Murphy’s power came from weak colleagues

IN a fast food restaurant at the weekend with my wife and kids, the sound coming from the PA system was an extremely annoying, repetitive, three note sound byte, a pathetic, synthetic piece of drivel masquerading as music, of the type popular at the modern drug driven ‘raves’, where kids dance themselves into a stupor.

Is that what kids want to hear, what a fast food chain feels would be popular, acceptable nowadays? I don't know, didn't give a damn anyway; it was driving me crazy, this needle stuck loop, round and round and round and round. Went to the counter, asked them to stop it, and they did, with a smile.

It had been driving them mad, it had been driving the several people who thanked me on the way back to the table mad, even the one table of teenagers seemed relieved, signalled with a smile and nod. But why did no one else take action? Believe me, this was not the first time in my life I stepped forward, won't be the last. But why does it always have to be me, or someone like me? Why do so many people put up with so much that annoys them, without complaint, without taking action?