A Lesson in Civility
August 5, 2010 | Uncategorized
What makes some people feel entitled to do whatever they want and think “screw everyone else”? We’ve all met them.
Maybe it’s the guy waiting for his wife outside the supermarket, not in a parking space but plopped in his Pontiac blocking one lane of a busy thoroughfare. Or the woman inside – probably his wife – busy shoving a half-full cart into the ten-items-or-less line. We all casually look at the wall with the gum, candy, magazines and those little screwdriver sets to fix your glasses as we mentally count the items she drops on the belt…13, 14, 15, 16….
I’m 35,000 feet over the Atlantic right now and I can’t help but think of one of these entitled-zillas I encountered at the airport about an hour ago.
After having our IDs checked at two TSA desks, everyone formed one line to move ahead to the baggage scan. Everyone except Ms. Entitled-zilla, of course.
Ms. E left the ID check and stepped right into the middle of the line next to me.
“Excuse me,” I politely said, “but there’s a line,” gesturing to the end of it.
“I know,” she said, returning her gaze back to the Xray behemoths ahead.
Undeterred, I replied “the beginning of it’s back there,” again pointing to the group of people to my rear. “Thank you,” she replied dismissively, flashing me a sneer while she planted herself even more firmly than a moment earlier.
I took a step in front of her and moved to the right so my wife could stand next to me. No further words were exchanged, although I could feel a half-dozen virtual daggers impaling themselves on my back for the next several minutes.
As the line finally started moving, I stepped forward pulling my wheeled carryon. I felt a little bump and immediately heard Ms. E growl out “You just ran over my toe!”
I hadn’t intended to run over her toe, of course, but thinking that God must provide these little gifts for a reason, I turned and said “Geez, how did that happen? I guess it wouldn’t have happened if you were in the back of the line.”
At first she looked shocked, then angry. I walked off with a grin knowing I had struck a blow for civility.
And also, perhaps, showed someone the dangers of wearing open-toed sandals in a crowded airport.
Jim Ferri
