Good Intentions
Good Intentions
I was in my local supermarket, Milams, yesterday, doing my weekly food shopping—not a place of moral drama, you might think. Only one checkout line was open, I was dismayed to discover; a passing supervisor (big, black, vaguely professorial) observed my distress and suggested I take the empty express line (10 items or less). I hesitated and said, Yes, if that’s ok, and he waved me in. The cashier initially objected but accepted me once it became clear I had been directed there by the supervisor. Almost immediately someone showed up with a basket of 3 items; I invited him to go ahead of me, which he did. I unloaded my cart (at least twenty items) and then another customer showed up with a low number of items, but this time it was not possible to go ahead of me because my items were already being dealt with. I apologized to the guy, who was middle aged and Latino, and explained the situation. He smiled broadly and said it was no problem at all, he could wait; he even patted me on the back reassuringly. Nice guy, I thought. Then I wondered: would an American have been so understanding? Wouldn’t I be seen as a miscreant, an enemy to society, a violator of other people’s rights? Meanwhile the queue lengthened and people observed from a distance my supernumerary cargo holding them up. I couldn‘t explain the situation to them, but I felt like leaving the register to make a general proclamation of innocence, which might only slow things up more. I remarked to the tolerant fellow next to me in line that they must think me some kind of criminal—he laughed. The kindly supervisor suggested to a couple of them that they could go to another empty line if they liked. I have no doubt that I was viewed as a rule-breaker, a delinquent, one of those assholes the world is full of. I paid and left as quickly as I could so as to speed things up. It was an uncomfortable experience. Clearly, I had done nothing wrong, nor had the cashier, and the supervisor had nothing but good intentions–and yet an unethical situation had been made to appear. Remind you of anything? Very Larry David.
What pisses me off is when it’s very busy. A new line opens. You hear “Next in line!” And someone rushes over like Secretariat.from the back of the pack. (I’ll curb my enthusiasm for the Larry David reference. I haven’t had a TV in some 20 years and never saw his show. But I hear he’s quite a character.)
The tragedy is that I was thought to be one of those nimble unscrupulous individuals, breaking the commandment not to use the express line when toting more than 10 items. I was only obeying orders!
At least when people push you on the subway they treat you like a human being. Just joking. NYC has changed, people treat you better now. I think due to all the immigrants
You think the immigrants have improved people’s manners?
In part. This is speculative, many immigrants come from communally oriented countries of origin. Others and there is some overlap, believe in good manners and respect. New York has lost its edge. When I heard that during Covid people would bang pots in honor of health care workers, that sounded very un NY to me. Even the crowds are tamer. It could be in part due to immigrants or some other structural factor. I am close to people from immigrant or second generation families. It’s anecdotal, but NYC is becoming more civilized. There is a strong case to be made.It could be that people just mind their own business and there is less of a youth driven street culture. The subways are notorious for danger- but it is tame compared to the end of the last century.
You are supporting my theory that the good parts of the American personality come from (recent) immigrants.
Your act fails Kant’s universal law test. Universalizing the maxim on which you acted would annihilate the distinction between the normal and express checkout lanes. It can’t be conceived let alone willed to be a universal law. What you did was in violation of strict duty.
I don’t agree: you can universalize the prescription to use the express lane when instructed to by a supervisor to do so.