Imagine you have paid a sizable sum for a ticket to a concert that you have
wanted to see for ages. You sit in your seat listening to the music and really
enjoying the spectacle and then it happens... An older couple come in
late and disrupt everyone as they take the seats directly behind you. First of all they do not even look like they have
arrived at the right concert. Once they have settled they then proceed to moan. What's
more, they talk so loudly that everyone in the area is aggravated by them.
What do you do?
This happened to me and my friend last night. For a little while I fought myself. I am always the one who says what
needs to be said. I understood this pair were unaware of how loudly they were
talking; however, I really didn't care that the old woman really liked Julie and
that they needed to pick up some cabbage for coleslaw. In truth the lack of
awareness and consideration made me bristle. I glanced around to see how the
rest of the nearby audience were reacting. You know what? They were aggravated
but said nothing. The mental argument went something like this 'right I am
aggravated now...'
‘Leave it, they are unaware
and you don’t want to get into an argument. Plus someone else should say
something.’
This mental argument went on and on and their chatting grew louder. Finally
I turned around and asked them to make an effort to talk quietly. I was polite
and firm. Their response amazed me as they attempted to justify talking through
a concert. Admittedly they did quieten down; however, the husband wanted to
take it further and said ‘what is wrong with me talking to my wife?.’
Answer: we have not paid money to hear about cabbage and how nice Julie is.
(There were sniggers around the area) You have plenty of chance to talk to your
wife elsewhere. Now I suggest you show some respect and allow everyone here to
enjoy the concert or leave. There were a few here here’s from the surrounding
group. The thing is I could feel the man’s anger. When it came to the interval
he stood up in an attempt to intimidate me. Which is ridiculous since I am
close to six foot and compete at rowing. So I stood up and was half a foot taller.
I realised in that moment there was a divine comedy taking place. I was a woman
confronting an older man in a public place in a polite and feminine way. Yet
the man had to become aggressive. In addition, the music playing was all about
conformity and rebellion. So this is it… and it made me think about people and
characteristics. Is confrontation down to confidence? Why do so many people
avoid confrontation? I feel that it was well within my rights to ask the couple
to be quiet. Yet why couldn’t he accept that he was ruining other people’s
experience? This made me think about unawareness and how unaware some people
are of themselves and others. In some ways it fascinated me because the couple
were classical stereotypes and their behaviour could be anticipated. In terms of writing and character – how the
character confronts or avoids confrontation reveals a lot about them. So with
that in mind…
Would you have confronted
or accepted the situation? What would have been the best way to resolve the
situation?
Link: http://amzn.com/B00TZWLRL0
