|
Xavier Mohr
SL Reports
An Editorial It has been a while since I’ve posted a personal editorial on here. I remember, when I started SL Reports, I was able to write all the time. Like a lot of small-time publishers though, I have been caught up in back-end administrative work and had little time. Well, with a couple of hours free and an inkling of inspiration, here goes. Nothing earth shattering, but just a random thought I would like to share. If you’re looking for a life changing read, this might not be the article for you. If you are looking for my two cents on a silly little trait of human behavior – present both in Second Life and real life – do read on. The Subject? Complaining.
I will be the first to admit that a justified complaint gets results. It is something that is not only true in real life, but Second Life as well. During my time in SL business, I have fielded many complaints about our web design and service in general. In fact, several of them led to great improvements in our service. What drives me crazy are constant complainers that don’t really think their complaints through before spewing them out on the public at large. Deviating from my normal, “SL-only focus,” let’s take my recent real-life trip to Miami Beach as an example. I’ll start with the second day of my four-day excursion. It seems that this is the day that really got me thinking about how crude some people can be. The other half and I woke up to an absolutely beautiful South Florida day in our hotel room. After a hearty breakfast and a quick chat about what we were going to do that day, I went to the lobby and front desk to get a couple bucks worth of quarters – I was out of clean clothes. Laundry time! As I waited in a rather short line, I noticed a couple at the counter next to me. The gentleman talking to the desk clerk got progressively louder as I waited. Don’t you love it when you get next to a complainer? His complaints were - for the most part - unrelated to his stay at the hotel. Basically, he was venting to the desk clerk about paying so much for his airline tickets, so much for his hotel room and the lack of enthusiasm showed by the hotel staff upon his arrival (still trying to figure out why everyone was supposed to be excited about his arrival), and how he wasn’t able to find a decent place to feed his family for under $20 per plate. I wasn’t all that interested in the complaint, but the last thing I remember hearing was the guy start a lecture on how unethical it is to price-gouge summer tourists when you know they have no other option but to pay what is being asked. By sheer chance, if this gentleman happens across this editorial, here’s a tip: next time you go on vacation, research your destination before you even book. Miami Beach is not cheap… especially if you are traveling with your entire family. Whatever. I got my change, did my laundry, and forgot about it. It was later that day that my partner and I traveled to the docks adjacent to downtown Miami proper, near Bayside Marketplace, to take a short cruise on Biscayne Bay. There were a few other random tourists waiting in the same general vicinity, though we were probably twenty feet away from the nearest person. We were taking in the beauty and fresh open air when apparently I made a bad move. I guess. I am not proud of the fact that I smoke cigarettes in real life, but last I checked it was not against the law in Florida or elsewhere. As I lit my cigarette, however, in the open air away from the crowds (right next to a public ash tray, at that), a gentleman immediately perked up and trekked about 25 feet over to where I was standing. “I would appreciate you not smoking in front of my family,” he said. I did not extinguish my cigarette. I was so appalled at the statement that I laughed, turned to my partner and said, “Can you believe that?” As a fellow smoker, and out of sheer meanness (LOL), he fired up a cigarette of his own, turned to the complainer, and said, “Could you excuse us? We were having a private conversation.” The man walked away, letting out a chuckle of disgust. Oh well. Our cruise was magnificent, and there were no other issues. We had a fabulous afternoon and continued about our vacation. Later that evening, among the hustle and bustle of South Beach, we decided to stop at the Palace, a local bar on Ocean Drive targeted towards gay and lesbian tourists. Definitely an adult establishment. As we passed a line of tables and chairs on the sidewalk directly in front of the establishment, my jaw dropped. It was the man from the hotel front desk earlier that day with his wife… and young son in tow that could not have been over 12 or 13 years of age. I’ll concede and admit that it may be unethical in a way to price-gouge tourists when you know that they have few other options, but I have a hard time defending the ethics of taking your preteen son, dressed in nothing but a swimsuit and tank top, to relax in front of a South Beach gay bar. Let’s assume for a moment that neither the man nor his wife knew what a pride flag was, and did not make the connection that this was a gay bar… they’re still sitting there with their son in front of a bar! I guess what torques me nowadays is that people are quick to complain, but don’t always live up to their own high standards. In Second Life, we see this every day. People complain about lag, yet don’t want to give up their script-intensive objects. People become absolutely irate when a newbie offers a friendly “Hello” in group chat, but the Second they have something important to say, they are all about utilizing the group chat feature.
I am not perfect, and I know that on countless occasions I have been a bigger part of the problem than I have the solution. Perhaps it’s just me getting older and more relaxed, or perhaps this is just a fleeting thought that I will forget a month from now, but I strongly believe that a tad bit of tolerance and repose go a long way. If you complain and become upset at annoyances you have no intention addressing later through the appropriate channels, you’re only stressing yourself out. For no real reason at all. We should also lead by example. Be tolerant of the minor idiosyncrasies that aren’t worth chasing down. Perhaps you’ll gain a couple karma points, so next time you double-dip that carrot stick you will not be called on the carpet as unsanitary. Take for instance recent complaints about Second Life financial institutions about the lack of transparency in publicly-listed companies and the exchanges themselves. We (and yes, I count myself in this group) are quick to point out the dangers of investing with people you cannot verify in real life, yet we hit that “Buy” button time and again in the hopes of earning a few bucks. In the future, I will strive to follow my own advice. When I become annoyed with something and feel the urge to complain, I’ll ask myself, “Is it worth it?” If my answer is “Yes,” I’ll try to make a plan on following up later so that my complaint makes a difference. Was this entire editorial a complaint in itself? LOL – Well, maybe. I hope though, that if one person reads this and thinks about their next complaint, that this will fall into the category of a complaint that made a difference. So, what will I write next time? Hopefully something more meaningful! Until then, though, I wish all of our SL Reports readers the best in their endeavors and a fantastic rest-of-the-summer! Thanks for reading. ‘Til Next Time,
Xavier
|
