Take This Job and SHOVE IT

So, I'd debated on whether to weigh in on the Steven Slater story that has been making the news cycle, and then I decided that I can't let this slip by. This is mostly because I am constantly assaulted by the story every where I turn. On second thought, maybe I should re-examine where I'm turning. That's a post for another day.
If you are under a rock and this is your only outlet to the world, get a life, and search the story yourself. Too lazy to do that? You can see the essentials on this:



This version made me laugh. Yes, Out Loud.

So he is being heralded as a hero by every service worker everywhere, while the bougie elite can't understand what his problem is. I'm sure the right wing nuts will spin it into a bitchy queen story, and some b.s. about how this is what we face if we allow gays to marry. nice. try.

For me, this just verifies my theory that a sense of entitlement is dividing this country. I see it all the time. The person who thinks that whatever is going on in his/her life is far more important than you, your safety, your happiness, even your life. Compassion is thrown out the emergency exit, sans slide. I teach The Boys empathy and compassion, and people chastise me, telling me I'm turning them into doormats / future victims for a competitive world. I think these people have lost their moral compass (or it's going in circles).

If there is anything this world needs, it's compassion for our fellow inhabitants, not derision. I often find myself repeating that the people who do inconsiderate things must not have the presence of mind to do otherwise. Maybe they are going through a tough time of life, and I don't take it personally. But it really makes me wonder if there is a larger force at work when I encounter SO much of this.

Examples:
I am THE only person to wait for people exiting an elevator, while people who are BEHIND me are pushing past me, and running into the people exiting.
I am at a store and the person in front of me abandons her cart, while it is still between me and the register. I move it aside, and start unloading my cart. After she has been rung up, she pulls it back to where it was BLOCKING my route to the register, and then walks out.
I am walking in a cross walk, WITH the light, and a person drives in front of me by about a foot, across the cross walk to turn into a parking lot.
I am in line at the theater and a person walks up and stands right in front of me. After I point out where the end of the line is, the person just looks at me like I've grown another head, and STAYS in line. Did I mention talking on the phone the whole time?
I am assigning work to a TEMP at the office, and she tells me that she will not put together these binders because that's BELOW her.
I am working in a nature / science store and a small child knocks over a delicate glass piece shattering it. She goes to pick it up, and as I am telling her not to do so (because I don't want her to cut herself on the glass), her mother says, "Don't you touch that glass. That's what she's here for." in reference to me, and said with such disgust it was frightening.

I cannot possibly blame Steven for doing what he did - completely understandable. It could have perhaps been handled a bit better, but certainly not with more style.

For the 70's version of this story: