to get it"
So I nipped into the next-door till which by now was vacant. All the cashiers were making faces and so was the chap.
The cashier phoned for someone to get a case of wine. "It's a gentleman who ...". "C'est un emmerdeur (it's a muck-stirrer)" said the man.
What struck me was that everyone was unhappy with the situation and everyone said so. Everyone pulled faces at each other. But in the end I think people feel that we are all victims in this crazy broken system. And that depersonalises it.
It's nobody's FAULT as such. It's just the mess we have to live with.
Now the good side of this is that it means people can express how they feel and nobody really takes offence.
The bad side is that nobody really takes responsability either ! It's the system. This thing is bigger than any of us so it's no good blaming me and there's nothing whatsoever that you or I can do about it.
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