The man in front of me hadn’t done that when it was his turn to go through and was asked politely to take his footwear off.
He gave an angry response to the worker and grudgingly obliged.
She retained her composure and carried on with her work.
He went through the first check and was asked by another worker to step aside to be scanned. He made another angry response and continued to berate the workers.
Security checks can be frustrating but if you want to fly you have to comply with them.
Frustrated or not there is no excuse to take your anger out on staff who have a job to do and, in my experience, almost always do it efficiently and with good humour.
What I saw and heard isn’t an isolated incident and such behaviour isn’t confined to airport security checks.
I’ve noticed signs at shops and restaurants asking customers to be considerate of staff.
Where have self control and good manners gone?
New Zealanders have a reputation for being easy going and good natured.
Does the behaviour at the airport and whatever persuaded restaurant and shop owners that signs beseeching consideration mean that reputation no longer applies?
Ele Ludemann is a North Otago farmer and journalist, who blogs HERE - where this article was sourced.
Security checks can be frustrating but if you want to fly you have to comply with them.
Frustrated or not there is no excuse to take your anger out on staff who have a job to do and, in my experience, almost always do it efficiently and with good humour.
What I saw and heard isn’t an isolated incident and such behaviour isn’t confined to airport security checks.
I’ve noticed signs at shops and restaurants asking customers to be considerate of staff.
Where have self control and good manners gone?
New Zealanders have a reputation for being easy going and good natured.
Does the behaviour at the airport and whatever persuaded restaurant and shop owners that signs beseeching consideration mean that reputation no longer applies?
Ele Ludemann is a North Otago farmer and journalist, who blogs HERE - where this article was sourced.
7 comments:
My theory is that good manners and self control were casualties of what was imposed on us all during the COVID years. Shopping and travel especially became extremely unpleasant experiences, made worse in that a lot of businesses became over-zealous accomplices of the government in their enforcement. I guess some people don't forgive, they don't forget how easily our freedoms were taken away, and they now refuse to continue to pretend that everything is sweetness and light here.
Covid is what happened to us, especially here in Auckland. 3 years of being gaslit, lied to, mislead and drowned in Maori BS. It all changed during the last Auckland lockdown. Friends going broke & losing everything. Taxation through the roof & a bunch of student politicians blowing it on woke fantasy projects. Incessant Maori Wonderfulness and a MSM breathlessly promoting same.
Politicization of Education, Health, Media, Police, Justice etc ad infinitum.
The day after the election people exhaled. Finally it was over.
Unfortunately the anger is going to be with us for some time.
Persons now advance through childhood and life without being held to any standards and are led to believe that they are free to exert their individuality and act and do as they please. Suddenly being called to obey instructions is foreign to this freedom approach and many choose to identify it as interference with theoir rights. Hence the anger.
Persons of little consequence kid themselves they are very important and nowadays the notion is not countered; when reminded of their inconsequence they get angry.
I cannot help but think that changes in technology are behind it. In 2004 I remember standing in a long slow line to get a visa at an embassy. I had anticipated this boring situation and had brought a book with me which I smugly read while everyone else stood silently, alone with their thoughts. That was the speed of things back - it was a perfectly normal everyday situation. No Facebook, googling, texting or Candy Crush.
Nowadays we are accustomed to instant gratification from our phones and computers. I believe it makes many people restless and snappy. A lot of people in the past could read a book for an hour but now struggle to do so without their mind wandering and wondering what's happening on the internet.
Basically I'm saying we are programmed differently and retail staff are suffering for it.
last two comments about sum it up
The airport staff should have electric cattle prodders and use them if someone moans or won't
comply. That might make a difference.
MC
i think covid accelerated the concept of 'no consequences' - that's the killer.
i could not have imagined a western country having the kind of garbage on sidewalks and buses that we see today in auckland - that's a stark change from just 4 years ago :(
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