diverdown
Member
I'll share a couple of experiences I had with a friend yesterday, maybe so that people can get a sense of how life is in my neck of the woods...
We were out for some unplanned drinks and dinner. In the UK now, you have to book pubs and the like to be sure you can get a spot, especially at a busy time like the weekend. So we found it considerably difficult to get in anywhere and takes a lot of the joy out of socialising to be honest.
Anyway, we tried our luck at one place, whereby we were greeted by a member of staff at the door, almost shouting "wear your mask" at us as we entered; not the best welcome! We were in the process of doing it anyway, and this was not the first time we experienced such behaviour from establishments, whom seemed to employ the least qualified persons to do this particular job.....
When we went in, I suppose it must have been the manager or supervisor, when I asked politely and with rapport, if there was any space for us, whom stopped what he was doing and stared at us blankly for about 2 uncomfortable seconds and then basically ordered us to sit "over there".
Now, having experienced similar types of interactions the whole day of trying to find somewhere to sit down, I really did not feel comfortable with the power dynamics involved. I cannot tell you how absolutely bizarre, strange and unsettling it was to sense this type of energy in these interactions. I have never seen it before in my life.
Another example of the same day. We were in to get coffee at a chain place. We had our masks on in the que, and were maintaining decent social distancing, that is until the chap at the counter told everyone to stand further apart. Now, when I share that with you, it probably doesn't seem like a story at all, right? What is hard to put into words however, is the kind of energetic interaction this created. I'm not joking when I say this, but again, it felt like we were being ordered to stand only until we were told to move again. I looked around and I could tell from other peoples faces that they felt the same, as they took a moment to parse what was being felt and said, when it turned to a kind of dejected expression.
You wouldn't be surprised to hear that I had enough and just walked out to go somewhere else.
And by the way, I have worked in these types of place for many years myself, so I know these dynamics very well. This time it was VERY different.
We were out for some unplanned drinks and dinner. In the UK now, you have to book pubs and the like to be sure you can get a spot, especially at a busy time like the weekend. So we found it considerably difficult to get in anywhere and takes a lot of the joy out of socialising to be honest.
Anyway, we tried our luck at one place, whereby we were greeted by a member of staff at the door, almost shouting "wear your mask" at us as we entered; not the best welcome! We were in the process of doing it anyway, and this was not the first time we experienced such behaviour from establishments, whom seemed to employ the least qualified persons to do this particular job.....
When we went in, I suppose it must have been the manager or supervisor, when I asked politely and with rapport, if there was any space for us, whom stopped what he was doing and stared at us blankly for about 2 uncomfortable seconds and then basically ordered us to sit "over there".
Now, having experienced similar types of interactions the whole day of trying to find somewhere to sit down, I really did not feel comfortable with the power dynamics involved. I cannot tell you how absolutely bizarre, strange and unsettling it was to sense this type of energy in these interactions. I have never seen it before in my life.
Another example of the same day. We were in to get coffee at a chain place. We had our masks on in the que, and were maintaining decent social distancing, that is until the chap at the counter told everyone to stand further apart. Now, when I share that with you, it probably doesn't seem like a story at all, right? What is hard to put into words however, is the kind of energetic interaction this created. I'm not joking when I say this, but again, it felt like we were being ordered to stand only until we were told to move again. I looked around and I could tell from other peoples faces that they felt the same, as they took a moment to parse what was being felt and said, when it turned to a kind of dejected expression.
You wouldn't be surprised to hear that I had enough and just walked out to go somewhere else.
And by the way, I have worked in these types of place for many years myself, so I know these dynamics very well. This time it was VERY different.