In this situation what would you have said? Observation of 2 minute silence.

[doughnutty]

Before I start I just want to say that I think it should be but, I'm not evangellical about it. If you choose not to, that's fine, as long as you don't stop others who want to. I work in retail, on mat leave atm, and have often had to serve (silently) customers who ignored it.

So....
I sat down to try to snatch a cuppa and a bacon sarnie in Tesco cafe this morning. DD was due a sleep so I was hoping she wouldn't kick off as it was almost 11am.

There was a tannoy (not easy to hear over the noise of the shop but given the time it seemed obvious to me that it was) informing everyone that the 2 minute silence would take place shortly. Some staff appeared from behind the scenes and stood in the cafe.

As the place quietened, I was aware of a woman sitting at the next table talking softly. I presumed she hadn't heard the announcement or was not observing it for her own reasons. She was asking her husband why the till staff weren't standing when the cafe staff were, and how it was so disrespectful of the event.

I was wondering if I was braver what I would've said. But I can't think what I would've said. I still can't work out her out and I've been thinking about it all day.

Btw, I know some of you will say MYOB but I'm seriously interested in trying to understand her logic.

dont know what I would have done or said, but think it is curious that this woman was remarking on other people being disrespectful just as she was being disrespectful herself

Just like on the thread to not post at 11 earlier on, a couple of posters were 'shh' ing between 11 and 11.02

DD1s class was told by their teacher beforehand to think about what subject they were going to write a story about during their one minute silence

It is a bit odd to spend a designated silence whining about how other people are not being silent enough. But then a lot of people who get all exercised about wanting other people to observe the same rituals as them are not terribly logical anyway.

You'd be up shit creek if people didn't force other people into observing the ritual of getting to work on time SGB.

The irony of that woman is pretty funny.

I've always preferred remeberance sunday in any event. More pomp and circumstance and another 2 minute silence. We don't need to do it twice.

I'm not sure that getting to work on time, or stopping at red lights for instance are rituals exactly. The thing with rituals is that they are effectively pointless and there are no actual demonstrable consequences of either ignoring or observing them.

I don't think I would've said anything, because I don't really see it as my job to police strangers' behaviour (a belief which makes 90% of AIBU threads completely incomprehensible to me ). Unless they're doing something very illegal or potentially life-threatening it just isn't my business. My attitude seems to be a bit unusual in the UK though.

I would have just glared at her and said nothing, and if I caught her eye shook my head or something. Stupid woman (her not you!)

at the stupidity of the woman!!

I actually forgot to do the 2 minutes yesterday, but I was writing an information sheet about the first world war for the junior choir at the time, so I was thinking about the dead and their sacrifice.

Ha ha about getting to work on time being a ritual enforced by other people! What an utterly shite comparison. Think it might be more about contractual terms of employment - not really governed by people forcing other people to observe it as a ritual, more about it being governed by employment law and grievance/disciplinary procedures so an individual's terms and conditions. Not remotely comparable. OP i reckon the woman you saw is an enforcer type, v keen on rules and the like but only because they always think of themselves as ensuring everyone is following the rules - they're never subject to the rules of course because they're too busy enforcing them and that is far more important.

Moonstorm - was it you?

To be fair I had my eye on the wall clock, not the computer clock.

I mean I posted, not that I was in the cafe

why would you even think of saying anything? she was a stranger having a conversation with someone else, not you. i could understand you wanting to say something if she had been asking you but she wasn't. so none of yours TBH.

Does the 2 minutes silence need to be 11. There are alot of services that observe the Mark of silence.

Do you mean does the silence need to be at eleven o'clock auntie? If so yes it does need to be at eleven, it's to remember the moment at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month when WWI officially ended. Very odd that the woman didn't keep quiet then complain afterwards.

Not only was the woman being hypocritical talking whilst maoning about others the most unreasonable thing about her was her attitude to shop staff. She was criticising the staff for not standing whilst she was still seated at her table! Sounds like one of the many members of the great British public who love to look down their noses at shop staff.

I would have rolled my eyes at this as well tbh. I think it's choice whether it's observed or not, and as someone who use to work in retail and observe it I just didn't serve. She was being a judgemental fool IMO. Obviously one of those who can't see herself for who she is.

We went into town this morning for the parade and then into specsavers! The whole shopping centre observed the 2 minutes silence in which my DS sneezed right in the middle of it. About 20 people laughed when the buzzer sounded to end it.

Her logic is amusingly hypocritical but I wouldn't have said anything. How she observes oe doesn't observe (or for that matter if she openly protests or disrespects) the minutes silence is nobody elses business.

As I suspected, she was just a hypocritical, self-righteous fool.

like I said in my OP, I don't think I would've said anything, I just wondered if anyone would try and justify what she did. I would have if she'd been with me.

I also wondered if her husband, who did appear to remain silent, said anything to her afterwards.

My DD got a detention because she insisted on obnserving the two minute silence during PE - apparently they don't 'do' the silence in PE lessons. DD said she was thinking about the two of her friends' dads who had died in Afghanistan. It would be sad enough that she was givcen a detention for this in any town - but I live in a Garrison town...

I have phoned the school and told them that my DD will NOT be attending the detention, as she was observing the two minute silence, not being deliberately disrespectful to the teacher...

How old is she hunty?

I just read my last post back, what I meant to say was I would have confronted her about it if she'd been with me. Not that I'd have tried to justify it.

valium she was in her mid 60's I would guess. Didn't want to say that in my op. For some reason it felt wrong to mention it. Don't know why.