I've lost faith in Darwin. Evolution stopped centuries ago. Humans are getting dumber.

This week, I'm doing the graveyard shift at work, meaning I need to sleep during the daylight hours. A long story I won't go into means than I'm now knackered, grumpy and sat in a cafe drinking a decaf latte before attempting more sleep in a short while.

But there's something irritating the fuck out of me. Its the self-righteousness of parents of young children.

Nothing makes my anger boil like when my relaxing coffee or lunch is distrubed by a screaming child that has one of these parents. Kids and babies cry from time to time, I completely understand that. But the pat of the scenario that makes me want to go mass-homicidal is when the parents ignore it. Or, in the case now in front of me, they laugh and make googoo faces and noises as the devil spawn screaming bloody murder.

I've caught eye contact with the father who's the culprit in this situation and he obviously doesn't care that the rest of the cafe patrons are being distrubed. He's waving his arms around as if to say "well, if I've lost all care for the screaming, you shouldn't be too concerned either"

But. I AM concerned. I'm concerned that you are teaching your child that screaming and shouting in public is a completely acceptable passtime. They allow the child to scream more and more as the months and years pass, and claim that this teaches the child that screaming gets you nowhere.

But I beg to differ. (Face it, you knew that was coming!)

I call my theory the "Happy Meal Syndrome". First, a kid asks for a happy meal, and they are refused. Kid then throws a very small tantrum, and obtains the happy meal. Kids aren't stupid, and this only means that next time, they start the negotiation at the small tantrum next time. The parent, again, ignores it to "teach" it that screaming gets you nowhere. And then, they give in.

This syndrome is carried on into adult life. Ask yourself why people completely loose the fucking plot at store clerks for no apparent reason. Or why people go nuts at call centre workers. Or sit in non-moving traffic beeping the horn.

Is there any other example more perfect than a herd of cars, all stationary, and most of them beeping the horn at the (non moving) car in front of them? What do they actually hope to achieve? This is the happy meal syndrom in full effect. Make loud noises and you are meant to get what you want.

I'll give you another example. On last night's shift the three guys on the phones (myself and two co-workers) had one woman call in a total of 7 times over the shift, asking the same question. It was a question that she had to ask another department, that only open during business hours. But she came to the conclusion that repeatedly calling and, effectively, being a crying baby, would give the required outcome.

Fuck. People are stupid.

Anyone got any other examples that they wanna get off their chests? We people with functioning brains need to stick together!


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