A Stony Silence Followed Hopefully By Stony Stares
On Tuesday, September 18, 2001 — exactly one week after the 9/11 attacks — I was in the packed food court of a local shopping mall on my lunch break. Starting at 11:30 am and repeating every five minutes until 12:00 pm, an announcement was made over the mall’s public address system that could be heard clearly over the racket of the crowd.
Announcement: “Please join us and participate in the national moment of silence at 12:00 pm to honor the memory of the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.”
At that moment, the US population was still united in deep shock from the attacks and in mourning for its victims. So, at 12:00 pm, everyone in the food court actually stopped whatever they were doing and became silently contemplative for a minute — everyone except for That One Guy, whose voice carried throughout the food court.
That One Guy: “Yeah, I’ll have the number four combo with [soda #1] and the number three with [soda #2]. Do you take credit cards? Hey! Why’s it so quiet?”
There was a pause.
That One Guy: “Hellooooo! Customer ordering here!”
Right then, everyone’s attention turned back to their own business and the noise level went up.
It will never cease to amaze me how oblivious people can be to their surroundings.
Question of the Week
Have you ever served a bad customer who got what they deserved?
