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One of the things that's been bothering me lately, is how people can be so insistent on thanking people for doing their jobs. I don't believe I should have to. I think that if I'm going to be grateful, it should be for a job well done, or for going above and beyond the call of duty.



Take waiters and waitresses for example. If they do a bad job, I don't tip. That makes sense. A tip is by definition a present given to someone for performing a menial task. If they are incapable of performing said task properly, like hell I'm giving them a present for it. This isn't kindergarten. In the grown up world, you have to work for what you get. That's why it's called work. You do a good job, you get a reward. Whether it's a paycheck, a tip, self-satisfaction, or the admiration of your fellow man, it's the same thing.



A police officer's job is to stop criminals, a firefighter's job is (obviously) to stop fires, a doctor's job is to heal people. Now clearly I am grateful to them for this, (more so than to most people, anyway) but at the same time, it is their job to do this. They are paid to perform this service.



Would they keep doing it if they got no money for it? If they got no respect, no admiration, no social status, would they continue? Some, maybe, but most? I doubt it. So why call them heroes? Some of them might be, but certainly not all. The majority just go in every day, do the bare minimum, and leave. I refuse to deify an entire class of professionals just because the service they perform and reap the benefits of happens to be of particular use to me.



And finally, (and more personally) right here on the Rave we have a group of people who think they are owed appreciation for what is essentially their job. Rating. Now, I know that rating can be boring. It takes time out of your day, and isn't particularly satisfying most of the time. But I still do it, because (like 99% of the people on this site) I have to.



I have to do it to raise my level, and to keep my levels up. That is the way this site is set up. I do a job to gain rewards and to avoid unnecessary hardship. Mercenary of me, yes, but that's the way it goes. Everyone knows this and goes along with this, rates those profiles (and other assorted things), gets their stats, and moves on.



What bothers me is that so many people have these cute little stamps, (or who knows, maybe some of them write it out new every time) saying, "Feel grateful, I have rated you." or "I've taken time out of my day to rate you, feel special." Why? Why the hell should I? They haven't done anything special. If they gave me a good rate for a good profile, fine, although statistically speaking, most of them didn't even bother to read it.



And I don't just mean on my profile either. When I go to the trouble of actually reading a profile, rating it accordingly, and leaving a relevant message, I don't tell them, "Hey dumbass, quid pro quo! Now get the hell over here and give me a good rate!" That's just not how it works. I figure that if they want to rate me, they'll do it on their own. If they want to feel grateful, that's also their prerogative, not mine to enforce.