Monday, July 20, 2009

A lack of intelligence or attention to detail?

I was walking through walmart to see if they still had any of the ammo they said they had that morning, which took me through the toy section of the store.

As I walked down the back aisle, I saw a kid (about 10) trying to get a rubber ball out of one of those cages with the open top. He was reaching between the bars of the cage, and trying to throw the ball up and out of the top of the cage, so he could play with it.

Only thing was, most of the bars were made of bungee cords.

As I walked past him, I saw that his arm was bending one of the "bars" slightly. He could actually feel the bars bending. I stopped, turned around, grabbed the two bungee cords he was reaching between, and spread them. The kid looked at me, then the ball, then removed it and said "Thanks!"

The kid was rather young, and I wasn't going to insult his intelligence, but I still got a little chuckle out of it.

I then continued to the ammo aisle, where the man in front of me cleaned them out of everything I wanted, so I left.

On the way back, I saw a man, in his 30s talking to his wife about getting a ball for their daughter. As I approached, I couldn't help but think to myself, "Wouldn't it be funny if he did the same thing that kid did?"

Then he did.


I was wrong...


It wasn't funny.


It was like watching a monkey use the round peg to bash the square peg into the round hole.


I didn't help him.

4 comments:

JP said...

The lack of basic knowledge and skills of (not so) common sense are disheartening.
I grew up rather poor, but we did things, and if you broke your bike, or wore out a part on a conveyor hand digging a basement, you fixed it or made the parts you needed to do so.
At work, I watch even the guys who build stuff in the fab shop, or our "engineer"(I question his ability to call himself that. . . I think his degree came from a Cracker Jack Box), and especially the buffoons in the warehouse (especially our new Che loving moron) and am just stunned at the lack of ability to figure out a simple task.

Ride Fast said...

I applaud your ability to not say something. I would have said "Are you fucking kidding me???" or some such.

At work one day I heard a microwave oven bell. Then I heard "Damnit" a few seconds later. Then I heard the door slammed and the oven started.

This happened three or four times and was annoying me. It turned out this "engineer" had food completely wrapped in aluminum foil and it wouldn't heat, of course, in the microwave.

He designs buildings. Oh my.

Fletch said...

Ride Fast, have you seen my jaw? It dropped clean off about 3/4 through your comment.

Wow... Just, wow...

Mike said...

Hey, engineers are stupid. Just ask any mechanic. :p

I'd say a lack of attention to detail can suggest a lack of intelligence...