The Toronto Star sent people out into the city with maps to see if people would offer them directions.
Question: when you, personally, are looking at a map, do you need help? Because I don't. If I have a map, I'm fine. I just need to look at the map and orient myself. It's like when you walk into a strange mall and you look at one of those big board map things to find out where the foodcourt is. You don't need help, you just need to look at the big board map thing for a second. Holding a map isn't a sign that I need help any more than holding a newspaper is a sign that I need someone to tell me everything that happened in the world yesterday.
So because of this, it might not occur to me to help someone who's standing there with a map. If they ask me, sure. I'll point them, I'll highlight their map, I'll walk them there, I'll carry their stroller down the stairs, I'll help them in their own language and call someone up if I don't speak their language, I've even nagged and argued and debated someone who was utterly convinced that to get from 2000 Yonge to 3000 Yonge she had to walk south (the numbers go up northwards) until I got her walking in the right direction. But I might not help them if they're just looking at a map, because when I'm looking at a map I don't need help.
Do you need help when you're looking at a map?
3 comments:
Nope. And I don't like when someone assumes that if I'm looking for a map, I need help.
When I need directions, I ask.
However... I have offered help to lost-looking map users in NYC. But there were a lot of other visual cues that they were lost, not just the presence of a map. Each time I've done this, the person was indeed lost and appreciative of help.
I think that's the key... having a map isn't enough to show you're lost. Tack on to that looking bewildered, upset, concerned, etc. and you've got that "lost" look.
And, in that case, I help. Sometimes I misjudge and someone doesn't need help, but mostly I'm right.
Boy oh boy does Ottawa have a lot of tourists in it.
Just as long as they don't go by the bewildered look alone. The other day I was waiting to cross the street and caught a glimpse of my reflection in a car window. I looked so perplexed! But all I was thinking was "Is it raining hard enough to justify opening my umbrella?"
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