what is it about jury duty that has adults groaning and whining like children?
my sister recently got jury duty and she's looking at it as an experience, because she never did it before. but everyone who hears that she has it, tells her they feel bad for her.
my cousin told her to act really prejudiced against the people involved in the case.
my aunt told her to ask a million questions so they'll get annoyed.
my friend told her to explain to them that she'll lose alot of money if she doesn't go to work.
what my sister's decided is that most adults don't like jury duty because they'd rather be at work making money. it's true that if i went i would lose a day of work, but for me it would be worth it. i guess i have this romantic notion of jury duty from watching 12 Angry Men. i watched that movie in seventh or eighth grade, and then because i liked it so much, i watched it twice more. maybe i have visions of myself spilling out the traumas of my childhood (Even though i don't really have any) to everyone, and getting to sob "not guilty!" maybe i want to flick cough drops off an old man's head. maybe i want to be the one to decide that a young boy didn't kill his father, but was really at the movies-like i said, i have a romantic idea of jury duty.
either way, i put it under the category of "First Timers" like the first time i drove on the highway. my first day at my first job. my first day of college. the first time i vote. things that get taken for granted, even become mundane, but as a first, their almost like inductions into the adult world.
and besides, life is only mundane when you let it be.
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
thoughts on the antics of the world around me; as seen through the eyes of a somewhat cynical nursing student
Posts
8 comments:
"my friend told her to explain to them that she'll lose alot of money if she doesn't go to work."
that's a good way to guarantee they put you on the jury
"my cousin told her to act really prejudiced against the people involved in the case."
that's a good way to make a chillul hashem
"i guess i have this romantic notion of jury duty from watching 12 Angry Men."
chances are you won't be a on a jury, and if you are the jury will only meet after the trial for about ten minutes
I've only done it a couple of times, but I didn't mind it. I looked at it as a day off of work and came prepared with lots of reading material.
First time I was on jury duty I actually got picked as a juror...it was an interesting case, and all the jurors got really invested in it--at times it did feel like 12 Angry Men.
Oh I love jury duty...
unfortunately I've never been picked for a jury..
but its like spending all day in an airline lounge..
watching fellow passenger..smell of coffee in the air...and reading last weeks magazines...
thats so funny that you wrote about this! because i just read a really
good book ("prisoner of birth"--check it out) which involved a lot of
trials and i decided i really wanted to do jury duty also.
and that thing you said the list of first times--i keep that mental
list also... but it starts from way back when (i think 'first time i
wore deoderant' is on there)...alrighty TMI, i gotta get back to work!
(sorry about the messed up spacing)
incidentally, im no longer just another frum college girl! now im 'blah!'
http://maybetomorrownah.blogspot.com/
I was wondering the same thing, why does everyone dread it, I'm looking forward to it.
But even college people who aren't working, and aren't making money dread jury duty, they think it will be boring.
I think it would be exciting, like you said its a first, and I think its cool to be able to put in your opinion and help make a decision.
Here's why adults don't like jury duty:
1. taking off from work is not always an issue of money. There is a very real fear of being fired when they notice that you aren't needed, or losing your job because you're way behind in work that is vital for you or your company to survive in your industry.
2. Being chosen for a murder trial is not all about opening and closing windows or throwing knives into the jury table. There's a terrifying responsibility that many many people do not really want to be part of. They would prefer to be doing things that they are confident about, like their day job, where usually nobody gets killed or has their entire life ruined if you make a mistake.
As a reminder, jury duty is made for adults. It's assumed that you are mature enough to actually make decisions. You're not a child if you're going to jury duty - or voting. (or wearing deodorant, frankly). Definitely your first time is an induction, but it's also a proof. Embrace the fact that yes, you yourself are an adult now, and definitely keep that wonder.
Post a Comment