Adrian Chiles, another regular writer and broadcaster who works with The Guardian, recently had a bizarre experience. This is no joke … It was while standing in line to use the men’s bathroom in a pub just before Christmas. How things played out painted a true picture of the oddities of human interactions tempered by the strains of everyday life.
As Chiles waited in line, he felt the push and pull of support and disapproval from the people around him. One rider laughed, possibly to keep from crying given the situation that we found ourselves in. At the same time, the other one sat empty all day, appearing totally unconcerned by the queue. A third person looked so embarrassed, as if to suggest that they were receiving and understanding the collective discomfort in the room.
The mood changed when another pair of men came into the queue. Their arrival, of course, escalated the situation and contributed to the charged atmosphere of the time. Through the week, Chiles saw perspective change within the community. One fellow jokingly challenged another to come back after doing up a hundred more, leaving the crowd laughing but just a little bit mad. The implication was clear: perhaps only then would this person be given the time of day.
As the crowd dispersed, a second man in the crowd shook his head in disbelief, clearly unhappy with how things had played out. He must have believed that what he saw was a reflection of the broken Britain and the “woke madness” that he had long anticipated. Such sentiments often surface during shared frustrations, illustrating how public experiences can evoke deeper societal reflections.
Chiles could tell it was a slow moving line. He thought it strange that people who went into the bathroom would spend a noticeably long time. The lengthy absence seriously cut into the otherwise wonderful afternoon’s time. Rather than relaxing with a half of lager at the local, they were forced into a game of who’s got the most time to waste.
Chiles later remarked on the situation with a touch of irony:
“Well, this makes an unpleasant change, doesn’t it lads?” – Adrian Chiles