I read this article on what to do when someone cuts ahead in line.
Although it’s becoming increasingly rare, “speaking up” remains the most effective option for combating this sort of behavior.
A quick story….
Ithaca, NY. 2007.
I was waiting in a long line for some food at an off-campus eatery. Some girl decided to cut to the front of the line.
She wasn’t going to get away with it.
I threw a few jokes her way, including this exchange:
Me: “Do you know what happens to people downstate when they cut the line?”
Girl: “No. What?”
Me: “Neither do I because NOBODY CUTS THE LINE!”
The entire line was laughing. The point was made.
To her credit, she was contrite and we exchanged pleasantries—-then she headed to the back of the line.
One line from that Lifehacker article that I didn’t agree with:
“But something as unimportant as a person cutting in line should really never escalate to that level.”
I disagree. It’s very important.
Not so much in the grand scheme of things, yes, but it is a matter of fairness and perceived injustice. You can feel that discomfort in the pit of your stomach when you’ve been wronged. It goes away when you take measures to rectify it.
Not surprisingly, most of the social network responders offered passive-aggressive approaches to the problem.
To be clear, this post isn’t just about line cutting—it’s about the many little injustices one has to combat every day. If you don’t like what’s happening, do something about it.
Something to think about for the new year…..