6.30.2010

Nose, Face, Meet Politeness

I generally support good manners. I try to be curteous in most situations (as with everyone, I certainly lapse now and again). Some times, however, that "polite gesture" is just a pain in the rear for everyone else around you.

Mornings lately I've been taking the complex shuttle (ei ride?), and have been fairly aggravated by this one fellow's consistent behavior. Typically a line forms up for entry. He is in line, and stops at the door and offers people to get on before him. His gallantry delays everyone just that little bit, for no discernable reason: DUDE, you are in a line, are you unaware of the function?

As ever, I think the best rule is to try and act to minimize the hassle (technically defined as the product of the time to accomplish the task with the sum of WTFs and "No you first"s [Interesting: hassle has units of time. That seems right, actually.]) for all parties. The result is that when everyone else is clearly operating by the "first come, first served" rule, your adoption of the polite persona imposes a cost on everyone else. Thanks!

3 comments:

susan said...

That is some bizarre behavior. I can't seem to make sense of it or discern what his motivation might be.

Anonymous said...

Many people feel that they have no control over any aspect of their (own) lives, and this is a way to assert some semblance of power (over others)?

MC Squared said...

This man's long term plan to find an attractive mate despite his social inadequacies involves charming a girl with his chivalrous ways to such a great degree that she is compelled to ask him out, since he'll never have the fortitude to do it himself.

Probably listened to too much of The Hollies, if that's possible.

In any case, his motivations are probably sadly pathetic, and I suggest you meet him with empathy over ire.