City Librarian has no common sense!
On the outside, the Chinatown library fits right in with the neighborhood, in respect to architectural style and period design.
Inside however, the cozy - but cramped space - has been enlivened with a few practical modern renovations that allow the eye to flow through with ease.
Unfortunately, the natural light - that struggles through a couple of the only unboarded windows above, is insufficient to elevate the space to a decent stature in the city proper in the overall scheme of things.
As a result, mediocrity reins the day in that regard.
The furnishings (is it my imagination or have they been crafted in miniature?) are spindly and sparse - and hence - uncomfortable for anyone over the age of thirteen or fourteen to relax into comfortably.
The librarians are crunched into a little nook that belittles them in the eyes of the patrons who wander in off the street.
In view of what transpired today, I expect bad karma is the reason for that.
For example, around 5:45 p.m. in the afternoon just before closing, a book-lover strode over to relieve himself in the unisex restroom.
When he found the door locked, he assumed that it was occupied, so sweated it out.
Sometimes the old bladder just cries out for instant relief, 'ya know?
A few minutes later, a clerk strode up to the xerox machine to shut it off, when she spied the patron waiting patiently at the door of the water closet (he's an English bloke).
At this juncture, the young lady persed her lips a tad, then pointed out that the facility was usually locked up fifteen minutes prior to shutting down the library for the night.
"Check with the Librarian," she shrugged without any sympathy.
So, the hapless tourist walked over to her desk, a bit anxious now since an emergency might be in the offing if he wasn't permitted access to the facility soon.
Unfortunately, the young Asian lady didn't converse well in English, so at the offset there was a communication problem.
"Men's room," the dude tried to convey with his hands in a desperate effort to hasten the urgent matter along.
"Closed at 5:45," she coldly responded.
Her lack of empathy - and failure to recognize the obvious (which underscored her low IQ and lack of common sense) sure-as-heck surprised me.
Don't they urinate or do No. 2 in Asia?
Surely she understood the dilemma, or was she really that clueless?
I thought it ironic that a librarian who handled books and publications daily - that dealt with enlightenment and knowledge (and the all-encompassing flow of documented wisdom of the great minds of this or any other century) - was totally unfamiliar with the meaning of the word "empathy".
Empathy
–noun
1. the intellectual identification with or vicarious experiencing of the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of another.
2. the imaginative ascribing to an object, as a natural object or work of art, feelings or attitudes present in oneself: By means of empathy, a great painting becomes a mirror of the self.
Nor, did she show any compassion, in spite of the fact she was charged with the authority to overlook the rule on occasion, and provide much-needed relief for a tourist in need.
Compassion
–noun
1. a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.
For starters, she was obviously not a Christian!
It was bad enough that the city employed a woman who primarily spoke a foreign language, to the disadvantage of the locals and tourists born in this country, who had a problem communicating with her in a facility backed by U.S. tax dollars.
Further, her failure to respond to an obvious need, underscored that the woman in question was not only unqualified for her post - but, bottom line - lacked the experience and basic intelligence to carry out her duties professionally as well!
Shame!
Insulated Chinatown out-of-touch with reality
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