Unplugging Etiquette
Dear Daniel,
I was thinking about what I call "unplugging etiquette" the other day. In the States, children are taught not to yank plugs out of the wall by pulling on the cord. Rather, they are to grasp the plug itself to remove it from the outlet. This idea is so ingrained that when one is vacuuming and accidentally pulls the plug out of the wall by trying to make the vacuum cleaner reach beyond the length of the cord, one immediately feels guilty of plug abuse. Well, here the etiquette it totally different. Children must be taught to steady the outlet with one hand while removing the plug with the other, otherwise, the entire outlet could come out of the wall! (I'm not kidding.) So trying to vacuum beyond the reach of the vacuum cleaner cord can have much more serious consequences than a guilty conscience. The first (and possibly) last time I allowed myself to do this here, I was punished by discovering an outlet dangling from the wall on live wires that produced a terrific spark when I gingerly tired to replace the outlet. I left it alone, and we called an electrician! (Don't you want to come visit me now?) :))
Love, Sharon
