Mumble Mumble Grumble
Since I am such a lucky man, and having benefited vastly from the power of negative thinking, I seldom indulge in public grousing. Call it noblesse oblige, or, more accurately, the moral responsibility of the lucky. Today I make an exception, and vent, just a little.
Grocery Bags
I shop for groceries, and I bring two reusable bags. The checker loads all forty pounds of cans, bottles, bags of frozen vegetables, and fresh produce into one bag, perhaps to show they can. I realize I could have asked them to split it evenly between the two bags, so it will be easier to carry, but I feel I shouldn’t have to. Did they even consider why I gave them two bags?
Surveys
Questionnaires and opinion polls are not good ways to gather information, They are vulnerable to selection bias, because those choosing to answer may not fully represent the intended population. People amuse themselves by giving inaccurate answers. I speak from experience when I say that college students may participate in “research” for which they do not qualify, to get the free pizza and the feeling of having played a prank on the researchers.
It is commonplace for businesses to survey customers after a transaction or a customer service call. I try to give the best marks, because I don’t want some minor complaint of mine to adversely affect someone’s job. Of course, this process is usually automated. Does it really make sense for Amazon to ask me to rate every delivery? The quality surveys that rankle the most are the ones received prior to the good or service. How can I rate my experience if I don’t yet have the product or information I am eagerly waiting for? Please stop asking me how much I like something I don’t have yet, or haven’t had time to use.
Often surveys limit my choice of answers, and don’t accept my truthful answer. The question has nuances, or the pollster assumes I must belong to one of a small number of categories, and none really applies. The truth is not an option, or “outside valid limits”. Why are you asking if you won’t allow accurate answers?
Charity
I avoid any sponsored message on TV, by muting it, or taking a bathroom break. This especially applies to ads for charities I contribute to. It makes me feel like my contribution paid for the TV time. And they seem to want me to feel guilty about not doing anything (only $19/month to save the world) when I am already contributing.
This applies even more to glossy color brochures I receive in the mail from charities I contribute to. They know I contribute monthly. That’s how they got my address.
