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Friday, September 08, 2006

The Rules, Does Anyone Pay Attention?

The Rules.
Does Anyone Pay Attention?
By C. Paul Luongo

The other day at the gym a young man was running the wrong way on the track and I politely asked him three times to please go the other way. He just ignored me.

I therefore asked the attendant, who was in the basketball court below, to do something.

The attendant said, “Is it bothering you?” I responded, “Yes.”

The staffer came up to the track, looked at the runner, said absolutely nothing and then, without a word, the young man left the gym.

I explained to the staff attendant, “I asked him three times to run the other way and he didn’t respond.” Whereupon the attendant said to me, “Well, everyone is not the same. Not robots.”

Robots?

The huge sign posted on the gym wall stipulates the direction of the track for users each day. Why bother having rules if it doesn’t matter. Robots indeed!

Something is wrong here.

In California, the law allows officials to fine automobile drivers for making a turn on red in certain intersections. High tech cameras are installed to catch violators. Yet some people are up in arms and appealing this issue. Why?

The law is very clear: you don’t turn on red. The miscreants caught ought to be open game, right? No, not with Californians.

In Connecticut, a similar camera technology fines speedsters doing over 65 and automatically issues fines for drivers.

I wonder, why are residents of Connecticut more law abiding than those in California?

And how about the person who gets in the express checkout line at the grocery store clearly designated for only three items when the customer has twelve? And the grocery clerk allows it? What do you say or do?

Do cell phone users realize that when they are not in their homes or offices that no one else cares or wants to hear their conversations? Why do they always talk at a high volume? And usually about nonsense, such as: “I’m just a block away; I’ll be there in five.” Shouldn’t we establish a “cell phone voice” to soften the attack for ambient listeners? Why do you think our forefathers installed doors on telephone booths? Now

we are a community of “open booths” with total disregard for our involuntary eavesdropping!

Let’s play by the rules, guys, please! Gals, too.

Maybe if the airlines had sensible rules about knives and box cutters and those who examine the contents of carryon luggage had followed the rules, the events of September 11 would not have occurred.

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