Well said. I usually arrange to turn the TVs off. There are two methods. Once I was in the hospital waiting room at midnight. I gently verified that the other couple of people weren't watching. Then I asked the nurse to turn it off. I'm a middle aged tall respectable looking fellow, and that carried the day. She was shocked but complied.
The other method can be lots of fun. Get the device called TV-B-Gone. For a little under $30, you gain the power to turn off nearly any television. It works just about everywhere. I first tried it in the Sears TV department. Couldn't believe it. Blam blam blam. Off they went. Then I was in a casino in Albuquerque and randomly turned off giant TVs. After those tests of my newfound powers I became more socially responsible, and only turn off TVs that need killin'.
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Please Remove The Boob Tube
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I don't want to become like those people in my post office. Frankly, I expect more of myself. I wish society did, too. What happened to the lost art of waiting without being entertained? It almost always yields a secret gift to those willing to extend it the thinnest strands of patience.
Are we afraid we'll miss something life-changing if we aren't tuned in every moment of every day? Truly, what could possibly happen in the time it takes to run inside and mail a package? Are we, as a culture, really such empty vessels that we need to be constantly filled with ersatz stimulation that evaporates almost as soon as it hits our senses?
I choose to believe that we are capable of more: more patience, more restraint, more self-respect. So here's what I would say to the merchants who have erected these sacred screens in the hallowed name of customer service: even if you were running the "Chuckles Bites the Dust" episode of the old "Mary Tyler Moore Show" (and I don't toss out that example lightly), I would still resent the implication that I am a nuisance to be quieted. I am your customer and I need you to respect me, not baby-sit me.
Television, like any other form of entertainment, is something I want to choose for myself. Don't force-feed it to me. And don't assume that I can't wait in a line for five minutes without having a screen light up in front of me. I am capable of thinking and talking and actually waiting patiently to buy my groceries absent the gracious company of Regis and Kelly.
Serving your customers means giving them something they need. I don't need a TV in my face when I enter your place of business; I need your attention and your assistance. I'm assuming you need my money. I think this will work if we can just keep those objectives in mind.
So … deal or no deal?
Wood lives in Chapel Hill, N.C.
© 2007
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