The scene that greeted me as I entered COSTCO (it could have been Sam' Club, Walmart, Big Lots, outlet malls, Target, you name it,...anywhere) earlier this
afternoon was a conflict between drivers. One had cut the other off, or vice
versa, and emotions were boiling over. A few people from differing ethnic back grounds, not identified here,
because, let’s face it, this could be anyone of any color, creed, etc…, They were to the side of the main entrance. I
hurriedly walked past into the store, cops already called, store
personnel present, and, frankly, I don’t like the anger.
We all know the trend in our world is “Me First!” This
starts young. Once, as a preschool teacher, I was supervising on the
playground and witnessed the following unfold before my eyes: A little girl, new to the school, that spoke virtually no
English, but had a few phases memorized, rushed up to a little boy riding
by on his trike and pushed him clean off, “splat!”, with the battle cry, “I had
it first!” Another teacher, nearer to the incident, helped the boy up with one
hand and held the little girl’s hand with the other. Throughout this quickly transpiring event the pretty
little gal repeated loudly, with tears and conviction, “I had it first!” “I had it first!”
I know we all grow up. These early idea about things need to be fair and exercising our rights....well, I'm not naive. I know there is a place for this. Stand up for what's right; however, I think its high time for a societal makeover.
It is well documented that we have a profound influence over
other people. There is a study showing that if one person in a parking lot
takes an advertisement off their windshield and walks it to a trash can, others
will follow this example. If a person throws it to the ground, the ground ends
up littered with trash by others that do the same. If in a dormitory setting
people are asked to conserve water and one or two people follow the suggestion
to get wet, turn off the water, suds up, turn the water back on and rinse, then
others will do the same. (Of course we know they have turned off the water by
the sound, not sight, there are shower curtains, um yeah). So for reference on
this and a clear and scholarly explanation see, The Social Animal by Aronson (2008), a book on social
influence we have. Its insightful.
Until then, not “Me first!”, but let’s change it up, “No,
you go first, after you, I insist!”
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