We hold doors for the same reason that we inquire after an acquaintance’s health, let others board the bus first, compliment a cashier’s hairstyle, and thank people when they lend us a pencil: because we want to be liked.
This desire, this absolute need for the good opinion of others, lies so deep in the human …
Monthly Archives: April 2010
DISSENT: THERE ARE WORSE THINGS IN LIFE THAN COMMON COURTESY
Concur: Hell is Other People Holding the Door
Although I agree with Mr. McArthur that conventions like door-opening are only white-washed sepulchers for an original kernel of respect and concern, I would also say that they purport a subtle form of social violence on unsuspecting strangers. Mr. McArthur insightfully points out how the waiting door-holder inconveniences the approaching door-holdee who must speed up …
Dissent: No, You Open the Door
One wonders whether any social convention would withstand Garbanzo’s exacting scrutiny. Standing for the National Anthem is a hassle. Handshakes probably disperse more pathogens than any other unnecessary human activity. Holding the door seems fairly innocuous in comparison; tell me the last time it ever killed a man.
But holding the door has its benefits. When …
Essay: Open the Door Yourself
Of all the silly rituals that govern social life, perhaps none is sillier than that of holding open doors. We all go through it several times a day: As you prepare to enter a room or building, you must quickly determine whether anyone with the same plan of entry is following at a certain undefined, …
Dissent: What’s Wrong with ‘What’s Wrong with the Internet’
Perhaps I’m one of the lucky few, but I feel relatively immune from this corrosive disease of completionism: generally, I’ll give a YouTube clip about 10 seconds to capture my interest before moving on to the next thing. I’ll give a news article or blog post a paragraph — at most — to prove itself …
Dissent: Nothing is wrong with the Internet
Nothing is wrong with the Internet. You may now return to your RSS feed of vicious partisan screeds.
Not so fast, you say. The Internet is dangerous. Some people camp out in a small corner of the web where everyone agrees with them. These same folks, presumably, have no friends or relatives with opposing views and …