Being Excessively Early For Events, Classes, Meetings, Work, Parties, Etc
By: Eve A.
White people will frequently show up to various events 15- 35 minutes early for no reason at all. A favorite quote used to explain this phenomenon is “Early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable”. What this means and why they live by this quote no one really knows, but it is a mantra that white people frequently recite to themselves every morning, as means or ensuring their timeliness to whatever function, they will be attending. In fact, this timeliness requirement extends to all areas of life, whether they are attending a social function, such as a party, where no one cares if you show up at the exact time it starts or to work, where being on time actually matters.
There is only one exception to this rule, which is when there is a limited supply of something that is deemed ultra-important by the white community, such as concert tickets, computers or other sale electronics, or reality television spots. White people may show up, 8- 24 hours early, instead of the normal 15-35 minutes, for these special cases, even if it means sleeping on the street in middle of winter (which is also referred to as camping) and foregoing “non-essential” things such as showering, brushing your teeth, and even eating.
Note- To gain the full approval of white people, being early is an absolute requirement. By arriving 15 minutes early to a class, one will gain their approval, but to gain their utmost respect and admiration you will need to show up 25 minutes early or more. They will automatically see you as a person who has attained a level of earliness, which can only they strive to achieve! Additionally, you will earn bonus points if you give a look of disapproval to people who are late or inquire about the cause of the tardiness of people who fail to meet this timeliness requirement. This will show you that you are genuinely committed to this super important cause and want to fix this societal ill.
Pages: [22] 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 … 1 » Show All
I happened to google this quote so I could restate it to someone and came upon this blog. This is quite a generalized statement… I know many white people who may as well dispose of all forms of timekeeping they own because they seem to have no sense of time. I’m BLACK and number 1 on my list of “things I hate” is being late so I too live by this mantra! I’d rather be an hour early than a minute late…
I am a white american and you have discribed me perfectly. I am always early and I think it is extremely disrespectful to show up late. I take great offense to tardiness.
I always overestimate how long it will take me to get ready for something and then how long it will take me to get there, and then its like, I could sit in my room for the extra 20 minutes doing nothing or just be early… I hate being ealry. -.-
An interesting concept, ‘white people’, but a little bit broad for anything other than fatuous generalisation . Perhaps this piece refers in the main to ‘white Americans’ , although this fails to take into account the sheer diversity of European, and European-derived cultures, and doesn’t address the norms of behaviour in Asiatic or Arabic cultures . How would your correspondent react to the suggestion that all black people turn up on time or late? In an age of efficient travel, cellular phones and instant communication, the concept of punctuality, or of ‘arriving in good time’ may have taken a bit of a battering , but in the past, the uncertainty of travel and the time and inconvenience of sending a message or of arranging a rendezvous , meant that many people developed a habit of arriving early for an event or meeting . Other reasons might include availability of seating, the time taken to actually enter a venue or party, the ritual of greeting your host, a limited supply of food or drink, the start time of any entertainment , and above all the idea that it is rude to keep people waiting . As for business, just try persuading anyone, white or black, that turning up late is in some ways a cultural right or norm, rather than taking the precaution of a safety margin . It’s rather pathetic that ‘being early’ is perceived as some kind of white conspiracy to impose unreasonable colonial standards upon the non-white American community . It’s also inaccurate and condescending to all concerned
.
Not always; it’s horribly, terribly different if you’re British.
Now THIS is really interesting. Can you talk more about it? because, from what I can tell of white culture there’s a LOT of preaching social virtues and then punishing people when thy adhere to them by labeling them as further undesirable. (most cultures have strict rituals for EVERYTHING, and are hella more consistent in their social values. But in white culture, it’s like, unless you know The Code, you can’t win for losing. Is it because US whites have teenagers, and have had them longer that any other US culture? And that teenage culture mostly consists of rebellion against social rules, but with tightly restricted alternative formulas for group conformity? And is it because this youth culture has pretty much taken over US culture in general and that the proposed age of membership is ever expanding? I really do think your discrepancy is one having to do with perceived age or subculture membership that goes away once these same people join the most prevalent culture. What do you think?
Yes, LAWD. this is the truth!
Btw, I’m willing to bet this trait came from Germanic-descended cultures, like the English. I doubt punctuality would be *perceived as* an *International* preferred business standard if there had never been a British empire.
Pages: [22] 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 … 1 » Show All