I’m sure everyone has heard of the carnage that was the PS3 launch here in the states. Shootings, riots, fights, robbery, and sleazy eBay resellers; these people should be ashamed of themselves. Today was the launch of the Nintendo Wii. No I did not reserve one (like I have time to play), but I whole-heartedly support those die-hard fans who wait outside of a retail store at the slim hopes of landing a new console even with all of the recent dangers that seem to be presenting themselves (that’s what the industry gets for trying to appeal to a larger market). I’ve camped out for a new system or two, so I know how grueling a 2-3 day excursion can truely be.

So I was inspired by reading this article about a Canadian performing a random act of kindness for those fearless fans. My wife and I stopped by Target in our neighborhood (Allen, TX, suburb of Dallas) and saw about a dozen people camping out. Most of them seemed fairly young and somewhat cold. It doesn’t get too cold here, but it was something like 40-50 degrees outside. I struck up small talk with a few people in line and I asked if they wanted hot chocolate. They declined, so I walked around and asked everyone else (loudly). Most of the people in the front declined but about half a dozen in the back seemed shocked (”Are you an angel in jeans?”). Few of them were curled up in thick blankets so I kept asking and ended up taking half a dozen orders. I went into Target and bought the drinks and 2 packs of cookies (seemed appropriate, my wife’s idea).

When I brought them back out, the people in the front were flabbergasted. They said they thought I was joking or making fun of them! The people that got them were floored; they couldn’t believe that I actually bought them hot chocolate for no reason. One girl asked if my wife and I were Target or Nintendo employees. She had a very hard time swallowing the fact that we were regular people performing a random act of kindness expecting nothing in return.

Is this what society has reduced itself to? I spent a measly $10 and that single act will probably be remembered by those people for the rest of their lives (camping out is a big deal because the sheer boredom is a huge mental hill to climb). I can’t believe that by being nice enough to buy some people a hot drink when they are cold that I am thought of as an angel. I suppose this is akin to how people turn a blind eye to the homeless.

We would’ve hit up a few more locations but I have a project that is due in precisely 27.5 hours (and I’m not close to finishing).