I don't understand people. As fascinating as they may be, there are some who pointedly vilify others purely for difference of thought. It is frustrating to see so little work being done when two opposing viewpoints can't sit down for one minute and work on understanding the other.
We see this in the obvious arena, politics, but it can be witnessed elsewhere: various security agencies, differing states, cities, countries, and even religions. It is childish to witness such animosity towards others on a consistent basis with little hope for compromise.
Then again, I will always hate the University of Texas, so who am I to complain.
The other day I went to Kohl's to buy some new running shoes. For the first time in my life I needed to replace an old pair of shoes in less than a year because I had literally ran them to the ground. It's a good feeling, by the way, to wear out shoes because of exercise and not from the passage of time (my previous pair were seven years old). When I was in line waiting to purchase my item, I observed a lady paying by credit card. Normally this isn't a big deal. But when the cashier checked the signature on the card and returned it to the woman, it became a big deal.
The cashier had failed to completely read the card, as we later learned, and didn't notice the signature was actually a note stating "check ID." This is common in a vain attempt to pro vent fraud. Nowadays, most people who use credit or debit cards simply make purchases online since you don't have to check for signatures. There is no opportunity to "check ID" while sitting at home in your PJ's.
When her card was returned, the lady snapped at the cashier, "see this? It says check ID. If you're going to take my card, you should at least read it." Afterward a brief pause, she continued, "Next time, you should do your job and look at the cards to make sure the signature is right or the id is valid," then promptly huffed away.
Now, I'm not saying the cashier didn't do anything wrong. It's obvious she should've checked the ladies identification. But the manner in which the woman responded was uglier than the situation warranted. Simply handing the cashier your driver's license and calmly explaining the "check ID" note would've been enough to remind the cashier about her responsibility. Snapping at a woman in public does nothing more than cause undue embarrassment to the employee and sets the customer on an unheralded power trip.
And I think that is all this was about. I doubt this had much to do with added security for her purchasing power. It appeared to be more of a feeble attempt at promoting a higher authority over her counterpoint. It's a shame, really, that things fall like this. And this woman is no different from the many people in this world who perform the same show at restaurants, discount stores, banks and other service institutions. There is a growing need to have authority over others, especially when the world is run on such power.
In recessions, I've seen, it grows to be worse. More and more people exude their superiority through hostility, or they find ways to knock other people down through derision. It's a by-product of uncertainty, and a dangerous one at that. The more financial chaos we find ourselves in, the more we want to seem better than others - as a way of saying we haven't fallen off that cliff just yet.
I don't have an answer for it. I can only hope people become aware of how they are treating others throughout their day. Sometimes chastisement is warranted. But undue hostility towards strangers cannot be the direction we take. If it is, then I have more to worry about than the OU-Texas football game in October.
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