From the Style section of the New York Times (hat tip to Digby commenter Der) :
Pinned Between ‘Hi’ and ‘Goodbye’
‘Many people are finding themselves cornered by a loquacious stranger, especially one whom they’re paying.’
LOLA OGUNNAIKE
Published: December 17, 2006THERE are days when Shannon Lanier, a producer at CBS Television, is too tired to have conversations with his doormen, all of whom are brimming with stories, none of which are brief. Sometimes, on his way up to his Bronx apartment, he dashes by them, pretending to be in a hurry. Occasionally he acts as if he’s on his cellphone.
“You don’t want to blow them off, because they’re nice and helpful, but the last thing you want to do is stand there and have a conversation when you’re so close to being home,” he said. It’s especially bad during this time of year. “They’re definitely extra chatty because they’re trying to get that holiday tip,” Mr. Lanier said.
It’s not just doormen looking to fill their stockings with extra cash who are talking up a storm. Year round, it almost seems part of the job description for certain people in the service business — cabdrivers, massage therapists, barbers — to share their ideas about everything from child rearing to religion, with little prompting.
Customers, to avoid appearing impolite or inviting bad service, often find themselves listening to monologues that last for minutes — minutes many say that they can’t afford to lose, especially during the holidays when schedules are tight.
Service providers don’t have a lock on chattiness. (Who hasn’t had a marathon conversation with Mother?) And in some jobs, like bikini waxing or dentistry, small talk is often welcome as a relief from the awkwardness of close quarters. But many people find it annoying to be cornered by a loquacious stranger, especially one whom they’re paying.
Lauren Booth, a legal recruiter in Manhattan, said that the barista at her Starbucks loves to yak away while whipping up peppermint mocha lattes and Guatemalan-blend coffees for his customers. He once told Ms. Booth a lengthy tale about his son finding his hidden Christmas presents early; he regularly gives her unsolicited advice about rearing her infant daughter; and he recently brought in pictures from his vacation and made her flip through the stack as he reminisced.
Though she had to get to work, Ms. Booth felt compelled to listen. “You can’t be rude to him,” she said. “I drink only decaf and if I make him mad, he might give me caffeine and I’ll be shaking all day.”
[…]
Oh the poor love, how she suffers! To have to actually interact with the peons, how frightful for her. How dare those uppity people remind the more important people that they actually exist and worse still, have lives. Ewwwww!
Maybe they could be fitted with chips of some kind to render them mute while carrying out their allotted functions? Then the important people don’t have to be reminded that the whole class of ill-paid body servants that their comfortable lives depend upon are actually human.
And about Christmas tips: don’t talk to me about the dignity of bloody labour being its own reward. How dignified is it that someone in a paying job in a supposed democracy earns so little they feel they have to be a performing monkey for the overfed and overprivileged, just to receive a tiny supplement to their meagre wages once a year from those who have so much more than they? Is it unreasonable to ezpect a little recognition from a regular customer for consistent good personal service ( and a year of having been treated as being invisible), without having to fawn or gush for it?
I’m not just picking on New York either: I expect similar things’re being said all over the smarter areas of London, Amsterdam and every other overpaid metropolitan area that depends on the urban poor for its existence.
Arseholes are everywhere and bah humbuggery rife all year round. (See also What Should a Billionaire Give — and What Should You? )
Read more: Economy, Income Inequality, Work, Jobs, Tips, Christmas
