On Fri, 28 Mar 2008 21:47:23 GMT, Palindrome wrote:
>MM wrote:
>> On Fri, 28 Mar 2008 18:54:29 GMT, Palindrome wrote:
>>
>>
>>> One way of proving this is very simple. Take a briefcase containing a
>>> big folder labelled "Financial Report 2007-2008". Take that out and
>>> appear to be working on it, at the back of the bus. Scowl, don't smile.
>>> Demand of the mother that she keeps the kids quiet. You will then fit
>>> the "man at work" pidgeon hole and be totally ignored, with kids yelling
>>> at each other from the seat beside yours.
>>
>> Why the heck should I moderate MY behaviour! You're saying I must look
>> suspicious, therefore I should take steps to ameliorate that
>> suspicion? I resent your suggestion most emphatically also. It is
>> risible.
>>
>
>
>"One way of proving it". Unless you think it is necessary to prove
>something time and time again, it was a suggested one-off experiment -
>not a long-term "moderation of your behaviour". It is not an experiment
>I can carry out on your behalf, but I would be interested in the result.
>
>You may find, however, that you would then be complaining about kids
>behaviour on buses - choosing to sit near to you deliberately to annoy,
>in spite of the rest of the bus being empty..
>
>However, it may be that your emotions, at having someone who you think
>appears to suspect you of something, are causing you to project an image
>that is unintended. You could start the experiment with a big folder and
>work down to a paperback and then try without it.
>
>I don't seem to have this problem with parents and kids. I spent most of
>the last flight back across the Atlantic with some stranger's kid asleep
>on my lap. Being treated as "someone who looks safe" isn't the green
>field it may look.
I have no desire for some strange's kid to behave in any particular
way, provided it is not shouting loudly or making too much of a fuss.
It's the attitude of their mothers I find most objectionable. Always
chav mums, though. The more middle-class the woman, the more
open-minded she appears to be. All down to education and culture, I
suppose.
MM |