13 August 2010

Line Jumper

I don't normally get creased over people's rude and/or oblivious line etiquette, but this week a trip to my local ice cream shop to meet up with some friends could have turned ugly. Understand the line at this place is usually out the door and it was a hot night, so a good place in line is coveted. I got there a few minutes after my friends and got in the shorter-than-usual line by myself. All of a sudden a lady and a couple kids under seven or so just make themselves comfortable in front of me. Yeah. Don't mind me, I'm not even standing here. I was in a mood to begin with and didn't want to be a jerk, so I didn't say anything, thinking she'd realize she and the kids had hopped the line and make things right by getting behind me.

Not. A. Chance.

And to make matters worse she was all space cadet about moving up in the line. For real? As a human in the United States you've probably been standing in one line or another since you could stand and you're basically acting like this is your very first time in a line or are so filled with entitlement that you have no concept of what lines are even for. Come on! Her only saving grace is that the line was shorter than normal and there was ice cream involved.

Otherwise...yeah, I wasn't going to go all Christian Bale berserk on her, but wanted to. What I would have done was to politely say, "excuse me, but I believe I was here first." She would have looked at me like I was the crazy, insane person for committing the unheard of act of speaking up kindly for what's right and what rightly yours. Whatever.

The Deer Traxx in a sugar cone helped smooth things over.

Do you speak up when someone line jumps? What have you said? Do people usually yield?


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