let me get that for you..
what's with the american expectation that other people will do everything for you?
over my years here in the u.s., i've noticed a trend break through that really upsets me. i'll try to explain, so you try and stay with me here.
there's an "expectation," i'll call it. and it's horrible. i think this horrible expectation starts to develop in a person's childhood (seemingly taught by parents & other adults, knowingly or unknowingly), grows through the adolescent years and adulthood, and then explodes and flourishes somewhere around retirement age. for some reason it has become the norm to let others do your work for you, while you look on in either an ignorant or mannerless fashion. this "work" can range from something difficult and intricate to the simplest, effortless of tasks. take any of these situations for example: carrying/moving objects in a store, office, home, or school; picking up a dropped item from the ground/floor; cleaning or picking up a messy room/area; making and serving food in either a home or restaurant setting; putting a new roll of toilet paper on the dispenser; etc. there's plenty more, i'm sure you can think of several yourself, but here's the absolute worst: opening/holding open doors for other people.
i was at one of my favorite yuppie restaurants for lunch today, and i open the entrance door for an older woman approaching behind me. she walks right in without a hint of gratitude... without even looking at me, in fact. a woman with her two kids follow... a younger man follows them... a teenage couple follows him... all the while here i am, standing there holding the door for these thankless suburbanites. nobody cares anymore. they're too in a rush to be first. that or they've become so accustomed to the random act of kindness that they don't notice they don't notice. (ha.) and what am i going to do about it? nothing-- just keep on holding doors for people cuz that's what i do, that's who i am, that's how i get down.
being a nice guy in this country will ensure that you get taken advantage of at least 3 times a day, granted you put yourself in public/social situations. what a crock.
what's with the american expectation that other people will do everything for you?
over my years here in the u.s., i've noticed a trend break through that really upsets me. i'll try to explain, so you try and stay with me here.
there's an "expectation," i'll call it. and it's horrible. i think this horrible expectation starts to develop in a person's childhood (seemingly taught by parents & other adults, knowingly or unknowingly), grows through the adolescent years and adulthood, and then explodes and flourishes somewhere around retirement age. for some reason it has become the norm to let others do your work for you, while you look on in either an ignorant or mannerless fashion. this "work" can range from something difficult and intricate to the simplest, effortless of tasks. take any of these situations for example: carrying/moving objects in a store, office, home, or school; picking up a dropped item from the ground/floor; cleaning or picking up a messy room/area; making and serving food in either a home or restaurant setting; putting a new roll of toilet paper on the dispenser; etc. there's plenty more, i'm sure you can think of several yourself, but here's the absolute worst: opening/holding open doors for other people.
i was at one of my favorite yuppie restaurants for lunch today, and i open the entrance door for an older woman approaching behind me. she walks right in without a hint of gratitude... without even looking at me, in fact. a woman with her two kids follow... a younger man follows them... a teenage couple follows him... all the while here i am, standing there holding the door for these thankless suburbanites. nobody cares anymore. they're too in a rush to be first. that or they've become so accustomed to the random act of kindness that they don't notice they don't notice. (ha.) and what am i going to do about it? nothing-- just keep on holding doors for people cuz that's what i do, that's who i am, that's how i get down.
being a nice guy in this country will ensure that you get taken advantage of at least 3 times a day, granted you put yourself in public/social situations. what a crock.
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