quote:
Originally posted by flamo
The term "With it" doesn't have meaning any more unless you are old like me. Professional Courtesy doesn't exist anywhere or if it does its rare. Even sucker jobs have lost it. The reason is simple, no personal pride. Two spots I hit every year are the Stock show and the TSF. Everybody knows me at the stock shown but the state fair is a different story. One of the agents there told the clerk next to him who I was and the clerk still wanted me to give him 3 bucks and play.
The unwritten code of the midway is no longer there and I'm afraid lost forever. As is with everything else, it's cutthroat and anything goes. You no longer earn anything, you are entitled to it.
Not only that, Flamo, but there is a large segment of society today that has the belief that it's all about them. Me, me, me... and the heck with everyone else. Too many people out there who were spoiled by their parents, never disciplined, never taught good and proper manners, never taught respect for their elders.
Respect and common courtesy goes a long way. Give a little, take a little, and look out for the other guy. Call it a modern take on the Golden Rule, if you want.
While I haven't been out there on the road, I'm as for-it as I can be for this great business. I don't ask for any courtesies on the lot, but out of respect, when offered, I sometimes accept them. Most of the time, I do an honest report on the spot here, and in the past have shared pictures here as well. Behind the scenes, I get plenty of requests for photos from the folks I visit on the lots, and I'm more than willing to share, as my time allows. Hopefully 2008 will allow me to share more here from my lot visits.
Depending on the lot, I sometimes get called in, and other times I get a friendly nod or some small talk that is obviously not a pitch. When I'm on the lot, I act confident, like I belong, and most times I don't get bothered. I have no problem with an agent/clerk interrupting our conversation to call someone in. They're doing their job.
I wouldn't say that the code of the midway is dead yet, but it's certainly a shadow of its former self. The tight times that we are in are all the more reason to follow it. While most will likely not make big bucks, there's plenty enough for everyone to live on and stay in business until happy days come again.
"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." - Lao-Tsu
"Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase." - Martin Luther King Jr.
"Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly." - Robert F. Kennedy