The Weekly Rant with Gary Patella

Thoughts and ideas on various grievances that are relevant to everyday life.

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

On The Decline Of Quality

The quality of something in particular indicates the essence of that thing. That trait or characteristic that describes something's degree of excellence is that thing's quality. Unlike quantity, quality is very subjective. What one may find pleasant another may find distasteful. This makes any concrete conclusions difficult, if not impossible. But nevertheless, I believe that the quality of various products and services has gone down.
As a New Yorker, I know that the pizza and bagels of my city were renowned. They may still be. But if so, they are riding on a reputation that can no longer be substantiated. It used to be simple to get a good slice or bagel. The nearest pizzeria or bagel store would live up to New York standards. This is no longer the case, and hasn't been for at least the past 10 years. The quality of these products has declined, and one must now search and ask for recommendations.
But this is not about pizza or bagels (or even pizza bagels). It is about quality in general. Houses are constantly being built, but certainly not with the same work ethic as that of the past. If you ever chance to enter an old house, knock on the wall. You can hear and feel the solid structure of the wall. This is not how things are done today. If I punched a wall in an old house, I would hurt my hand. If I punched a wall in a house built last year, my fist would go through the wall.
Quality may be subjective, but solid versus hollow is no contest. This same method is now applied to bathtubs as well. Bathtubs of solid marble have been replaced by ones made of hollow aluminum. The concrete used for construction has become more and more diluted with sand. In fact, a friend of a friend wanted a house built and specified for the concrete to contain two parts concrete and only one part sand. When explaining to the contractors that he would pay whatever it costs, several replied that it could be done. But a problem occurred when the contract was to be signed. There was a clause included stating that if the concrete was found to be more sand than concrete, he could get out of the deal. No contractor would sign it.
The quality of appliances, kitchen equipment, and even silverware has gone down. Everything is made as cheaply and quickly as possible. The subway system has become a joke. Even clothing has become less durable. I bought a pair of shoes about a year ago for approximately $100 and one month later, the sole was becoming detatched from the front of the shoe! I couldn't believe it.
Everything is going down the tubes, and all we can do is sit and watch. It is really annoying me, and I had to vent. Maybe we should start learning to make everything for ourselves. It may seem like a step back in time, but if the quality of things is regained it might be worth it.

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

On Common "Courtesy"

In life, throughout the course of time, most people will make a large number of acquaintances. Some of these acquaintances become friends. But the percentage that acquire this status is very small. People that are known from the neighborhood, through relatives, or by some other means pop up in everyday life from time to time.
When walking down the street, it would obviously be rude to completely ignore someone that you know. The encounter should certainly be acknowledged with some form of salutation. But my complaint is not with those who pretend not to see me. My issue lies with those on the opposite end of the spectrum.
Too many people, that are considered mere acquaintances, feel the need to stop me in my tracks to ask a series of asinine questions. The questions almost never vary, and remain constant even when asked by different people. The typical questions are as follows: "How are you doing?" "Are you still working at the same place?" "How is you mother doing?" "How is your brother/sister?" "Where are you off to?" "Send my regards." Then I have to stand there in this recurring event answering "Fine, yes, fine, fine, somewhere." It's like deja vu all over again. Of course the person can sometimes throw you for a loop by asking "Did you hear about so and so?" But the precise questions aren't the issue. The issue is that this person is asking questions that he or she already knows the answers to or questions in which the answers are irrelevant.
Why do they do this? The typical answer seems to be that such a prescribed series of questions is known as common courtesy. But is that really being courteous? Courtesy is supposed to be a polite or generous gesture. Is it now considered polite to delay people for no reason at all? Is it generous of them to bestow upon me a bunch of useless questions? I think not. I would much rather hear them say "Hi Gary." Then I can say "hi" back without stopping. Both of us would still gain the same mutual acknowledgement without the unnecessary interrogation.
So if you see me walking down the street and truly have nothing to say to me, say "Hello." There is no need to run down a list of each family member in turn to ask how they are. I will tell you now, they are all fine! If you have something interesting to say, you may stop me-- I am more than willing to listen. But if nothing is new, and the questions are monotonous, just leave me be. Say "hi" and let me move on. I really can't be bothered.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

How To Use The ATM: Another Guide For Morons

In this day and age of technology, most banking is done electronically. Checks are deposited directly into accounts, transfers are done on-line, and getting cash from the bank does not involve waiting on a line that serpentines through velvet ropes.
The simple and easy way to withdraw cash is through the automated teller machine (or ATM for short)...at least I thought it was simple. But apparently others find this machine confusing. Never mind the fact that they use the machine several times each week. Repetition has had no effect on the learning curve of these mental midgets.
I hate waiting to use the ATM while behind someone that has to read every detail on the screen and carefully weigh the options. The ATM is not going to have you sign a binding contract nor will it quiz you on quantum physics. There are really only two options: take money out or put money in. The latter option is probably used less than ten percent of the time. That leaves only one option. The ATM is not difficult, and every single one works the same.
The ATM first asks which language should be displayed on the screen. Now for me, this choice is fairly simple. The choice is simple because I know which language I speak. Others apparently do not. I'd like to give some of them the benefit of the doubt, and claim that they are multilingual and deciding which language needs reinforcing. But given the "swiftness" with which they breeze through the other options, slow mental functioning seems to be the more likely explanation.
The machine then wants to know if you will be depositing or withdrawing (ok, checking the balance is also there). This should not take any time to decide. The fact is this-- the person went to the ATM with intent. That intent was to withdraw or deposit (or check the balance). The decision is already made. Now push the button! Or maybe withdraw and deposit are big words that have to be figured out. Perhaps the machines should be more Neanderthal friendly with options like "Me put money in" or "Me take money out."
From this point there are only two more steps: choose and account (i.e. checking or savings) and decide how much to withdraw or deposit. For those that haven't figured it out, the checking account is the one that comes with checks. The savings account is used to save money. Once that decision is made, the amount of money is basically the final choice. That shouldn't take a long time. If you want $100.00 then choose the option that says $100.00. If the amount you want is not displayed, type it in. It is that simple.
I stated that the amount was "basically" the final choice. That is because there is the final option to get a receipt. It is a simple yes or no question and not a life altering decision. If you can't decide, just take the thing and go. You can always throw it out later.
Now that you know the basic steps, hopefully your next trip to the ATM will be more successful. And hopefully it won't take 10 to 15 minutes. I'm tired of waiting.

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

On Bathroom Attendants

A great many people like to go out and enjoy the nightlife every now and then. Regardless of location, nightlife consists of mainly two types of places: clubs and bars. In both types of establishment, alcohol plays a key role. As many people know, alcohol is a diuretic (i.e. it increases the discharge of urine). This causes people to frequent the restroom, and sometimes an individual is stationed at the lavatory.
The individual is known as a bathroom attendant. In classy establishments, these bathroom attendants turn on the faucet, squirt soap in one's hand, hand out paper towels, and even offer a mint and/or a spray of cologne or perfume. In extremely elegant and reputable places, this is not unexpected. For the few times I am in such places, I don't mind the inconvenience of having to take out my wallet once or twice.
But clubs and bars are a different matter entirely. The amount of times I visit the restroom at a club can vary, but it is certainly more than once or twice. Furthermore, the bathroom attendants at bars or clubs have only one job. They hand out paper towels. This makes no sense to me. In the classy restaurants and hotels that have restrooms of immaculate cleanliness, I don't have to touch a thing. But in a sleazy bar, I have to touch the handles on the sink that someone has probably urinated on at some point. Then I have to touch the mold-encrusted soap dispenser that is tilted, because it is about to fall off the wall. Then I have to turn off the water, touching the disgusting sink handle once more (now with "clean" hands). And after that some guy hands me a paper towel, and for that is supposedly entitled to a dollar.
I used to tip these people for doing absolutely nothing. I suppose I felt obligated. But now I refuse to hand them money that was not well-earned. Of course the amount is trivial, but the principle is not. If they want my dollar, they have to touch the faucet handles with the bacterial cultures on them. They should be the ones to expose their hands to the fungus on the soap dispenser. Until then, I will not grant them one cent...even for the entire roll of paper towels.