Back to Basics: Beyond the Pale
It's damnably annoying to hear people complain about how rude some shop assistants are when they are rude to the clerks themselves. Really, what ever happened to common courtesy? Yes, there are times when our good manners fly out the window, but when that happens, it's so freakishly insensitive of us to demand respect from others. The adage "Customer is always right" has its limits, and it's sad to know that people have yet to grasp what those limits are.
"Where's the size I'm asking for?!" "I told you to hold the nuts, didn't I?!" "This ain't decaf! What the hell?!" "Can your service get any slower?!" Sound familiar? 'Course they do! Since time immemorial, it has been ingrained in us that we should do unto others what we want others to do unto us--Golden Rule, anyone?--and it's surprising how some people can preach it like they adhere to it even when, just a little while ago, they have shouted at a thousand shop assistants! I mean, really, is it so hard to be kind to salesclerks? I know others are rude to them because they think clerks are meant to forever kiss the floor they walk on--add to that the twisted humor they find in embarrassing the poor devils. Guess what? That's not the way things work. Hell no! Do people want others to treat them as badly as they treat those harried shop assistants? I don't think so, so why not dish out a little respect to gain a little respect for yourself?
What if the roles were reversed? Then it isn't such a funny thing anymore, is it? Now there's another something to think about. Food for thought.
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Beyond the pale - unacceptable; outside acceptable decency standards
Paola @ 4:11 AM
