So there I was near the end of this snaking and hideously long queue at Dubai International Airport ready to check in for my flight to Muscat and there was an incident.
The people right in front of me were of the stand still type: as the people in front of them moved forward, they didn't. A non English speaking man from behind me tried to get them to move: each time the queue moved and they didn't, he lunged at them ... all friendly and relatively stress free. We then got to a meander in the queue and as these people didn't move forward, someone came round the corner and joined the queue IN FRONT OF THEM. I thought, bloody typical.
The stand still people stood still and someone else joined the queue in front of them, then two others. I took complete control at this stage, beginning with the words "Excuse me ... " Waving arms in the direction of the real queue I announced that they had joined the queue in error and should go to the back. I even spread my arms as if picking up the four people like a conjourer juggles four boxes of matches and lifted them from their current position to the back of the queue in a virtual manner!
The old non English speaking man felt that he ought to join in at this point but I gently informed him that he ought to take care of himself and very gently edged him away: he went.
The pushers in all pushed out and went to the back of the queue as they should have and one of them even apologised for his misunderstanding.
The stand still people said nothing but then did move forward and the queue then behaved well after that.
The non English speaking man said, "Thank you. Thank you." to me!!
Interesting eh?
DW
-- Duncan Williamson
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