twonicus's Blog: end times

Thursday March 20, 2008

the modern world has become a breeding ground for lost, spoiled children, and even those of us who were raised to do and be better have been sucked so far down this badger hole of instant gratification that it seems no one is immune except those completely unqualified to do, well, anything about anything.

why do people, GROWN ADULTS, lie to retail clerks to get discounts. how do they justify throwing hissy fits in the lobbies of hotels on the off chance they might get a free breakfast (or, god forbid, a free room) in exchange for shutting up. what is it that has taken the idea of "the customer is always right" from being a nice guideline for customer service to the battle cry of a generation? no one is interested in anything past the desires of today(the metaphorical 'today' that includes the entire metaphorical lifespan of a metaphorical human or group of humans). and i'm just as bad, because not only do i not plan for the future in general, i don't even have a plan for me. but at least i'm decent and honest to other people ('cept cops). i feel like humanity's humanity is slipping away. pretty soon even i will be bitching at virgin megastore employees for not knowing who joan jett is or demanding free coffee at dunkin' donuts because the whipped creme in my latte isn't lofat or lying to amazon.com customer service to get free shipping, or whatever other bullshit people do to try and get one over on someone else. THIS IS NOT A FUCKING GAME! AND IF IT IS WE ARE ALL ON THE SAME DAMN TEAM!

just the fact that i feel like i need to be a moral compass kills a little more of my hope. tyler durden was right from the start, we all need to get back to zero. it's the best thing we'll ever do.

sit on that and spin for a while

twon

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LizzyQ

As a new subscriber to your blog, twon, I have to say… this is a very interesting and compelling entry to wake up to this morning… well, afternoon anyhow.

I totally know where you are coming from. (Having been on BOTH sides of the counter often enough… I think I’ve seen everything, although I’m sure I haven’t.) I would posit however, that despite the intro... more >

As a new subscriber to your blog, twon, I have to say… this is a very interesting and compelling entry to wake up to this morning… well, afternoon anyhow.

I totally know where you are coming from. (Having been on BOTH sides of the counter often enough… I think I’ve seen everything, although I’m sure I haven’t.) I would posit however, that despite the introduction of the modern media age, that jerks have always existed, and probably always will.

However; if we DO give up ALL hope, and follow Tyler Durden’s “res-set” approach… then have we already surrendered “the game” too early to those who REALLY annoy us, have we not?

Perhaps an old, and quite cheesy maxim might apply here… “the best revenge is a good life.”

Yes, we are constantly bombarded by other people’s selfish pettiness, and juvinille antics… which estranges us… ummm, socially aware people from the rest of our culture… yet, if we give up… who will stand up against this milase that is slowly numbing the minds and hearts of our fellow citizens?

I would point out to you, in the interest of open and interesting dialogue, that there was more than one message in “Fight Club” that might apply here.

If these things annoy you so greatly (as they do me) then why don’t you pick a fight?

It doesn’t have to be as literal a “fight” as the movie portrays, but wouldn’t you feel better at the end of the day, if rather than giving up hope, you decide to be a pest to those you despise?

I don’t know if you’ve seen “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” but if you have I would refer to the scene where Johnny Depp’s Hunter Thompson makes a hotel clerk’s day by stepping in front of the a-hole jerk at the counter and treating the clerk with tad bit o’ respect… resulting of course, in restoring the clerks pride, and Hunter Thompson getting the best service that day. All around… a win/win situation.

This has often worked for me, resulting in lower APR’s on my credit cards, and great deals from various store clerks… although I never set out looking for such things. Treating people with respect is a strangely powerful tool.

Of course, you have to make up your own mind on the matter, and I don’t write here to “tell you what to do…” I simply enjoy exchanging ideas, and found your post most thought provoking.

Kudos to you Twon, for caring enough to think and write about these issues… so many people, stuck in their own little “ticky-tacky” worlds, can’t glance up from their imperfect nail polish long enough to think about being nice to someone else. Sad, but true.

Take care fellow “FOD-ite” ... I look forward to reading your old and new blog entries. So few blogs are actually worth reading… ;-)

_LizzyQ

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posted about 7 months ago