I'm Nice Because I'm Cynical

Maybe it's just me, but I am horrified by this story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070930/ap_on_re_us/airport_death

What really made this woman snap? How is it possible to strangle one's self with handcuffs?

More importantly, what is happening to us?

I think she'd had enough.

Enough rudeness, enough people around her behaving as though they were the only ones who mattered, enough bad-service-with-a-smile.

It used to be that when you saw someone do something stupid behind the wheel of a car, it was because they were in a hurry or hadn't planned ahead far enough to change lanes amid the congestion. Now, virtually every bad driver out there is on a cellular phone. (This is my observation, anyway.)

Walmart has done away with their customer service phone lines, replacing them with a recorded message that tells customers to use their SELF help website "service". A year and a half ago, my old credit card company sold my balance to a different bank, which sent me a new card (same balance, same limit, new card), and I spent three weeks in daily automated phone loops trying to activate the card. After five minutes of menu listening and button pushing, I'd get a message that, "all our customer service representatives are helping other customers, please try again later." Followed by a resounding click. Airlines offer their best discounts only to people who purchase online, without using a customer service representative. I've called to book a particularly odd routing and been told, "You could have saved X dollars had you ordered online," when the routing I needed was not available online. Software companies charge large fees for technical assistance even when they don't offer adequate documentation to help you solve a problem on your own.

The article does mention that the woman was late for her flight. I'd like to know why. Did she fail to allow enough time to get through security? Did she fail to allow enough time to get through traffic? Less than a week after 9/11, I went back East on a business trip. My flight was scheduled to depart at 9 am, but I'd been watching the news and surfing the Internet, so I knew to arrive at least two hours prior to my flight. I got into the security line, boarding pass in hand, at 5:30 am. The line was already well over an hour long. A woman (who, incidentally, had three bags with her) a place in front of me in line turned to me and said, "Gee, do you think I'll make my 6 am flight?" I politely suggested that she go to the ticket agent's desk and let them know she would be missing her flight. She walked away, leaving her bags where they were, and asked over her shoulder, "Will you watch my bags?" No, I replied, I will not. Ten feet away, she turned and asked, "What did you say?" No, I repeated, I will not watch your bags. There was a moment of silent glaring between us, over which we could hear, "Due to the heightened security, keep your bags with you at all times..." She snatched her bags, called me an ass, and went to the ticket agent...who promptly walked her to the head of the security line.

So, given that the airlines will do everything in their power to help you get to your flight, including inconveniencing other passengers, what happened to this woman?

If she was late through her own negligence, why did she snap? If she was late through some unavoidable hazard like an accident the freeway, why did she freak out to the point where she choked herself trying to pull her way out of those handcuffs?

My cynical guess is that her family will sue the airline for wrongful death.

And my cynical side is also growing increasingly afraid that anyone we come into contact with during our day could come just as unhinged as she did, with equally devastating results.

In a very practical sense, and purely for survival reasons, it makes sense to be nice to people.