TMI (Too Much Information)
November 25th 2006 01:56
There’s a hostie friend of mine who I hesitate to ask ‘how are you?’ for fear of the lengthy and over revealing answer. The response is never just “I’m fine”. If all I have to hear from her is “I’ve got a very snotty nose at the moment” that would be a lucky escape for me. But more often than not, this friend will launch into details about the colour and consistency of the mucous. This information will be followed by yet another equally descriptive statement about her bowel movements (or lack of).
Sometimes there’s such a thing as TMI (Too Much Information). And alongside hairdressers, cabbies and The British, hosties are very willing imparters of personal information.
Once, within minutes of starting a shift, a former colleague began doing over-exaggerated stretches in the galley, complaining about back pain. The hosties in the vicinity,including myself, responded by agreeing that indeed one of the hazards of the job was having constant back pain. “Oh this wasn’t from work” the hostie with the injured back was quick to assure us, “last night I had a sex marathon with a guy I met a bar. I can never have a boyfriend because I’m addicted to one night stands”, she added nonchalantly.
Male hosties too are guilty of sharing TMI. This incident of TMI started off as a normal conversation with a boy hostie, who I thought was a fairly decent human being (for a straight male hostie), about the flights we had in our upcoming rosters. He said he had a few flights to a particular Asian city. I commented I had been to that city once, which was enough because it was kind of boring. His reply was “I request that destination every roster because I love to go there, buy some beer, which is really cheap, which I take with me to watch strip shows”. I know ‘boys will be boys’ as the saying goes, but I really wish the hostie hadn’t divulged that piece of information.
In the hostie world, one doesn’t have to have established any kind of friendship with a colleague before providing a detailed account of their life story. Before the flight has even taken off, it is common for hosties to have already exchanged a variety of information regarding:
*past and present relationship issues
*yesterday’s argument with the boy/girlfriend
*frequency (or lack) of ‘action in the bedroom’
*financial woes
*menstrual cramps
I think TMI is unnecessary. Admittedly, it is entertaining at times, but usually I’m of the opinion that caring is NOT sharing.
What do you think? Do you feel a bit icky when someone tells you TMI about himself or herself?
Sometimes there’s such a thing as TMI (Too Much Information). And alongside hairdressers, cabbies and The British, hosties are very willing imparters of personal information.
Once, within minutes of starting a shift, a former colleague began doing over-exaggerated stretches in the galley, complaining about back pain. The hosties in the vicinity,including myself, responded by agreeing that indeed one of the hazards of the job was having constant back pain. “Oh this wasn’t from work” the hostie with the injured back was quick to assure us, “last night I had a sex marathon with a guy I met a bar. I can never have a boyfriend because I’m addicted to one night stands”, she added nonchalantly.
Male hosties too are guilty of sharing TMI. This incident of TMI started off as a normal conversation with a boy hostie, who I thought was a fairly decent human being (for a straight male hostie), about the flights we had in our upcoming rosters. He said he had a few flights to a particular Asian city. I commented I had been to that city once, which was enough because it was kind of boring. His reply was “I request that destination every roster because I love to go there, buy some beer, which is really cheap, which I take with me to watch strip shows”. I know ‘boys will be boys’ as the saying goes, but I really wish the hostie hadn’t divulged that piece of information.
In the hostie world, one doesn’t have to have established any kind of friendship with a colleague before providing a detailed account of their life story. Before the flight has even taken off, it is common for hosties to have already exchanged a variety of information regarding:
*past and present relationship issues
*yesterday’s argument with the boy/girlfriend
*frequency (or lack) of ‘action in the bedroom’
*financial woes
*menstrual cramps
I think TMI is unnecessary. Admittedly, it is entertaining at times, but usually I’m of the opinion that caring is NOT sharing.
What do you think? Do you feel a bit icky when someone tells you TMI about himself or herself?
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