Years ago if you wanted to talk to someone at the airport you would call the airport and they would page the person, a voice would gently ring out “Mr. K, please pick up the nearest white courtesy telephone”. Try and imagine a courtesy phone.
Last time I spoke to an airlines I had to remind the person that the sound coming out of my mouth was actually a sophisticated communication system that in the past was studied and occasionally used to trade disparaging comments.
One thing that use to be popular was to play music on an instrument.
Somehow absurdity has become the norm. Being a nitwit is admirable. Serious discussions about issues without reducing things to cliches seems highly unlikely.
Access to your computer anywhere you are somehow has been accepted as a good thing. The idea that you can work anywhere anytime just doesn’t seem to register as bad.
It is everywhere, it has taken over.
So I am in line and I am ordering lunch, usually a sandwich or a burrito some food product that allows me to”to have it my way”. Some kind looking soul clearly underpaid, overworked, over reviewed and under appreciated asks me”what do you want on it”, I say hey man I want everything, and inevitably that elicits the response including pickles, I say “yeah everything” then they say “hot peppers” I say, “holy jesus yes, everything” then they say sour cream.? Then I say hey I think one of us doesn’t understand the meaning of the word “everything”
For the love of God, yes I am in line, every single time you see a portly man with his hands in his pockets standing in a procession of people, loosely organized, somewhat linear then the answer is always yes he is in line.
I recall reading a column about this subject, so I claim no creative rights to the idea, however I was infected by this observation and can not quite shake it, its become that song that will not go away.
Here is the setup, I go to a store I buy something that requires some interaction between me and a sales person, we finish the transaction I say thank you and the person responds “Not a problem”. Now I scratch my head and think “uh yea I bet it was not a problem, isn’t this your job?’. Not quite sure how this phrase seeped its way into the vernacular, but I hate it. What does “not a problem” actually mean? It was easy to help you? Was it not problematic so therefore be on your way?