[Closed] Being grateful, is it an age thing ?

You can be pissed off at crap food at the airport and be grateful for your lot in life at the same time…

I don't really agree with the idea that bad things are automatically dismissible because worse thing exist.

However, some people just like to complain and moaning about crap food in an airport on their way to a holiday in Mexico does feel a little "check your privilege" TBH.

Apologies
William de Vaughn - be thankful for what you got parts 1 and 2.
Too old f’Art!

Crap food in an airport, whoda thought that.

Your complaint about someone complaining is worlds apart from the experience of the people in ukraine.

docGeoff just an observation 😎

The recent events, pandemic, lockdown, war, have made me pretty grateful. I was already pretty happy with my lot but I really do think I'm in quite a privileged position and should be making the most of it (says the man wasting his morning on social media 🙂 )

I don't that a war in the Ukraine excuses poor service at an airport though. It is to be expected but it shouldn't be. You pay a massive premium and they actively stop you taking your own food and drink in.

I would quite like a trip to Mexico, though.

The very best way to remind people how much better what you are doing is than what they are doing is to mention that it's not as good as they think.

I'd reply by saying I only ever eat in the business class lounge to avoid such disappointment

I understand both views. It's always good to be grateful for what you have but doesn't mean you can't have nice things. If you're lucky to be in a position to be able to afford nice things, you shouldn't have to settle for low standard just because other parts of the world are much worse off. Its horrible to hear what Ukraine is going through as well as other parts of the world. But that doesn't mean just give everything to charity and have nothing for yourself. You only have one life; make the most of it.

I’d reply by saying I only ever eat in the business class lounge to avoid such disappointment

I assume not BA's business lounge at T5, just stale crap on a hot plate. Virgin Club House different story...

This

You can be pissed off at crap food at the airport and be grateful for your lot in life at the same time…

And this

I don’t really agree with the idea that bad things are automatically dismissible because worse thing exist.

Sum it up for me.
There is always, always something worse, that doesn't mean you can't moan about lesser things.
I had a poor meal at a restaurant this weekend, I had a bit of a moan about it to some friends. The stuff that's going on in other parts of the world is clearly much worse, but that doesn't mean I can't be annoyed at the poor service I got over Sunday lunch.

You can be pissed off at crap food at the airport

Is the real problem here whatsapp groups? Or how people use them. I mean, no one needs to know what food you ate at an airport or how good or bad that food was.
Personally, I would find it annoying and tedious to get messages like that but I wouldn't think the person who sent it needs to be more grateful.
Perhaps it is time to make a ruling about what to send and what not over whatsapp.

not as bad as fallacy

People eat at airports?

Could they not just do what everyone else does and post a photo up on social media, enjoying a 6am pint with a big grin on their faces? 😀

But you need the Spoons breakfast with the pint!

I mean, no one needs to know what food you ate at an airport or how good or bad that food was.

Well that's just torpedoed pretty much all of social media.

NB I always post my cafe eats photos on Strava, our WA riding group even has a Guess the cafe game, where you have to post an obscure cafe photo and everyone has to guess which cafe you're at - can get very tricky as the standard is very high! Eg can't be Cafe X, their hat stand is made from Ash, that looks like Oak...

I said we are all truly blessed and should count our blessings

I don't believe that life depends on some imaginary friend deciding that some people are more worthwhile and "blessed" than others.

Is the real problem here whatsapp groups?

No more or less than forums.

My experience of hitting middle age myself and my mother hitting significant dotage is severe introspection is the default mode unless someone is prepared to shove a cattle prod up your arse at regular intervals for your own good. The world might be going to shit but your average oldie or middleaged G.O.M. will be fixating on the rank unfairness of B&Q no longer selling countersunk screws in just the right packet size or supermarkets being way too busy with kids on a Saturday morning (they have all week to go shopping but got into a routine 35yrs ago and why should they change it now).

Tangent, but:

You pay a massive premium and they actively stop you taking your own food and drink in.

Hmm. That's a bit like complaining about the cost of travelling a mere 300 miles to get to the ISS. Airport food is expensive because the rent is expensive. Rent is expensive because the airport companies have to keep their taxes low to get people to fly, and people plan their travel based on the flight ticket prices. There's no point happily taking advantage of £35 flights to Geneva or wherever whilst then moaning about the cost of airport food. £35 does not accurately represent the actual cost of running an air travel industry - the companies who run it are getting revenue where they can, and it's actually a pretty precarious business.

Re the OP - gratitude is a maturity thing, I think. And it's related to your own background.

Reading the OP this bit struck me : our group has made it past our mid 60s...................I’ve finally realised after all these years there are people worse off than me

Wow!

It would probably have been easier to just put "OK Boomer" on the Whatsapp thread and crack on with your day. Then he could have stewed over your comment all the way to Mexico.

I think the problem is just multiple generations of (mostly) middleclass Brits who've been born into relative wealth and comfortable lifestyles, who haven't really suffered in any meaningful way (I include myself under that heading) losing all perspective on what is truly important.
Such people trying to defend increasingly petty outrage at utterly mundane occurrences, in the face of very visible (global and national) inequalities and, as the OP points out, chuffing war crimes happening in a European country not all that far from home...

Social meeja just gives people a platform to be dicks about their trivial sufferings, and then be told they're being dicks about relatively trivial sufferings, then complain that they're being told that they're being dicks, and so on...

NB I always post my cafe eats photos on Strava, our WA riding group even has a Guess the cafe game, where you have to post an obscure cafe photo and everyone has to guess which cafe you’re at

Sweet baby Jeebus! (arguably) the greatest invention of the 20th century and Humanity uses it to share pictures of Poached eggs and Lattes, perhaps we do deserve a big old asteroid...

Sweet baby Jeebus! (arguably) the greatest invention of the 20th century

Strava and cafe stops are OK but to call them the greatest invention of the 20th C is a bit of a stretch…

Not sure I understand IdleJons contribution?

Not sure I understand IdleJons contribution?

That it took you over 60 years to appreciate what you have is significantly more than others do. I'd imagine he'd have hoped it might have come to you sooner. You are probably not alone.

OP might have missed the point, it's not a case of "Oh, aren't things terrible, look at the state of this food" it's really "WE'RE OFF TO MEXICO, WE'RE OFF TO MEXICO, WE'RE OFF TO MEXICO, WE'RE OFF TO MEXICO, WE'RE OFF TO MEXICO, WE'RE OFF TO MEXICO, WE'RE OFF TO MEXICO, WE'RE OFF TO MEXICO, WE'RE OFF TO MEXICO, WE'RE OFF TO MEXICO, WE'RE OFF TO MEXICO, WE'RE OFF TO MEXICO, WE'RE OFF TO MEXICO, WE'RE OFF TO MEXICO, WE'RE OFF TO MEXICO, WE'RE OFF TO MEXICO, WE'RE OFF TO MEXICO, WE'RE OFF TO MEXICO, WE'RE OFF TO MEXICO, WE'RE OFF TO MEXICO, WE'RE OFF TO MEXICO, WE'RE OFF TO MEXICO, WE'RE OFF TO MEXICO, WE'RE OFF TO MEXICO, WE'RE OFF TO MEXICO, WE'RE OFF TO MEXICO, WE'RE OFF TO MEXICO, WE'RE OFF TO MEXICO, WE'RE OFF TO MEXICO - and here's a humblegripe in case we haven't already told you 5 times".

I don't know who to blame, but this type of nonsense is everywhere now, the sad thing is that Social Media (which WA groups have become a part of) could be a really positive thing for us all. I'm part of a group with friends who just don't see enough of each other, it keeps us in touch and it's great, but Humans just can't help ****ing up things can they?

the sad thing is that Social Media (which WA groups have become a part of) could be a really positive thing for us all. I’m part of a group with friends who just don’t see enough of each other, it keeps us in touch and it’s great,

I've got a group with some friends from uni. All bar one of them, I think I havent seen since a wedding a year and a half ago. We dont post that much in it, but when we do its usually along the lines of engagements, new baby, new job, new car (half of them are in the automotive industry, so its not quite a keeping up with the jonses thing), finished redoing the garden and so on.

Would I phone them individually on the off chance they had some news? probably not. Its nice to see how people are getting on though.

Makes a lot more sense than the ridiculous annual christmas card thing that my parents and grandparents generation do.

I'm in a group of people I met for a week skiing in 2018. None of us have seen each other since, and probablyhave no intention of doing so. But every winter we update the group with skiing pictures and where we all are going, which could be seen as well off middle class bragging; but really its nice to gauge the conditions, find out about resorts we maybe havent been to, and so on.
I throw in some summer photos of my bike dangling from a ski lift too.

the sad thing is that Social Media (which WA groups have become a part of) could be a really positive thing

They are.

As demonstrated by your Geographically Diverse Chums group "which is great," the problem isn't the medium but who you choose to share it with.

Makes a lot more sense than the ridiculous annual christmas card thing that my parents and grandparents generation do.

That's good point actually.

I remember my gran sending loads of cards, but there was an element of "who else do I have to send one to?" Which surely defeats the point, the sentiment that you're thinking of someone remote this Christmas is hollow if you've to rack your brains to remember who you're supposed to be thinking of.

Best thing that happened to T5 food was Pret

I hate hate hate flying with a passion, T5 BA Business is just about passable but thats been getting worse over the years i feel.

We drive to UK destinations or drive to France and even Switzerland this summer.

I think life is tough now, but I do feel I should be thankful that most of my issues are not a big deal. Today I am mostly pissed at the cost of good quality gear and brake cable sets...

Folk on this forum are always whinging about poor products or poor service so I don't see what difference it makes if this one just happens to be on WhatsApp. Neither do I see why mentioning a trip to Mexico is a "humblebrag" any more than someone on here complaining that their new bike has been delayed, or has a mark or whatever.

I think the problem is just multiple generations of (mostly) middleclass Brits who’ve been born into relative wealth and comfortable lifestyles, who haven’t really suffered in any meaningful way (I include myself under that heading) losing all perspective on what is truly important.

I have had to travel in economy on occasion, I know what suffering really is...

Will probably moan about the fact that they travelled all that way, don't like hot and/or spicy food and cant get British food whilst there?

Remember “there’s always someone better off than you”

Courtesy of Stiff Little Fingers, I believe.

I don’t see what difference it makes if this one just happens to be on WhatsApp. Neither do I see why mentioning a trip to Mexico is a “humblebrag”

Likewise.

Aside from anything else, the WA poster is allegedly a 'mate' so it could be the opposite, the mate's jetting off whilst the OP is sat at home fixing up his house. Maybe felt a bit bad so went "yeah, it's crap so far, ho ho!" and got a response guilt-tripping him about Ukraine.

Seemed to me for the OP's post was intended to be positive, but it's quite easy (and dangerous) to read whatever meaning you like into an out-of-context post. That's probably the fault social "meeja" as well.

Remember “there’s always someone better off than you”

Courtesy of Stiff Little Fingers, I believe.

Is your mate really known as Stephen?

Aside from anything else, the WA poster is allegedly a ‘mate’ so it could be the opposite, the mate’s jetting off whilst the OP is sat at home fixing up his house. Maybe felt a bit bad so went “yeah, it’s crap so far, ho ho!” and got a response guilt-tripping him about Ukraine.

The only reason I mentioned WA is because if a message comes over WA to me it would be from someone I know rather than some random stranger posting on social media. I don't do FB or anything like that.
I'm not sure it's really such a big deal but it is another indication of how social media encourages narcissistic, self-important behaviour and I am not sure human beings need any help with that.
It reminds me of the family newsletters my uncle and then aunt used to send out telling about some relative you'd hadn't seen in years who had got a job promotion or had had a baby or whatever boring sh*t they chose to write about.
I always wanted to write a spoof one about court cases and rehab centres and abortion clinics and the like.

Food at the airport? It's hardly going to be hand crafted by a Michelin chef now is it? Wink ...

... Would have been my response.