** Written with gratitude to Sabrina Holmes for her donation of ample subject matter and inspiration for this piece.
Your love for your children’s innocence is one more item on the growing list of things I love you for. **
What do a restaurant, hungry patrons, and the innocence of children have in common? Normally the answer is the exchange of goods and services for money. In the case of a stop to grab a bagel with the family, I watched foul words get added to the equation and ruin almost everything.
My readers know I will not hold back on my knowledge of the dirtier words of the English language. I occasionally bash someone on their display of intellect (or lack thereof), but I won’t act to restrict your right to display either. I certainly attempt to refrain from restricting your right to speak.
However, when there are kids present, you best shut your profane piehole up when their momma asks you politely. Otherwise, you’re subject to become the jumping off point of some irate bastard’s weblog.
Yes this happened the way you can probably guess. We went in, got our food, sat at the table, and proceeded to hear ‘fuck’, ‘shit’, and assorted other political diatribe from some asshole with an apparent lack of intelligence.
In defense of her 8 and 1½ year olds, mother kindly asked if the trio could staunch the profanity. The main mouthpiece stammered and attempted to make the lamest excuses (paraphrasing: “I didn’t see them; my tablemate blocked my view.”) before resorting to a stage mutter with one of her cohorts while the third found solace in a well-timed call to his cell.
On their way out shortly after, Missus Mouthpiece decided to loudly insinuate we were infringing on her freedom of speech before bolting out the door like the coward she proved herself to be.
I’ve spied at least two other examples of this kind of thing on Facebook lately. Two instances that involved beliefs and foodservice ended the servers up with no gratuity whatsoever.
There was the waitress who got stiffed on a tip because she didn’t realize she was wishing her Atheist guests to, “Have a blessed day.” The other got stiffed because a pastor with her flock (party of 8 or greater) paid a visit and triggered the auto-tip of 18%.
The message left on the receipt:
“I give God 10% what makes you think you deserve 18?”
Unless bread was being broken in a place of religion, I very much doubt pastor-lady deserved anything more than a painful case of indigestion. Much less than paying her waitress more than the auto-tip for dealing with a sanctimonious coward hiding behind religion so she didn’t have to pay for more than the meal.
These instances of self-absorbed, entitlist asshattery remind me of a sign I saw in a Pennsylvania curio shop. In that cross-stitched drugstore chocolate box kitsch It read:
“HUMBLE THYSELF”
It strikes me a notion we’re much remiss to remember.
I’ve worked foodservice for a short time, and I can say I’ve been on both sides of the order counter. I know there are times where gratuities are due and when to hold back for lack of decent service. I also know patrons should remember that there are more people of importance in the room than they, who are either the reason you’ll find spit in your food or why your waitress is bidding you a “blessed day.” However, it’s not only restaurant venues that this should be observed; it’s anywhere humanity thrives.
Americans like to preach how “it’s a free country”, and “they have a right” to whatever it is they’re on about. They don’t realize the real fact:
They ain’t entitled to shit. At least, nothing they haven’t worked for.
This blessed naïveté that a person can hide behind an overly-abused belief or right to get what their arrogant heart desires is more rampant than necessary. It isn’t held by every American, but it sure is flaunted in excess as an attempt to make it up for others who have the intelligence to know when to watch what they say in front of someone else.
With the above scenarios as example, I feel we lack the constant reminder to utilize the fundamental traits of proper etiquette. I feel those hiding behind their faith as a reason to be shitty to others deserves what they get in the end. I feel those that hide behind freedoms of speech to talk garbage in front of impressionable children have yet to show they respect such a freedom.
I am a writer of words both profane and profound.
I am nobody special except to those whom he earned such distinction from by his actions.
I have no right to take away the rights of others, nor flaunt a belief that disrupts the common solace of human activity. No matter how tempting it might be.
Swear in front of my kids again, however…
Have a better one.
-M-
§
Your love for your children’s innocence is one more item on the growing list of things I love you for. **
What do a restaurant, hungry patrons, and the innocence of children have in common? Normally the answer is the exchange of goods and services for money. In the case of a stop to grab a bagel with the family, I watched foul words get added to the equation and ruin almost everything.
My readers know I will not hold back on my knowledge of the dirtier words of the English language. I occasionally bash someone on their display of intellect (or lack thereof), but I won’t act to restrict your right to display either. I certainly attempt to refrain from restricting your right to speak.
However, when there are kids present, you best shut your profane piehole up when their momma asks you politely. Otherwise, you’re subject to become the jumping off point of some irate bastard’s weblog.
Yes this happened the way you can probably guess. We went in, got our food, sat at the table, and proceeded to hear ‘fuck’, ‘shit’, and assorted other political diatribe from some asshole with an apparent lack of intelligence.
In defense of her 8 and 1½ year olds, mother kindly asked if the trio could staunch the profanity. The main mouthpiece stammered and attempted to make the lamest excuses (paraphrasing: “I didn’t see them; my tablemate blocked my view.”) before resorting to a stage mutter with one of her cohorts while the third found solace in a well-timed call to his cell.
On their way out shortly after, Missus Mouthpiece decided to loudly insinuate we were infringing on her freedom of speech before bolting out the door like the coward she proved herself to be.
- Everyone believes they have a right to speak freely.
- What you do NOT have is a right to pollute my children’s innocence or vocabulary.
I’ve spied at least two other examples of this kind of thing on Facebook lately. Two instances that involved beliefs and foodservice ended the servers up with no gratuity whatsoever.
There was the waitress who got stiffed on a tip because she didn’t realize she was wishing her Atheist guests to, “Have a blessed day.” The other got stiffed because a pastor with her flock (party of 8 or greater) paid a visit and triggered the auto-tip of 18%.
The message left on the receipt:
“I give God 10% what makes you think you deserve 18?”
Unless bread was being broken in a place of religion, I very much doubt pastor-lady deserved anything more than a painful case of indigestion. Much less than paying her waitress more than the auto-tip for dealing with a sanctimonious coward hiding behind religion so she didn’t have to pay for more than the meal.
These instances of self-absorbed, entitlist asshattery remind me of a sign I saw in a Pennsylvania curio shop. In that cross-stitched drugstore chocolate box kitsch It read:
“HUMBLE THYSELF”
It strikes me a notion we’re much remiss to remember.
I’ve worked foodservice for a short time, and I can say I’ve been on both sides of the order counter. I know there are times where gratuities are due and when to hold back for lack of decent service. I also know patrons should remember that there are more people of importance in the room than they, who are either the reason you’ll find spit in your food or why your waitress is bidding you a “blessed day.” However, it’s not only restaurant venues that this should be observed; it’s anywhere humanity thrives.
Americans like to preach how “it’s a free country”, and “they have a right” to whatever it is they’re on about. They don’t realize the real fact:
They ain’t entitled to shit. At least, nothing they haven’t worked for.
This blessed naïveté that a person can hide behind an overly-abused belief or right to get what their arrogant heart desires is more rampant than necessary. It isn’t held by every American, but it sure is flaunted in excess as an attempt to make it up for others who have the intelligence to know when to watch what they say in front of someone else.
With the above scenarios as example, I feel we lack the constant reminder to utilize the fundamental traits of proper etiquette. I feel those hiding behind their faith as a reason to be shitty to others deserves what they get in the end. I feel those that hide behind freedoms of speech to talk garbage in front of impressionable children have yet to show they respect such a freedom.
I am a writer of words both profane and profound.
I am nobody special except to those whom he earned such distinction from by his actions.
I have no right to take away the rights of others, nor flaunt a belief that disrupts the common solace of human activity. No matter how tempting it might be.
Swear in front of my kids again, however…
Have a better one.
-M-
§