From A to Queue

Before boarding the plane and starting my English adventures my parents were sure to warn me about certain British customs. As mentioned before, they gladly left these standards behind when immigrating to Canada some 30 years ago. Still they were determined to enlighten me on the ways of the Brits, as any good parent would. Amongst the many warnings there were three points that stood out in my mind.


1) Binge drinking is a standard process.

2) There is a constant drizzle and dampness hovering over the country.

3) The Brits love to queue.

The second may not be a custom per-say so we'll try not to hold it against them. They can, however, be accountable for the first and if they don't take responsibility for the last then I do not believe that one is a true British citizen. This is just one more example of an unnecessary difference between two cultures that I can afford to live without. For times sake (since I just spent almost an hour waiting in line at the post office), we'll focus on the last point. The first deserves an entire post unto itself.

Some say queue, others say line-up, tomato tomahto, potato potahto...you get the picture. Most people in the Western world are familiar with this phenomenon and have come to accept that at some time or another, you'll have to wait your turn in an orderly fashion. I have nothing against this, fair is fair and without guidelines in a society there is a strong possibility of utter chaos. However, what I am against is when a society does not move forward and adjust their guidelines to fit the context of modernity.

Allow me to elaborate.

Signing up for classes at McGill can be a tedious process as the informed students wake up at the crack of dawn to register for the following year. Even if you are on the ball, this never guarantees that you will find a spot in that course you've been dieing to take since first year. Some take the hit and accept they will never be able to take Films of the 40's during their university career while others trod on relentlessly. Day after day the student will persevere until finally, they see that magic number appear on the screen and with a swift click of the mouse refill the class to full capacity. It may be frustrating, it may be rewarding, but whatever it is, this entire process can done from the comfort of your own home.

Nottingham, on the other hand, is a different story. Imagine the above process but without the technology of a computer...and add an hour long queue for good measure. For some reason universities in England prefer the traditional face to face sign up. I won't deny, they're are advantages to this process with the chance to ask questions and find out more about the class. However, after waiting in line for over an hour most modules you hoped to sign up for are already full. And instead of swearing incessantly at a computer screen it's usually the poor lady behind the desk. Trust me, her reaction will be a lot more verbal than your desktop at home.

It's these types of queues that I see no need for. As we power on into the 21st century technology has given us the means to change hours into seconds. What used to take three days to send now takes less then a second by e mail. What has the potential to take no time at all is instead replaced by an hour long queue with risky results.

Of course I say the Brits love to queue in the most ironic sense. No one really enjoys standing in line at the post office...or the ATM...or the coffee shop, but sometimes you just have to wait your turn. What I refuse to wait for is a process that takes hours when it could be done in seconds. That's where I draw the line.

The internet is a beautiful thing people. Use it.