Two minutes silence and refusing to serve customer

I am absolutely baffled by the many, many posts suggesting the OP could have rung up the goods in silence

Are people really that ill-educated?

Nope, I don't get why that is ill-educated. Presumably buses, taxis and trains don't stop during the silence. I know the point about hospitals was shouted down, but surely a taxi is not performing a life-saving action yet we don't expect taxi drivers to pull over for 2 minutes. Why can a shop-worker not continue to serve customers in silence?

You might think it's rude (that's your choice) but it has nothing to do with education.

We had Tony Blair standing in somber silence at many remembrance services and wearing a poppy, yet casually inventing evidence to support unnecessary military action that would kill millions. The silence makes no difference.

But we are not Tony Blair or the government. Don’t you get that thousands of people choose to pay their respects to the thousands that died and the thousands that still go to war having had no influence whatsoever on whether or not out country did (and may still) go to war?

The other thing is that it should not be for a charity to provide for injured soldiers. The government who sent them into battle should meet all the costs (they don't- they are often made homeless and suffer immense emotional and physical distress).

YES to this!

I find it unspeakably bizarre that you expect the royal British legion to be able to stop war from breaking out anywhere in the world

The British Legion is a charity that receives some of the proceeds of the poppies sold. The whole remembrance thing is a much, much bigger operation that the RBL. It is the government and the media who drive the whole poppy thing, not the charity. Have you wondered why literally every single news-reader wears a poppy and the whole public is expected to participate in this, yet the same never happens for ANY other charity? Why do we not have a 2 minute silence for cancer victims for instance?

The other thing is that it should not be for a charity to provide for injured soldiers. The government who sent them into battle should meet all the costs (they don't- they are often made homeless and suffer immense emotional and physical distress).

The other thing is that the poppy thing is now synonymous with supporting the military and the country at any cost it seems. Again, that is media-driven, not driven by the RBL. Why aren't people asking why we still continue to send 18 year old boys into war-zones to be blown up when we vowed to learn from what happened in WW1?

Are people really that ill-educated?

Yes. Yes they are.

I am absolutely baffled by the many, many posts suggesting the OP could have rung up the goods in silence

Are people really that ill-educated?

You did the right thing OP.

WildBluebelles I agree with you, I just don’t see why the two have to be mutually exclusive? You can rail against the politicians and warmongers without being openly derisive of the boots on the ground who were sent to these wars. I cannot abide Tony Blair (DP and BIL are Iraq veterans), he is an odious, self serving cretin. Donald Trump and Theresa May are warmongers who do nothing for humanitarian causes and to help communities ravaged by the wars their governments started.

I’m not saying you have to wear a poppy or observe the silence, you don’t. But to openly refer to it as wanky is unnecessary and offensive.

When I was working in retail we didn't put anything through the till during a 2 minute silence in any of the shops I worked in. The till beeped each time an item was scanned and the cash drawer rattled when opening and closing and you needed to tell the person the total and ask how they would be paying. So not possible to serve anyone in silence. So no OP YANBU.

It would have been better if the company had asked you to stand at the side of your till or something so it was more obvious.

"Really? I thought the idea of 'never forget' was to ensure that the same thing doesn't happen again. Why do we blindly take part in these services yet the same things are happening over and over and over then? "

I find it unspeakably bizarre that you expect the royal British legion to be able to stop war from breaking out anywhere in the world

I know I said I’m not up for forcing people to get involved, but was that necessary?

Yes, it was. Sorry if you don't want to hear that, but we have a government that doesn't even publicly condemn Trump and his nuclear war threats yet thinks that people being silent for 2 minutes actually makes any difference to us 'not forgetting' about the atrocities of war. We had Tony Blair standing in somber silence at many remembrance services and wearing a poppy, yet casually inventing evidence to support unnecessary military action that would kill millions. The silence makes no difference.

here are the quotes I was thinking off for anyone interested.

peacenews.info/node/5810/was-harry-patch-worlds-oldest-pacifist

Wild bluebellies your crazy rant has completely misunderstood the fact that RD doesn't, in itself, prevent wars hmm although arguably the idea is to prevent another world war

Really? I thought the idea of 'never forget' was to ensure that the same thing doesn't happen again. Why do we blindly take part in these services yet the same things are happening over and over and over then? What's the point of never forgetting if we keep repeating the mistake? We have our PM holding hands with and cosying up a president who has threatened to start a nuclear war ffs. We have a government who has repeatedly assisted in arming the terrorist groups we are apparently at war with. And it will get even worse because we have now decided to sever our links with our neighbours and will probably have to do whatever america says or else.

Maybe people aren't doing much about Syrian refugees because they're forgetting about the horror of concentration camps because people like you think events marking such atrocities aren't important? Have you considered that?

I haven't really, no, because it's not true. It is about humanity and compassion. People claim to have that in spades but when it comes down to it they don't want to help. If they wanted to help those affected by war, there are so many things they could do. Standing in silence for 2 minutes and wearing a flower do absolutely nothing.

...some wanky enforced silence

I know I said I’m not up for forcing people to get involved, but was that necessary?

I am 50 and it was NOT like this when I was a kid/teen. People did it and got on with it. They didn't spend their time observing and reporting on what others did and if they did, if they did it properly.. Totally agree with this too. As it happens I haven't bought a poppy this year and I didn't observe the silence yesterday (thought it was today). I have thought an awful lot about conflict and world peace and we visit the local war memorial quite regularly (it's in a hospital where we go and dd1 always asks to go in and she asks respectful questions and we think quite deeply about the dead). I've also given to charities related to the victims of war, albeit not the poppy appeal this year (might still do so - it's not a principled stand, I just haven't got around to it yet). I don't think that makes me an awful person. All this thought-policing is OTT and has cumulated in that awful MP wanting to claim his poppy expenses because for him it has no meaning other than a compulsory part of his work wardrobe.

This is utter nonsense. So many people saying she should have been served because she chose not to observe the two minutes silence! The OP did choose to. Not her problem that the customer was running late. Maybe she should have got her arse in gear and allowed plenty more time to catch her train. YANBU OP.

...some wanky enforced silence.

Well done OP. You did the right thing.

Rude not ruder!

YANBU. That woman was ruder and highly disrespectful.

Of course you should have served her. You were at work and observing the silence isn't compulsory.

If the 2 minutes silence is company policy then no one gets served! It’s what my employers (major food retail company) expect so we do it! Tough shit if customers don’t like it.

Your employers told you that youmustobserve the silence?
They didn't.

Thry said staff on the shop floor would be observing thr silence but if anyone didn't want to participate then they didn't have to. They could go out back so not to risk appearing rude ti others or break the silence

Totally agree the woman shouldn't be forced to observe it - but that isn't the issue - she could have run off to get her train or whatever - but she needs to respect that the OP did want to observe it - like you'd have to respect if someone was praying at the particular time you wanted their attention. Agree the shop should have made an announcement that some staff would be observing it and service would cease so the OP didn't have to second-guess this and the woman could have made her decision earlier to abandon the shop if she was cutting it fine.

HandbagKrabby well said.