OT. Social engineers have duffed it.

Submitted: Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 10:01
ThreadID: 42440 Views:2822 Replies:14 FollowUps:11
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Its been gnawing at me for a couple of weeks. Went down to a suburban mall in Perth for the big shop, just a few things observed over a period of 6 hours. The parking bays seemed so small a dinky car would have trouble getting in. Greeting us at one of the entrances a group of hooded indigenous people sucking clear liquid from coke bottles. Two toddlers creating merry hell at the foodcourt while their mother sat screaming so many expletives at them that would make an an old sailor blush. Everyone with trolleys and prams walked blindly towards me, seems I spent most of my time dodging the buggers. Saw two young girls in Kmart stuffing clothes into a shopping bag right under staff noses, how cheeky is that, and they got away with it. After observing a few more arrogant and disrespectfull incidents I suggested to the missus we head outside for a quiet ciggy. There was an elderly lady outside having a smoke 37 degrees no shade and no seating. I laid an empty trolley on its side so she could at least sit while she fried. Having just lit up, a young security chap came out and told me to put the smoke out or go to the carpark. No excuse me sir or center policy, just put the smoke out. It was only the missus hanging off my elbow that stopped this idiot being put trough the front window of Red Rooster. Seems to me its more socially acceptible to be a drunk, noisey, intimidating, swearing thief in public than a smoker. Don't figure... Lionel
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Reply By: Kiwi Ray - Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 10:09

Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 10:09
Thats city life these days it seems
lyou forgot one thing;
The food in the foodcourts is getting worse
Ray
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Follow Up By: nissnut - Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 10:27

Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 10:27
Your dead right bro, at $10 a plate and what tasted like the day before offerings I wasnt too impressed. Mind you, what struck me as funny, the kebab, roast, pasta, chinese and fried chicken counters were 3-4 deep with customers. The pure and natural stall had about 2 sales in 30 minutes. Seems like its too much trouble waiting for your ginseng infused wheat grass juice to be made. hehehe...Lionel
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Reply By: Willem - Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 10:20

Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 10:20
There is nothing worse than coming out of the pristine clear airconditioned air of a shopping centre straight in to a waft of putrid cigarette smoke emanating from the mouths of those addicts hanging around the entrances.

5 stars for the security bloke
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Follow Up By: nissnut - Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 10:36

Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 10:36
Gidday Willem, Nothing worse than driving along on a lovely day and getting caught behind a diesel belching those abnoxious black choaking fumes. Hope yours is petrol....hehehe......Lionel
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Follow Up By: Willem - Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 10:47

Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 10:47
What, a lovely day in a smoke filled vehicle?....LOL
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Follow Up By: nissnut - Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 19:42

Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 19:42
Actually Willem, between you and me, Id kill for a diesel......Lionel
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Follow Up By: Member - Pesty (SA) - Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 23:23

Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 23:23
Hoo Rar Willem, absolutely fed up with coming out of shops and food places, and being hit for a 6 with cig smoke.
Cant stand smokers, and at the risk of offending some decent ones, who are the minority, most are arrogant and rude and disrespectfull to non smokers.
Dont like security guards either but full marks to him for shifting you on.
Otherwise I agree with you on most of your points.

Cheers Pesty
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Follow Up By: Member - Brian (Gold Coast) - Monday, Feb 19, 2007 at 07:50

Monday, Feb 19, 2007 at 07:50
"pristine clear airconditioned air of a shopping centre "....

ROTFLMFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Those words should NOT be used in the same sentence Willem!

LOL.....

Cheers

Brian
(one-who-has-had-the-"privilege"(?)-of-working-on-air-conditioning-systems-in-shopping-centres!!!)
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Reply By: Waynepd (NSW) - Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 10:22

Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 10:22
WHAAAAAT!!!!! You Smoke AND drive a 4wd?
You social misfit you.......
Shall we go for 3 out of 3
Are you a white person that works for a living too?
How do you expect to get ahead in this world with credentials like that??

That security guard .... hehehehe i would have put the smoke out but he would have been walking funny afterwards.....
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Reply By: navaraman - Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 10:24

Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 10:24
Aside from all the other things you highlighted you admit to wanting to chuck the security chap through a window because he asked you to move to a smoking area so you could finish your ciggy, and you blame social engineers for the ills of the world. I'd take a look closer to home.
Patrolman Pat
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Follow Up By: nissnut - Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 10:30

Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 10:30
Not asked............TOLD. A big difference.
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Reply By: Member - steve H (QLD) - Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 10:34

Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 10:34
At our local large supermarket the security guard carries a hand gun (must be protecting those faberge eggs they sell) there is also a female guard who asks people to par their 4wds away from other vehicles because the may run over a small child.
Steve
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Follow Up By: Stu050 - Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 19:52

Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 19:52
"At our local large supermarket the security guard carries a hand gun"??????
WTF?? Maybe he has an ego problem??

What shopping centre?

Stu
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Reply By: Member - Davoe (Nullagine) - Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 10:54

Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 10:54
you gotta stop shopping at Midland!
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Reply By: F4Phantom - Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 10:55

Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 10:55
refer to post PostID: 42439 to see a response I wrote for here. woops.
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Reply By: Member - Douglas M (SA) - Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 17:32

Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 17:32
It does tend to gnaw at you. A similar thing happened to me once and I thought about what i should do next time. Just ignore the demand and keep doing what you are doing, he can do nothing and it only makes him look stupid. I had the plan and I never had to use it, that was about 30 years ago!
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Reply By: Mike Harding - Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 17:45

Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 17:45
It sometimes seems that the Australia we currently live in is so beset by petty rules and aspiring Hitlers that it is stifling. I noticed a British journalist who was here to cover the Test Cricket made a number of reports in the same vein recently. Not good world press for us.

Indeed we often hear from such people on this forum: "jobs-worth" ("It's more than my jobs worth mate") we use to call them. People who's lives are very narrow and need to concern themselves with the, supposed, transgressions of others - ho hum!

Mike Harding
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Follow Up By: nissnut - Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 19:21

Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 19:21
Exactly mate..........I think. Im not encouraging everyone go out there and be a rebel, and I wasnt trying to create a smoking vs nonsmoking issue. As you quite clearly point out, petty rules, trivial laws and more dangerous anti this and that lobbists and pressure groups with there little agendas are turning this nation into a over regulated, policed state. Divide and Conquer, educate or bully, a very fine line. Lenin would be having a bit of a giggle at the moment. Its a simple case of; If we are going to act like sheep then we will be treated like sheep. I suppose apathy is the biggest enemy of any democracy in many ways. PS. Im a very considerate smoker but when I feel individuals or groups are slowly stripping me of my dignity and turning me into a second class citizen the gloves come off. Lionel
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Follow Up By: Andrew from Vivid Adventures - Monday, Feb 19, 2007 at 08:29

Monday, Feb 19, 2007 at 08:29
Yes. British journalists ... the words whinging poms springs to mind. Britain is no different as far as I can tell.

If you don't like it change it. We make the democrasy we deserve.
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Follow Up By: Mike Harding - Monday, Feb 19, 2007 at 17:15

Monday, Feb 19, 2007 at 17:15
Ah! So objective criticism cannot have value if uttered by a Pom - even if printed in Australian newspapers? Which foreigners do you suggest be permitted to criticise us and taken note of? Sometimes outsiders see things more clearly.

Mike Harding
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Reply By: Member - Michael J (SA) - Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 19:23

Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 19:23
You might be OT nissnut, but your reflections are so indicative of what the average person has to put up with today.

True I don't smoke and do not have a problem with you having a 'ciggy' outside.

Double standards for the other 'persons' you refer to in your post.

Having lived and worked for years 'up north' I have a fair idea of where you are coming from.

Good luck and enjoy the next visit to the shopping mall:)))))))))

Cheers
Michael
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Reply By: Mr Fawlty - Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 20:26

Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 20:26
Yep it's the way of the world these days...I noted on a recent trip to Sydney by train that Public Phones that were "phased out" due to vandalism are returning in great numbers. The reason being that they have become an "advertising billboard', hey when advertising is present the vandals who used to vandalise the phones know just how important the advertising is so they leave the phones alone now...
I absolutley refuse to eat in food halls, the noise, the outstanding food quality, the pleasant ambience all drive me to try & find a cafe or restaraunt...
I notice at my local Mall that the seating that used to be at strategic spots has all dissapeared, the management don't want you sitting anywhere but the food hall...
The result of all this is that I no longer shop there unless I have no choice, I shop at Aldi where the parking is free and the scanners work first time every time...I now also patronise a local supermarket for fruit & veg as the quality is outstanding and get this, this place has a policy of selling AUSSIE grown produce...
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Reply By: Member - steve H (QLD) - Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 22:26

Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 at 22:26
Back to Stu!
Fairly new suburb gold Coast QLD
YES the guy does have an ego problem

Steve
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Reply By: Footloose - Monday, Feb 19, 2007 at 13:03

Monday, Feb 19, 2007 at 13:03
There's nothing worse than coming out of my shopping centre and being almost ill from the grease smell of McDonals across the road.
Ban McDonalds.
I'm sick of innocent people being killed by drunk drivers.
Ban ink a hol (bad for you, stuffs your liver etc etc..)
I'm sick of security guards that think they are heroes.
Ban security guards.
I'm sick of large trucks that hog the highways day and night.
Ban large trucks.
By now you're sick of me
Ban Footy.
Where do we stop ??
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Reply By: whyallacookie - Monday, Feb 19, 2007 at 16:38

Monday, Feb 19, 2007 at 16:38
Well Lionel good to see you were the one setting the example. I'm sure there were no signs indicating it was a non smoking area, after all the media attention banning smoking has had I'm sure we are not aware that there are more public places than not where smoking is either not permitted or restricted to a particular area. And of course how dare the supermarket who's trolley you laid on the ground not provide you with seating? (or is that to discourage smoking at the doors?) Thanks for making sure another trolley ends up damaged or at the least now has an extra dose of germs from the footpath ready for the next toddler to go in! (I'm all for the rights of those who choose to smoke being able to do so, HOWEVER how about the right of those of us who choose NOT to smoke to be able to walk in or out of a shopping centre without having to passively smoke?)

Agree with your sentiments though a polite "Excuse me are you aware blah blah" would have been a lot more appropriate, for all he knew it was your first time/didn't see the signs etc etc. And for the other behaviour well I'd like to add the swearing and carry on that you hear on the UHF to the list!
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