Ah, the joys of moving!
We have just finished moving to Muncie, IN. It really is an exciting change for us, and the benefits are becoming increasingly apparent.
My hometown of Orlando has turned into something rather ugly over the past twenty-five years. Development is a plague, there are too many people, way too many cars and a general sense of mistrust towards one’s fellow man.
These changes come slowly, so much so that you don’t even realize they are happening. Then, one day, you look around and ask yourself “what the fuck just happened??”
Example: When you get gas in Orlando, you must not only pay first, without exception; but if you pay by credit card, you must also enter your billing zip code to prove the card you’re using is actually yours. The auto-flow clips have been removed from the pump nozzle, so you have to stand there and hold it; because if they don’t do that, someone will claim that the pump didn’t stop when it was supposed to, and so they shouldn’t have to pay. And finally, the pumps all have some statement warning that if you drive off without paying, you could lose your license; and Johnny Law is watching.
Here in Muncie, I went to fill up our moving truck before returning it. As soon as I lifted the nozzle, the pump said “begin fueling,” even though I hadn’t paid. I opened the nozzle, set the clip, went inside, chatted with the cashier while I waited for it to fill, bought some snacks, paid by credit card (without showing ID) and left.
Other than the niceness of it all, and that nostalgic feeling of “how it’s supposed to be,” something else important happened there: I bought more stuff while inside the store. So not only is “the Orlando way” a pain in the ass for customers, it short-changes the gas station operator.
The necessity that drives those restrictions is very real, though. Any place that let you pump first would bleed to death in a matter of months. The problem is that instead of coming up with ways to catch the assholes ruining it all for the rest of us, we as a society have opted to instead treat everyone as if they were potentially a criminal. And before you know it, individuals start treating each other that way, too.
We can’t let that happen, if we are to survive. Sure, people will steal from you if you leave yourself open, but guess what: Those people will steal from you no matter what you do.
In fact, someone stole our television from the trunk of my VW – while it was on the trailer hooked up to the moving van, parked in front of my house – the night before we left. As infuriating as that is, I can’t allow that one person to sour me on humanity.
I’m just happy to be back.
