It's showtime in Australia, and I'm a member of the society at a cost of around $140 australian dollars per year. This gives me a membership badge and a guest pass which gives me unlimited access for the ten days of the show (as well as a few single entry freebie tickets), carparking privileges, discounts, access to members only areas, etc. Today I went down to visit some friends and caught the train. I ended up sitting opposite a lady and her children. We started talking and it came out in the conversation that she was a single mum, had never been able to afford to take her children (it's pretty expensive just to get through the door, plus all the "Mummy I want"s add up pretty quickly) and had been saving for two years to take her children. She'd just lost her job, but had promised the kids they could go this year. When we got off the train and were standing at the gate, I pulled the guest pass and the two freebie passes I had and said that she was with me and we went through the gate. The mum actually cried and thanked me and then headed off in to the grounds.
Next thing, I've got a security guard tapping me on the shoulder and said that I had done the wrong thing, that she obviously wasn't a guest of mine and that the passes were only for my guests. I replied that she was my guest, the passes (other than my own membership pass) are able to be used for anyone I choose, and the freebie tickets can be given to anyone. Argument continues. I admit that I ended up telling him to sod off and that I was happy to cancel my membership and the hundreds of dollars in competition entry fees (I show my dogs there) if it was such an issue. I then started thinking later WIBU, and should a guest pass only be used with immediate family or personal friend, or should I be able to take anyone through the gate that I wanted? The only condition I could find is that the guest pass cannot be used by more than one person at a time, and the pass was not used again today by anyone else. The freebies are a giveaway, I could give them to my mailman if I wanted and they would have no idea.
So, who IBU? Security guard, or me?