April 19, 2006

On Cutting In

A couple of days ago, I went to Handyman to get my dog some cheap dogfood. (Yeah, I know- dogfood in Handyman!) Since it was about 5 kg. heavy and the pushcarts were there for use, I placed the load in and went straight to the counter. There were about two customers lining up and it was taking the cashier forever to scan the prices. She must have forgotten the seminar on how to scan barcoded goods. In about five minutes of "happily" waiting for her to finish, a middle-age grey-shirted woman tried to cut in in front of me. Just because I give ample space between my cart and the next person doesn't mean it's her cue to cut in front of me. What I did next will surely light the torches of Abanse Pinay! (this women's lib group): I pushed my cart forward, thus, preventing her from sneaking her fat butt in!

Hey, I don't think it's misogynistic to assert your rightful place, is it? I waited in line, so I felt I deserve to be entertained first. It is logical albeit selfish. If I was not selfish, who will then look after me? No one. And besides, giving space for others, though altruisitic it may be, will not earn you brownie points in heaven. You can't say to St. Peter, "Though I murdered my entire family and spawned dozens of bastards during my lifetime, I made sure I gave up my seat to every beautiful lady I encounter." St. Peter will surely say, "Sorry, acts of pakitang-tao are not considered acts of charity. Try again!"

If I had let that woman cut-in in front, what good does it do to me? I don't think a warm fuzzy feeling of being a willing accomplice in aiding an injustice would suffice. Will I get that girl's number? No. Will I get a simple "thank you?" No. (She didn't ask in the first place.) Well, if she did ask nicely, I'd be rude not to let her in. So, if doing such an act cannot benefit the doer, then why bother doing it? Besides, she's fit as a cow to wait a few minutes more.

I realized that this can blow into a vitriolic discussion between chivalry vs. equal rights. I can hear hapless ladies yell, "How dare you, you arrogant prick to prevent us from using our charms to get our way!" Hahaha! All I can say is: "first come, first serve- unless you're in an emergency." And besides, it would seem unfair also for the rest of the customers who are waiting patiently behind me. By cutting in, you're being inconsiderate to others' time and patience. By cutting in, you are being self-serving and selfish and I hope you rot in hell.

The only persons I will give up my seat/place in line:
1. Old people
2. The Disabled
3. Pregnant women
4. Mothers with hellspawn children
5. Ladies with heavy bags

6. My family and friends

As for the rest, I can strongly suggest to use those two legs that God has given them. Else, they can whack them off and ride on a wheelchair, then, they can have my place.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Here's a toast to us who are surely bound to go to hell!

Seriously man, the Handyman part I couldnt fathom. What does your dog eat, nails?

Anonymous said...

you did right. just because you're a gent doesn't mean we will tolerate rudeness.

You write well. That is a rarity in the blogosphere nowadays.kudos.

anyway, I liked your avatar. I used it for my avatar at the man blog forums... if you don't like me using that, just tell me and I'll gladly change it. ;)

b3Rn1cE said...

the post made me laugh :)
reminds me of a guy WHO CUT IN front of me in a jolibee queue... i controlled the sudden urge to beat the heck out of him until the cashier closed when it was his turn. fortunately the one next to it was open so the people behind me compacted to another line leaving the bastardus istupidus pissed.

hay... people talaga..

E. S. de Montemayor said...

steel: cheers! my dog eats sawdust and garden compost...

ade: thanks... i felt guilty afterwards, a twinge of conscience creeping in, but then again my evil side cheered me on..hawhawhaw.. sure you can use mine in any way!

bernice: if it was a guy, i'll tap on his shoulders and tell him gruffly "Excuse me you SOB, surely you understand that no two things can occupy the same place at the same time, so bugger off you a**h*l*" hahaha.. no, usually I tell them that the line is over there, not here complete with "po" in the condescending tone. :) cheers!

AngelMD-No-More said...

haha funny jules! could relate...even posted how furious i was wen the same thing happened to me...btw, this is my new link..update mo na lng...cel =P
http://voxcaelestis.blogspot.com/2006/01/lessons-while-in-queue.html

Anonymous said...

reminds me of a guy WHO CUT IN front of me in a jolibee queue...fortunately the one next to it was open so the people behind me compacted to another line leaving the bastardus istupidus pissed.

Heeeyyy...so you were the little gal who kept on bugging me by pulling my pants lapel!

sparks said...

Medyo childish yata yung tinulak mo bigla yung cart. Dapat sinabihan mo na lang s'ya ng: Walang sisingit!!!

E. S. de Montemayor said...

sparks: on the contrary, I find extraverbal insinuations the best way to prove a point without embarrassing further those who cut in. but different strokes for different folks i guess. ;)

Urban Warrior said...

That's one of the things I hate - when women abuse that "being a woman" part. Crap and it's a queue for f_ck's sake.

banzai cat said...

I concur with your post. Which is why I don't get up for women when I have a seat when the MRT carriage is crowded (unless of course she's pregnant, old, with children, etc). Hey, they have their own women-only carriage, why should I give up my seat, eh? Betcha they were just damn too lazy to walk all the way to the front of the front. Bah!

Anonymous said...

you did the right thing. as you implied here, being a nice person is way different from being a good person.

i believe that respect and rights should be given equally to all despite gender or age.

E. S. de Montemayor said...

kiko: easy lang pare... ;) heheheh

banzai: very true. parang gender segregation nga sa mrt/lrt. it ticks me off also when a girl stares at my seat insinuating na "huy mahiya ka naman", what i do is pretend to doze off..heheheh

hera: well said! i think the "macho" chivalry thing is fast changing into individualism here in manila especially na hectic magcommute.

Anonymous said...

juls

1. if you had let the lady cut the queue, you would be doing society a disfavor but encouraging queue-cutting.

2. if you let her cut queue, what about the people lining behind you?

3. if there wasn't anyone else behind you, what was her problem in waiting one more turn?

4. of course, your rights matter but the issue goes beyond this.

Good for you!

J.P. Hormillosa said...

good move dude
pinoys and asians in general need to know the concept of falling in line =)