Monday, March 15, 2010

What was I thinking? Stop trying to change the way we are!

Ever do something that shocks the system into carrying guilt not for two days but several that follow? No matter where you stand, the thought process refuses to toss it—from the large open space of a grocery store aisle to flying down the highway at a well displayed suggested speed. You just can’t shake the junk from your trunk!



I was forced into a situation of having to share my disappointment with a restaurant manager…which led to me folding my hands on my chest like the Dali Lama, peacefully bowing by way of showing respect then walking out the door that welcomed me not even five minutes earlier.

How completely un-cool is that?



In his book Selling The Invisible author Harry Beckwith accuses American’s of taking on a new role of settling for 3rd and 4th best. His view of the world paints the portrait of a nation addicted to getting what they want quickly without having to worry about how sloppy the path is.



We’ve learned to accept poor quality and bad service.



I’m guilty of this! Clothing outlets drastically reduce the selling price of shirts, pants and jackets that aren’t perfect. Johnny Depp never looks clean…so why should we? Jude Law’s accent adds class to his scuffed up shirts and fresh from the bedroom hair. George Michael made stonewashed jeans with holes in the knees and butt a totally clean cut.



As a whole…we’ve learned to say, “That’s ok…you’re having a bad day. Today, last Wednesday, the two Friday’s before that and at least ten times last year.”



By doing this…quality no longer carries weight.



Harry Beckwith has been screaming for nearly two decades to stop this disastrous way of living! Being cheap ends up costing you more in the end. People accept low ratings at restaurants with the idea of, “Oh well…if I get sick, what’s the worst that could happen? I could use a day off from work”



Mall stores and major hardware chains feel its ok to put three or less people on the floor. You don’t need people to hold your hand. You just need a store that’s open when you’re ready to buy. American’s aren’t in love with quality…we want cheap.



I buy two weed eaters a year—one that takes gas and oil and the other charges up. The gas and oil machine is the better cutter but decides when it wants to start or to properly send the chord through the tiny hole to knock down the weeds. Half way through the season it elects to take me on…its only weapon…don’t turn on. Do I keep the box and take it back to the store? Nope! Because they won’t take a weed eater back that’s been pummeled by my decision to break out a serious Tae Kwon Do match in the middle of the front yard. Once the fit is over…I reach for the backup battery version spending more time than normal trying to take down what I consistently assume is a nature preserve and not a house in the middle of a city block.



No matter what generation society has placed in you…from movie theaters to cell phone companies and computer makers we have no interest in quality. A great example…a step into the future is about to be unraveled—a leading maker of keyboards and a really cool screen is set to release their latest idea. Not only is it thinner than thin but it’s built in power will last seven hours. Whoa! Does the company have it on display for you to touch it? No! Was the staff helpful in explaining why I should leap from a PC toward their brand? No! They expect us to do it…if not me, there’s always someone willing to accept bad customer service to get it.



When will I learn the “I” in Iphone and Ipad means exactly that…its all about I. There is no we in I. The Ipod has already made us an I. N. dividual…why wouldn’t the staff selling them treat us the same way? “I don’t need to make up your mind for you. I am here to make sure you arrive safely at I.”



Don’t get me wrong. I think Apple is brilliant. I love how they’re single handedly taking us into a realm of George Jetson-ville that nobody wants to be bothered with. The Apple rep on the 1-800 number was incredibly helpful that I assumed it carried to the store. That’s one I that didn’t work out. I can’t find my I box…so maybe I should kick my or I butt in an I match of Tae Kwon I.



If a tree doesn’t sprout the proper amount of leaves…people cut them down. If the rose bushes don’t bud like last year, they’re dug up. If deer happen to walk into your yard we forget who was here first and race out to find poisons to take them out. We want quality in the wrong places!



I’m not a fan of HD television! It pops, it sticks, the sound is never right. The government forced us into a world of bad quality. We can’t even get them to patch the holes in the streets or change the bulbs in the light poles. What if radio stations suddenly stopped putting blinking lights on their radio antennas? What if vacuum cleaners came with a guarantee, “We suck so bad that dirt is the only thing that complains.”



I feel so guilty about walking out of a restaurant—it was a buffet. Maybe I should’ve scanned the joint before ordering water with no ice. Once up to the area where the food was to be I heard the manager say, “The chef is eating lunch right now…he’ll put something out in fifteen minutes.” There were twenty people in the restaurant. I scanned the room with my Batman sensors and noticed…everybody was waiting. Placing my folded hands on my heart then bowing…not a fowl word anywhere near my lips or thinking process. I instantly became the jerk who left while eighteen others chose to continue our nation’s addiction to lack of quality service.



What makes the situation worse has nothing to do with the I in me…what becomes of 3rd and 4th best when it’s accepted as the bar being set to high? We’re cruising through this new millennium without a seat belt…that’s ok, the master crafters of things have convinced us that life is invincible and forever and it’s me not I who has the problem.



Welcome to The I State of America. Ouch!



arroecollins@clearchannel.com

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