Why you should take handle in hand
By Natalie Serafini, Contributor
Have you ever noticed an eerie quality to our school? There’s a presence that hovers like some manic poltergeist, rasping and breathing heavily. You’ll be walking down the hallway and hear it: a haunting, Invasion of the Body Snatchers-type deal. Actually no, it’s like an asthmatic pug dog, but not adorable. Or maybe it’s more like Chewbacca, I haven’t decided yet. But it’s there, this whirring sound that accompanies—wait for it—someone pushing the electric button to open the door.
Now, obviously I have no problem with people who actually need to use the button. My beef is with people who don’t need to use it—because in pushing that button, they’re pushing my buttons!
Press to open? (Image via DesignSojourn)
See what I did there?
Is there something I’m missing? If you’re capable of opening a door, then why not just do it? I can remember getting joy out of pushing buttons when I was young and carefree, which was actually the sole reason I took piano lessons, but these aren’t children that I see abusing the button. These are fully grown, fully capable, fully lazy adults. Maybe it’s the way I was raised; my dad wouldn’t get me a glass of milk without asking me why I couldn’t get it for myself.
Using electricity to open a door that you are capable of opening for yourself is a waste. Besides, I’ve actually seen the buttons break from overuse. Is that what you want? For people who need the button to be unable to use it because you were too lazy to open a door for yourself? The buttons are intended for those who need them, not for those who are oblivious.
I have to return to this laziness issue here because seriously, how much energy does it really take to open a door? I understand that this depends on whether it’s a pull or a push—I mean, if it’s a push you just sort of lean—but it’s not like we can’t afford to spend a tiny fraction of our energy on opening doors. I’m not entirely certain that it’s just people being lazy either, based on the number of times that I’ve held the door open for someone who pushed the button before striding on through. As in, the door was already open, but they pushed the button anyways.
Maybe it’s an addiction. Maybe it’s a force of habit. Maybe it’s an excessive dependence on technology. I have no idea, but people need to stop doing this. Honestly, isn’t anyone else annoyed by that sound? Take matters and handles into your own hands—it’s easy once you start.
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