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The Fact That There’s a Pandemic Doesn’t Mean It’s Okay to be Rude
Covid and Common Courtesy
Last week I was at the grocery store, taking my items out of my cart and putting them on the little conveyer belt, when the man in front of me in line began shouting at me.
“Back!” he yelled, motioning angrily with his hands. “Back back back!”
I stopped what I was doing and stared at him.
“Back! Back! Back!” he shouted again. “Six feet! You aren’t six feet away from me! You have to be six feet.”
Actually, I was six feet away from him. Although maybe I was five and a half feet. I’m not 100% sure. But there was a grocery cart plus some extra space between us.
“There’s no need to be rude,” I told him. “You could ask nicely.”
“BACK BACK BACK BACK BACK!” he responded, continuing to make shooing motions at me.
I stepped back. “There’s no reason not to say please and thank you,” I said.
Good Humored Space
Apparently, for some folks there is. For them, a pandemic means that good manners can go right out the window.
I have a friend who is just as vigilant as my fellow Acme shopper about maintaining his space during the pandemic, but he always…
