Human Decency Not Included

“Do not piss me off or the police will be waiting when we land” Having been erroneously associated with a couple of girls who, while displaying signs of intoxication and boisterousness (tell me if I invented a word) yet were in no large way causing any harm, I found myself the target of a bitter verbal tirade from a rather pretty yet clearly troubled Ryanair hostess who’s penchant for courtesy was as non existent as a virgin alter boy.

As I could only assume her vehemence ‘flowed’ in precise tangent with something else at that particular time of the month it made me all the same consider if goodness and decency were the new commodity to be sold to the highest bidder in an effort to use all manner and means to make good financially in the current climate. And not just human decency.

There was a time when batteries were included, necessary peripherals were included with your console and not displayed teasingly behind the game stop counter as essential extras, your PC was compatible with current software if only for a while and complementary this, that and the other was a frequent visitor to the restaurant table. Apologies for poor service were as forthcoming as amends and the customer was crowned with distinction.

It would seem these days that basic is the call of the day whether it be the attitude of a flight attendant, a waitress or Morris Pratt. Back in the day your basic console package meant one controller one game and you got exactly what it said on the tin, today it means one controller one game, a power supply literally the size of a brick, a console that sounds like a rocket launch and a cooling system that after a number of hours play leave’s Santa’s most recent deposit a glowing molten reactor giving off roughly as much radiation as Chernobyl and Sellafield combined. The cost of a flight was 100 euro before tax yet we were treated like gods in as much as one could do on one of Aer Lingus’ finest. Extra veg or a side order of chips was no hassle and your airbed came with a pump.
Remember times when service was so efficient girls were charmed into buying 50 identical models of the same Barbie just to get the disco dress or beach ball that came with the newest release, how many footballs could be found in a lad’s garden. Times when we didn’t mind being taken for a ride because the retailer was honest about it, you could see Joe the shopkeeper slap your back with one hand and squeeze your tit with the other.
Should we necessarily accept that in the provision of cheaper and basic, common courtesy should be an optional extra? The coin thinks not.