Society

I get frustrated when things don’t work. Increasingly I have been getting especially frustrated when things that are fancy don’t work, because I feel bamboozled. The other day, I went to wash my hands in the bathroom at work, and the automated soap dispenser/foamer didn’t work. I was awkwardly placing and retracting my hands under the sensor repeatedly like please sir… just a bit of soap to wash my bathroom hands… and nothing. No soap for you. I looked a little more closely and saw a 🪫 low battery icon on a small LED indicator at the base of the dispenser. I sighed and moved over to the next dispenser, which did work. ...

Several years ago, the Metropolitan Transit Authority of New York City made a major change that affected every subway and bus ride overnight, but not many people noticed. What happened? Announcers were trained to avoid using gendered language, such as “Ladies and gentlemen,” and instead use greetings like “Attention passengers” or “Good morning everyone” prior to making an announcement. Okay, so it wasn’t earth-shattering. But I thought it was a great example of a small, easy, tangible way to be more inclusive, without being overly fussy or political about it. I didn’t even really notice it until I read an article about it in 2017. ...