On Sunday night, we posted a letter that a Sea Dogs fan had posted on Kijiji regarding a “young ‘lady’” at Saturday’s game. The letter
has since been taken off Kijiji but, luckily, we were able to snag it and post it
here.
We’ve received an unlimited amount of response about the
letter, both in agreement and disagreement. There is a boat load of comments in the original post and on the SN Facebook page.
Today, we received an email from the writer in response
to some of the comments. Here it is.
The "Princess" Letter: Epilogue
First and foremost, thank you to everyone who has posted a comment here, on Facebook, or sent an email from the original Kijiji ad. After reading the responses (supportive, damning, and some just plain silly), there are a few issues I'd like to address before going back to being my usual mild-mannered self. Thank you, Station Nation, for allowing me to do so here.
- My issue was less about the (albeit annoying) motion during play, and more about her blatantly obnoxious behaviour. Because the letter was addressed to the young "lady' in question, I didn't go into details -- she was deliberate enough in her actions that she knows exactly what she did. But besides the moving back and forth during play, the young "lady" essentially dismissed the usher five times, and then began rushing by her, only to begin walking in slow motion down the stairs. She would also wait until thirty seconds after play began again, and then decide she had to leave her seat. The yelling to Ray about the 50/50 ticket was done about two inches from my head, calculated to get in my personal space and make me uncomfortable, and later when I didn't get out of her way fast enough for her liking (ie within three seconds), she essentially shoved my knees aside. All I had done to deserve this was to nicely tell her that people are supposed to wait for a whistle. All the usher did was her job. In the words of one commenter, this young "lady" was "being a bitch simply because she knew she could." She was bored at the game and decided to entertain herself by making at least five strangers (and one boyfriend) miserable.
- To those who have written that she might have had a medical issue, please understand that was my first thought. When she came back the first time, I even asked if she were okay. (That's just the way I'm wired.) Her response was to look at me as if I were vermin and roll her eyes. I only mentioned the courtesy rule of waiting for a stoppage in play when she pushed by me the second time, about ten minutes later.
- To those who called me a "snowplow ad wannabe: epic FAIL," I'd like you to know that the infamous Moncton snowplow ad was the furthest thing from my mind (although because I posted it on Kijiji, I can see how you jumped to that assumption). I posted the original letter with three intentions only: 1) to put it somewhere it might be seen by the young "lady" in question, 2) to hopefully let Ray know no one was blaming him for her behaviour, and 3) to blow off some steam that had built up during two and a half hours of what can only be described as deliberate antagonism. I was stunned (and -- I'll admit -- amused) to see the attention it received.
- To those who suggest that her behaviour and attitude is typical of "young people today," please rest assured that has not been my experience. After working with high school students for almost twenty years, I can say with confidence that the "princesses" are the exception rather than the rule. During Saturday night's game, there were actually three wonderful young women sitting between us and the "princess." They were friendly, polite, and always said "excuse me" when they went for a walk at intermission. These young women forced to put up with the same antics and attitude I experienced, and it pains me to think that they would be lumped into the same category as the "princess," simply based on age.
- To the individual who suggested I need anger management: I put up with this unjustified antagonism for two and a half hours, then went home and wrote a letter. I think that pretty much defines "anger management."
Thanks again, Station Nation, for allowing me to address these issues. And -- most importantly -- GO DOGS GO! :)
Sincerely,
The Half-Viking, Half-Celt
Full-Canadian Hockey Fan
Boom.
Heee! <3
ReplyDeleteThis is my old junior high school teacher and trust me, if she could put up with my crazy class, she's got lots of anger management. She was the only person that the principal knew would come in because our class was so bad.
Also, I'm sure I'm lumped in to that category based on my age and trust me, I know how to sit my ass in the seat until the whistle.
I applaud this post . I dislike people who interrupt the game . I wish more people would voice there opinion and maybe,just maybe some of these people would learn common COURTESY. I bet if someone came to her house and stood in front of her TV while she is watching her soaps she would flip out :)
ReplyDeleteExcuse me but you have no need to apologize about what you wrote the other day..there are people out there that just do not have common sense and once they are asked not to do something they get their jollies out of doing it deliberatly. Just goes to show you how immature they really are and indeed are NOT a princess but immature and spoiled.
ReplyDeleteThe most unfortunate part about this all is waiting for a whistle is not a rule that can be enforced.They can not be kicked out for it unless they are rude enough to security.Fortunatly if you get the right security officer in there they will persuade her to comply.It is annoying but judging by this girls attitudeiIf she seen this post it probably will make her do it all over again for the attention.Best of luck as there are some people who only consider themselves
ReplyDeleteIts kind of crazy, Ive been to games in many rinks and places like Bathurst had no ushers at all (at least the last time I was there), and the people who attend the games there follow the rules and dont move to and from their seats during play. So it baffles me why we have an usher in every section yet it happens on a consistant basis in Harbour Station. Good job on the post, I feel you have no need to explain your reasons for the post nor should you apologize!!
ReplyDeleteThey just don't announce the fact about moving from your seats during play is "bad" often enough, for instance, that Weds. night cheap seat game was a perfect example, you could tell there were lots people were there who typically don't go to games, and in Section 16, I can guarantee it was happening constantly, I didn't mind too much because I knew there were a lot "Rookies" there. But, Harbour Station seem to be al little doey about many things and this is one of them, they need to make the announcement more often and put it in black and white on the screen more often so people "get it"....plus everyone is forgetting, Society is just getting more and more discourteous, fact of life. I agree , above, people in moncton definitely seem to get it...
ReplyDeleteNormally not one to voice my opinion in a public forum, I have to agree! As a season ticket holder I find myself sitting cordially in my seat, while inside I'm screaming 'DOWN IN FRONT!, especially when the play is happening in the dying seconds of the period!
ReplyDeleteI can exucse the odd latecomer or parent escorting a minor child to the washroom, but have little patience for repeat offenders most of whom only attend the odd game. But when an usher reminds an individual and they ignore the warning that's where I draw the line!
I applaud the effort of original poster to draw attention to this issue, perhaps Harbour station will find a better way to enforce this rule like equipping ushers with Tazers and Pepper Spray!
Rob