Just watchin' the people walk by

Two posts in one day: a new record! Anyway, like I said in my last post, I was at Husker Harvest Days this week. HHD's claim to fame is that it's the world's largest irrigated farm show, and for 3 days every September a small town goes up in the cornfields of central Nebraska so anyone and everyone associated with agriculture can hawk their wares. I work for a small environmental agency that works on agricultural projects, so we've gone there for the last four years. It's been a tough show for us, because mostly when farmers see the word "environmental" they go into defensive mode and then pepper us with accusations. But this year was okay; we handed out some promo items made from corn plastic and that did the trick. As long as we buy stuff made with their corn, they're happy.

Unfortunately, the promos turned out to be too popular; we ran out on the second day and after that no one wanted to stop by our booth. Disappointing. But it did give me some time for people watching. Here's some things that I observed:

• People will pick up anything that you put on a table: Anything. And it will always happen when you least expect it. For example, we had a signup sheet for our newsletter and I set out a pen for people to use, mostly junk pens that we pick up at other events. This time I set out one from an auto parts shop that had a booth right next to ours and was handing them out at their booth. I turned my back to open a box and when I turned back an elderly gentleman in overalls was stuffing the pen in his bag. I wanted to tell him he could have just as easily walked next door and picked up the same pen, but I'm too nice. So then I put out two new pens with Office Depot stamped on the side of them. One minute later a woman walks up, says nothing to me and takes one of the pens. What the hell? There are only two of them: WE'RE NOT GIVING THEM AWAY!!! I am obviously going to have to put a chain on them like at a bank so they don't end up walking away. Or just pick up more pens at trade shows, whatev. Conversely, it never ceases to amaze me the amount of people that will see a sign that says FREE, TAKE ONE! and then ask "Are these free?" Jeebus.
• Graphic Tees Must Die: When did we as a society decide that we were going to stop speaking for ourselves and instead buy overpriced t-shirts with idiotic sayings on them? I'm looking at you, American Eagle. There were masses of skinny teenagers at this event who wasted their hard-eared cash on these crappy shirts, usually printed with some stupid drinking reference or sly sexual innuendo they wouldn't be brave enough to actually say to another person. The worst one that I saw said "I didn't ask if you wanted to dance, I said you look fat in those pants." Well, I said I'm gonna rip that shirt off your back and shove it up your ass if you don't get your dumbass t-shirt outta my face.
  
• Some people are itching for a fight: Working for an environmental agency, I'm used to this. I've been called a communist, tree hugger, hippy, etc. and that's fine: name calling I can handle. It's the people that want to fight with you that are the most annoying. I had one guy tell me that "You're the reason that everyone pays more at the pump." Never mind that I'm a peon at an agency that has no control over the oil companies; it's still my fault. I get the most frustrated when people won't listen to you. I can talk to most anyone if they're willing to listen, but some times people don't want to hear anything that is contradictory to their ideas. I talked to another man about our policies and he was making no sense at all, digging a deeper hole with his unsubstantiated accusations, and then he just up and walks off. Nice to chat with you, sir! Other times I've talked to people and they try to "trap" you into saying something that they can pounce on and use to back their claims. I had one conversation like this. We talked for several minutes over the roar of the crowd and eventually he gave up, shook my hand and said his goodbyes.

That's what I observed at Husker Harvest Days this year. Now I'm going to go out and steal some pens, tell someone they look fat in their pants and then argue with them for no reason. It's the American way, apparently.