> So in this cast of nine principles -- Crotchedy A, Indignant B, Snicker C, Snicker D, Cutter E, Cutter F, Profanity G, Worker H, and Observer I -- who acted rightly in this, and who acted wrongly? Obviously, at the very least, Crotchedy A, Indignant B, Profanity G, and arguably Cutter E had very particular opinions at the time about who was right and who was wrong, to the point of these opinions being voiced confrontationally toward total strangers (which may or may not tie in with Dagmar's recent "to those who consider themselves human" thread). And yet, as these particular opinions were at odds, they can't all be wholly right.
>
> You have the floor.

Sam, you should wait in line with me at the Port Authority when the bus queues are extremely long. Common courtesy (in New York! Ha! I slay myself!) is to accidentally push past people, realize you made a mistake, then push your way out to the back of the line. If you don't, then the bus line will kill you.

In your case, where I am the Moral Upholder of all that is Courteous and am Fit To Judge Others, I'd say that Crotchedy A should have gotten back in line after Indignant B informed her that there was a line she just cut in front of. However, if Crotchedy A had already begun to or had placed the order, then Indignant B should have realized that the time it takes to explain the configuration of the line was different than what A expected would take longer than it would for Crotchedy A to order her Crotchedy Meal. The time it would take to cancel A's order would have made the wait even longer.

[Aside to the bus line: Letting Crotchedy A on the bus before everyone else would mean that the 49th person standing in line suddenly becomes the 50th person standing in line, meaning that person would be standing on the bus rather than getting the last seat. Crotchety A would rightly be thrown to the wolves, even if in the middle of boarding the bus.]

Cutters E and F (as well as Crotchedy A)were acting in the manner they expected at a fast food restaurant: Each register has it's own line. The mob of people standing back a few paces were, in their eyes, the people who were undecided and examing at the menu because they don't know what they wanted. E and F did know what they wanted and proceeded to order. Not only that, but they confirmed it with Worker H.

Worker H has worked in a fast food establishment for many moons. Worker H (and everyone else who's ever worked in a non-Wendy's burger joint) knows that everyone lines up in front of the register grocery-style and was wondering why the heck there's eight people standing back from the cash registers. It's McDonald's for crying out loud, she thinks. Hasn't B, C, D, G, I, J, K, L, M, and N ever been in a fast food restaurant before? It's not like there's a daily chef's special or anything.

Actually, she's not even thinking about that at all. She's thinking: "Only three hours, twenty-seven minutes, sixteen seconds until shift's over. Only three hours, twenty-seven minutes, fifteen seconds..."

So A is okay, conditionally. B also was okay with pointing out that A should move to the back of the line. Depending on when B brought this up to A, one or the other will be Damned to Work In the K-Mart in Bellview, NJ, for all Eternity (the harshest punishment I can think of for Offenders of Chivalry and Courtesy).

E and F are okay, even H for Restoring The Proper Order of Things.

Profanity is just plain rude. G will be forced to be a Wal-Mart Greeter for a period of 2-5 years.

Most likely, C, D, and I realized that it's just fast food and they'll be out of there in a few minutes anyhow.

-Faux "court adjourned" Pas