Everyday Entitlement

On the topic the entitlement mentality that is pervasive in our culture.
From The Smoking Gun

A McNuggets "Emergency"
Floridian called 911 three times over McDonald's chicken shortage
MARCH 3--Angered that her local McDonald's was out of Chicken McNuggets, a Florida woman called 911 three times to report the fast food "emergency." Latreasa Goodman, 27, last Saturday called police to complain that a cashier--citing a McDonald's all sales are final policy--would not give her a refund. [To listen to Goodman's 911 calls, click here, here, and here.] When cops responded to the restaurant, Goodman told them, "This is an emergency. If I would have known they didn't have McNuggets, I wouldn't have given my money, and now she wants to give me a McDouble, but I don't want one." Goodman noted, "I called 911 because I couldn't get a refund, and I wanted my McNuggets," according to the below Fort Pierce Police Department report. That logic, however, did not keep cops from citing Goodman for misusing the 911 system. Even after being issued a misdemeanor citation, Goodman contended, "this is an emergency, my McNuggets are an emergency." The McDonald's devotee is seen at right in a mug shot snapped after a previous encounter with police. Last month, a Florida man was arrested after he called 911 to complain about his displeasure with a Burger King combo meal.

True, the lady was totally ripped off so she got pissed off...but couldn't she have complained to the manager...or to the corporate office?

Obviously not
"this is an emergency, my McNuggets are an emergency."
Just another economic illiterate feeling that she is entitled to waste police time and taxpayer money.

The End Of The World - NOT!

Yesterday one of my colleagues stopped by my office and asked if this was the end of the world.
And she was serious.
This was a woman who grew up in a country that was racked by a brutal and bloody civil war. Later in her life she was comfortably settled in a Middle Eastern country that was invaded by a brutal tyrant. She literally had to escape and left her business and friends behind. Fortunately she was able to move to California and start a new life.
Today she has a thriving business with an international clientele of royals whose wealth is diminishing only marginally in the current global slump. Business is brisk.
And she's worried about the end of the world.

Personally, I don't think that it is the end of the world. We live in a consumption crazy country where billions have been spent on gambling, pet perfume, anti depressants, computer gaming, recreational drugs, porn and every tech product imaginable. $200 jeans, $50 mascara, $400 shoes, $2000 handbags, $4 coffees and $15 cocktails....have become the norm in our on demand society and the sense of entitlement is so widespread that we expect everything to be available at all times. This country is so wealthy that even the poor are obese and have plasma TVs with 150 cable channels.
So a correction is in order...and yes this is going to be a big one...and ugly...very ugly.
But the markets will eventually stabilize, housing will become affordable again, gasoline will be reasonable, insane clothing and accessory prices will come down and people will be more thoughtful about their spending. Companies will downsize and then rehire. Innovation in medicine and technology will happen. The earmark addicted - pork spending Senate will be voted out.
It's not the end of the world.

This video of comedian Louis CK on Conan O'Brien's show has been all over the internet. It kinda puts things in perspective. If you haven't seen it take a look.

Everything is Amazing, Nobody is Happy

Snooty Service Out Of Style - It's About Time

From the Wall Street Journal

Snooty Service Falls Out of Style
A new solicitousness at high-end boutiques

Angel Yimsiriwattana still remembers feeling intimidated when she walked into a Chanel boutique in New York two years ago. When she approached a salesman, he "was snooty and reserved," she says, and barely spoke to her. Clad in a casual sweater and jeans, she figured the sales staff sized her up as someone unlikely to buy. Even though she spent $7,000 that day, she still felt unwelcome.

The atmosphere is a lot different at the Chanel boutique in Soho these days. On a recent visit to the same store, the 27-year-old says she was treated like a princess. "As soon as I walked in, [the sales associates] were smiling and said 'how are you?,"' she says. "Everyone circled around me like little fish. They were extra nice and helpful." Even though she didn't buy anything, the sales staff cheerfully wished her "a nice day" as she walked out of the store.

Back when I was a young matron some 20 something years ago and a big fan of Chanel I had my own little encounter with snootiness. There was a particular suit and accessories (for about $10k...back in the day that was real money) that I wanted to buy so my husband and I stopped into the boutique in Paris after a business trip to Zurich. He and I were totally ignored by the stuck up shop girls and naturally he got pissed off, walked me out of the store and said never put up with that attitude. We promptly went shopping at the Ungaro and Dior boutiques where the sales girls were a little more solicitous. Later he wrote a scathing letter to the store from our suite at the Lancaster and I never again bought another thing from a Chanel store....ever.

According to this article that kind of snootiness is a thing of the past

As the luxury goods industry suffers a massive slump in sales - many sales clerks at designer stores who were famously haughty and patronizing suddenly have changed their styles. In the boom times, the aloof service was part of the exclusive aura cultivated by some brands, sending a message that only the coolest or richest customers were worthy of a purchase. Now, "that arrogant and snobby attitude of feeling people should be grateful to buy at their temple is a dinosaur mentality that is going extinct," says Milton Pedraza, chief executive of the Luxury Institute, a consumer-research firm. "Now those brands have to be grateful for a customer."

We can only hope so.

Have you ever had an encounter with snobby service that was so bad that you walked out of a store and refused to buy that brand?

Social Primer - Now More Than Ever

Let's face it, Chivalry is dead and sometimes I wonder if all gentlemanly manners have disappeared forever. Will my daughter ever even meet a man who knows any etiquette at all. I sincerely doubt it. In this generation of hook-ups and communication by text message, will she ever meet a man who knows how to write a formal note, use proper table manners or stand up when she approaches the table.

Well, finally I have a little hope after discovering this website.

Social Primer, Manners, Conversation, Style & Handling Your Liquor

Raison d'Etre

SocialPrimer as Utopia
Like Sir Thomas More’s idyllic island Utopia, SP envisions SocialPrimer as a place where the ideal of a well-mannered society can exist. Readers of these pages know that SP sets the bar high, so yes, Sir Thomas More would be a suitable comparison. Moving on. We inhabit an increasingly frenetic world where manners are often considered a liability; I created this little island on the internet to lament, rant and in the end dream of a more civilized world.

Good manners are not congenital. Just as Homo eructus did not saunter out of the cave knowing which fork to use and when to stand to greet a lady, not all of us were born with parents who inheritably knew the correct way to proceed through life. Good manners are taught and learned. SP pines for an ideal world where manners and civility are the common order of the day, not extraordinary occurrences that warrant attention. What could be more idyllic that that?

I appreciate Social Primer's call for civility....and you should to.

Check out his website.

Vintage Value Venture - Making A Statement

British blogger Ladies Who Lunch posted on the Statement Ring as seen at this year's Academy Awards.

First, we had Marion Cotillard's wing shaped ring from Chopard

Then, Angelina Jolie's Rock of Gibraltar sized emerald ring by Lorraine Schwartz

LWL adds this ring to the mix, The "Marie Antoinette" amethyst and tsavorite ring by the irrepressible jewelry designer, fashionista and blogger Wendy B.

A serious statement it is....especially the Versailles sized price of $12,500.

I'd like to add my pick for a Statement Ring.

Vintage Estate Tourmaline and Yellow Sapphire bombé style ring in 18K from Beladora.com

Priced....a very reasonable $1500

Here are the details:

Liven up your look with this fabulous bejeweled estate cocktail ring in refreshing citrus shades of lemony yellow and deep lime green. Crafted in high polish yellow gold in a domed shape, this estate ring features a lush step cut forest green tourmaline at center, bezel set in yellow gold and surrounded by a glittering thicket of vivid deep yellow pave sapphires. For a special touch, the inside of the band features lovely gold openwork hearts surrounding a center heart covered in pave diamonds. The attention to detail on this vintage gemstone ring is remarkable. It is sized approximately 6 ¾.

Metal: 18K Yellow Gold

Gemstone Weight: Tourmaline = 4.00 carats,

Orange/Yellow Sapphires = 3.00 carats

Design Period: Contemporary

Circa: 1995

Note the attention to detail on the inside of the ring with the gold openwork in a heart design, highlighted by a diamond pavé heart in the center.

Most definitely Red Carpet worthy.