Woodruff wrote:hecter wrote:Somebody on CC is named John. Now, I'm not going to say who! But he's here... Somewhere...
Sadly, they're too stupid to get your point, hecter. They don't recognize how ludicrous it was for her statement to be considered "personal information" given that there was no "person" attached to it.
It does seem a bit ludicrous. It's none of my business though, I'm just really bored so typing here is something to do.
It's like the time recently I got asked for an ID to purchase cigarettes. Now where I live you only have to be 18 years or older
to legally buy smokes. I am over 40 years old. While I like to think I've still retained a bit of youthfulness, I cannot reasonably believe that any non mentally impaired adult would have any doubt that I am at least 18 years or older. No way. My hair started turning gray in my 20's and I gave up on the dye and what not ten years ago. I have that middle age look.
So I figured she has to type in a birthday or something to get the register to process the transaction. I tell her my birthday and she still wants to see the ID. No problem, I'm easy to get along with, I produce my ID.
I couldn't help but ask her though, in a cheerful, friendly manner why she needed to see my ID, when it's obvious without doubt that I am over 18. She said that the law required her to check everyone's ID. Now it was late at night and there were no other customers waiting or anything so I attempted to chat with her about this. I explained that the law only required that you not sell cigarettes to anyone under 18, not that you see every persons ID that buys cigarettes. I swear, I was being good natured and friendly, and was really just trying to enlighten her in a way that would actually improve her life. She kinda went off slightly and had bad attitude as though I was being rude. Now I realize that a lot of 40+ year old people probably do get rude when some idiot demands to see an ID to buy smokes, so perhaps she was gun shy about it, and that caused her defensive attitude. Point is though, had she listened to my message, and understood what I was saying, she would no longer have to deal with those people because she wouldn't be foolishly demanding to see an ID when it wasn't necessary. She'd save herself and others, time and trouble. She would avoid conflicts from people that get all sensitive when an idiot makes them jump though a foolish hoop. Anyway, I deflected her attitude and remained positive and asked her one question. I asked, "If an old elderly man came to buy cigarettes would you want him to prove that he is over 18 too?" She said yes, everyone must show me their ID to buy smokes no matter how old they look. So I called her an idiot in my mind, not actually with spoken word, and gave up on trying to help her. The odd part about it too is that around here they really don't enforce the age limit on cigarette purchases except in some blatant situation. If it had been beer I was purchasing, it might have made more sense. The police actually get mature looking underage, undercover shoppers to go and attempt to buy alcohol in sting operations.
Still though, even given that, it would be foolish to ask an elderly man to prove he is over 18 or 21 as the case might be.
Some other person once said it this way, (I forget who it was or I would credit the quote). Foolish consistencies are the hobgoblins of little minds.
The world is full of people like that. I try to help them when I can, but they are usually not receptive to ideas and thinking. They prefer their foolish consistencies. What can you do about it? Beats me.