Refrigerator Skirmishes

Like parking wars, refrigerator skirmishes are mine fields of passive aggressiveness and righteous indignation.

I walked past a fridge today at the shrine (see this blog for why I am here), and caught a glimpse of a sign.

It said something like Friday is fridge cleanup. Anything without a date and name gets thrown out.

It brought to mind every office I have ever worked, but it also conjured in my mind all the bathroom signs I have seen over the years.

I understand the need to tell lots of strangers about the particularities of one bathroom or another: septic don't flush anything; hold handle down 20 seconds; turn off lights when finished. Or even state mandated wash your hands.

But I am recalling the ones that remind you that your mother does not clean up here or that smelly incidents need spray.

These are mired in that passive aggressive behavior that does not confront the person in question (and, yes, everyone on those signs is written with one or two people in mind), rather it accuses all of bad behavior.

Of course, the right to do so is conferred by the righteous indignation from whence "my shit doesn't stink" was born.

Back at the refrigerator, someone (or a whole group) can't just throw out old things -- he/she/they have to create a rule that may or may not solve the purported problem... no space or foul smelling items...

yeah, I don't know why that was what I cared about today either...