Is there such a thing as common courtesy any more?

Two weeks ago Charlotte and I went to see Prince (formerly known as Squiggle or whatever) performing at the O2 (formerly known as the Millennium Dome).

It was a great evening made better by the courtesy we encountered from most people, whether on the Underground or elsewhere. When people noticed Charlotte, who now has a 6-month pronounced bump on the front, they were quick to give up seats or generally be helpful. Most of the staff at O2 were very good too, although the week before, when we saw the Scissor Sisters at the same place, an overly officious jobs-worthy had turned Charlotte away when she asked to use a gangway belonging to people seated in a different block to us. The toilets for that block were a lot closer than ours so it was a bit surprising she met with such resistance.

But the good service and courtesy far outweighed the bad. When we arrived I went to the box office to ask if we could swap our tickets, which had been in the standing section, for ones in the seated section. The girl at the box office looked at Charlotte, smiled, and said yes, she thought these probably were extenuating circumstances. We got new seats without any fuss whatsoever. By the way, don’t think it was me who’d booked these seats in the standing area… Charlotte booked them way back at the end of last year before she was pregnant.

We don’t go out much at the moment as you can imagine. So this
two-in-a-row concert experience was unusual for us. But it was a good opportunity for me to see how people react to her in public and how helpful they will or won’t be. Generally I sigh with relief when I see that most people act with some kind of common sense and courtesy.

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