“We, the American working population/ Hate the fact that eight hours a day/ Is wasted on chasing the dream of someone that isn’t us/ And we may not hate our jobs,/ But we hate jobs in general/ That don’t have to do with fighting our own causes.” I recently filled out a survey from Best Buy. Offers come printed on the receipt with a website and a 16 digit code, along with promises of $10,000 shopping sprees. Now, after years of buying things at Best Buy, I know that for every dollar I spend, I’ll be spending two to three more within the span of five years. Upgrades. It’s all about the toy you have being the newest, and the manufacturer’s know it, but the customers aren’t ignorant to it either. We need the newest toys because the old ones get boring. They get boring quickly, and as time passes that boredom occurs faster and faster. We’ve been given too much time to play. Too much time to think. I know, working in a factory where little to no thought is required, that thinking too much can be dangerous. Many days I can leave work in a foul mood, only to realize that I’ve done it to myself, and have nothing of any real consequence to be upset about.
So, you can imagine my frustration when I read that a professor - a learned person - has gone off the handle with an employee of a chain coffee store. Apparently, her problem with the global chain is their use of language in ordering. She feels that when a customer orders a “plain” bagel that means your standard bagel with nothing on it. I am, because of the reporting, unaware of whether this also includes toasting or not. Starbucks’ website describes the plain bagel as, “‘plain’ because it’s your simple, classic bagel. But don’t take that to mean it’s anything less than superb. It’s got a lustrous, golden crust with a subtle crisp. A moist, chewy texture with just the right bounce for toothy, satisfying bites. And the mild yeasty tang that every bagel worth its salt should deliver. In other words, it’s plain delicious.” Unfortunately, for Ms. Rosenthal (the professor involved in the incident) this is not the only flavor of bagel that Starbucks offers. There are 4 other types of bagels included in the bakery section of the menu, and the fact that one of them is called a “plain bagel” only makes this argument so much more frustrating. Ordering a “plain bagel” determines the type of ingredients used in the production of the bagel. As to toppings (i.e. cream cheese, butter, etc.), just stating “plain” in the order does not qualify towards condiment request.
Ms. Rosenthal is an idiot. This isn’t even a case of overeducation, as one commentator put it. This is a case of a woman whose social strengths must shine on Facebook or eHarmony. Face-to-face interactions are simply too much for this person. I get the feeling that she might enjoy commenting on web posts and claiming that everyone else has the wrong opinion if it’s not her opinion. Working in a bakery, I can attest to the fact that saying you want a crusty loaf of bread is vague, at best. We sell several loaves of crusty bread, all white bread inside, but with subtle flavor variations. In certain areas of the country it’s okay to call all sodas “Coke” or “pop.” If you order the wrong way outside of those areas no one will know what you’re talking about. Why wouldn’t you want to make sure you’re order comes out correct? What value does that hold? In an economy where money is tight and prices keep rising, why would you risk spending money on something that isn’t what you want?
It seems that Ms. Rosenthal was just looking for a way to vent some other frustration on another human being. The reason she was able to do all this, and get kicked out of Starbucks, is too much time. When anyone else in a rush would have just gone ahead and given the cashier the ordering language they were looking for, Ms. Rosenthal was just going to Starbucks to use their wireless internet. It was guilt that made her decide to buy a bagel anyway. She was only going to Starbucks to get out and sit and stare at a computer. Something, in the 21st century, we do to make ourselves look like we’re actually doing something. What might have happened if she had decided to order coffee? With all the possible configurations of drinks (Starbucks claims the number is around 87,000) one can truly see the importance of order specificity. The “I’m right, you’re wrong” mentality just came through too strong in this case.
The same goes for worrying about iris scanners. I know what you’re saying. “Woah, how did we get from a woman accosting a Starbucks employee because of language to iris scanners?” Well, the only reason that I can see people might be afraid that iris scanners will take over as our standard forms of identification is a lack of more important things to worry about. People refuse to look at issues that cannot be solved. They’ll throw endless amounts of cash at them to reconcile the fact that they aren’t smart enough or involved enough to make a difference. So what do they do? They pick small things that have not yet come to pass, and latch onto them. They listen to gossip and read rumor blogs that support a consensus that change is bad.
Cast your mind back, and you may have to go a little farther than you expect, to a time when accomplishment was the reward of hard work. Seeing a task fulfilled was what made you proud to have done the work of the day. If it didn’t make you proud, then you survived because of it. Toil in the fields led to food on the table and money in the bank. Now, we focus on doing the least work for the most profit, and most of our jobs don’t heavily weigh on our survival. A number cruncher or an IT professional can be sick for a week, and never be missed. Yet we pay them the most, when people that serve your food and make sure you’re comfortable in your day to day life are paid a pittance, if not paid in tips that the customer can chose to ignore.
We have too much time on our hands. The days of watering the lawn and washing the dishes, scrubbing the clothes and ringing them are over. Machines have made our lives easy and stress free (until they break). It’s just a question of finding what to worry about, and what to leave alone. Let change happen, and you’ll see unimpeded progress. Only time can say if that progress will be worth it, but you can’t know until you try. Unfortunately, we may never see the progress that comes with an adventurous spirit if people continue to fret over every little change. As for iris scanners linking all aspects of my life, great! I look forward to my bank account being more secure; my security in public more secure; my locations known in case some harm should befall me. We live in a society of huddled masturbators who feel everything should be hidden. All blinds should be pulled and doors locked. Let’s work on getting ourselves out in the open a bit more, feeling secure and confident.
