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Re: guidance (re: social event politeness)

2000-12-13 19:40:02

Thanks for the feedback, public and private.

It is pretty clear that we attendees should talk to
Qualcomm and Cisco about the disorganization of the social
event.  Our individual account team or sales people seem
like good targets for complaints.

However, wrt queue-jumping, there is a serious qualitative
difference between what some of us are admitting to
(innocently not realizing there ws a queue) and what
happened in the IMAX queue.

What I observed was this: the elevated red cloth strips
forming the "walls" of the serpentine line to the IMAX
show seemed to attract a sizable handful of people who
realized that they can be "ducked under", or indeed,
dismantled.

I am sad to say that I saw this frequently while I was in
one or the other corner near the IMAX theatre exit doors.

When some friends and I pointed out to people doing this
queue-jumping that they were being unfair to everyone else
(who were suffering from the same disorganization),
approximately 3/4 of the people in question left the queue
and rejoined it at the back.  Others required firmer
persuasion, and a few required a threat of exposure on
this mailing list before un-jumping from the queue.

There were only FOUR people who refused to leave the
queue.  None offered an excuse (such as, I was just
throwing away some garbage, or getting drinks for my
friends here).  They simply stayed in place, apparently
not caring that they cut in ahead of hundreds of people
who followed normal rules most of us learned as children.

Two of these people were wearing their IETF conference badges.  
One was identified by several people nearby, who recognized her.
One guy not only said "go ahead and name me", he attempted to
identify himself AS SOMEONE ELSE, by handing over another
person's business card.   To this person: WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE NOW.

I believe at least some of this is unacceptable behaviour
that cannot be overlooked simply by virtue of general
disorganization or industry competitiveness, and look for
guidance about how we should (collectively) police such
poorly-socialized people, if at all.

        Sean.