Make That a Venti Common Sense, Please

Picture if you will a small crowd in the lobby of Starbucks. On average, my local java lounge attracts an interesting assortment of the population at large. We have large clusters of County employees. We have the occasionally homeless person. We have several artsy high school students, donned in high-priced yet cheap-looking retro jeans, shoes, and multi-colored hair. We occasionally have a City or County official holding some sort of brief power-meeting. And, of course, we have our various collectives of attorneys. You can always spot the attorneys – frequently wearing ties and business coats that probably fit them a little less snug at some point in time, they always have their briefcases in hand, and the look of forced-urgency on their faces. Also, sadly, there is often some sort of behavior that suggests an overly-assertive sense of entitlement. Frequently, these are the guys who shove their way through patient and polite people to get to their packets of sugar because THEY have somewhere to be. Or they are the ones who power-walk their way into line ahead of someone who is walking a little bit slower. Why? Because they don’t wanna be late to their trial, I suppose.

 

This morning, some of my co-workers and I witnessed yet another bit of tacky behavior that I had not previously seen. As we stood near the delivery bar, one of the attorney’s espresso orders stood there, having just been presented. From the other side of the room, he came barreling over through the line in the center of the shop. As he got to his order, he reached out with his very large hand, grabbing the drink firmly by the lid, with his hand completely covering the top. For whatever reason, he made the decision that he didn’t want the lid. OK, no problem. But did he simply remove it and throw it away? No. Instead, he put down the drink, pried off the lid, and threw it back over the counter onto the barista prep area, as if suggesting that the lid be reused. ‘scuse me? You JUST put your troglodyte hand all over the top of that. Maybe you think you are doing the world some sort of Green favor, but trust me mister, that is as icky as it is tacky. Do you use someone else’s used stick-stirrer?

 

Several of us, including the barista, just stared at the lid, and then at the attorney in surprise and disgust. He didn’t seem to notice. After all, I’m sure he had somewhere Very Important to go, and something Very Important to do. Again, barreling his way back through the crowd that stood in line, he disappeared through the front door, off on his way.

 

Common sense – not something that one can easily order.