Monday, April 09, 2007

The Queue and the Elevator Call Button

I love people watching, as you know. This latest example doesn't disappoint, yet raises questions about the logic skills possessed by the average person. What goes through the minds of people who feel the need to not observe and accept the fact that I may have some competence in the world? My story:

Whilst I was on queue in the computer lab this noon, suddenly a girl, rather rudely asked if I had checked all of the stations for open computers as I was the first on line for one. Not waiting for a response, she walked the entire length of the room to see if there was an open station before returning to the queue. I could only assume that she felt my skills of observation necessitated verification by her. I didn't say anything to her, I might have, but rather enjoyed also observing the fact that two others who had trusted my ability to see had fallen in line behind me. This young lady's impatience had delayed her even more.
Who among us observers of the world have had experiences such as these? If I am standing in from of an elevator door and the button is lit, intuition should say that I have obviously already pushed the button, yet more often than not another person enters the scene and pushes the lit call button. Waste of calories.
The last example of the strange need for self verification before I go: Consider the hypothetical Door around which a number of students stand with anticipation in their eyes. Would the newcomer assume that the door is indeed locked and we are awaiting a key master to provide access to the room behind it?
Sadly, my observations have confirmed that the newcomer is more oft to press through the crowd of people and test his Arthurian might against a door which has failed to yield to all the rest. I would truly be amazed if the door actually opened, but it never does, because it is just as locked as it was when the last newcomer tried to open it.

Observe, good friends
I like the change of tone in this blog...