Stuff That I Have Noticed #18 Jury Duty

Have you ever served on a jury? I have not. For most of my life I have wiggled out because as a freelancer (first an actor then a production guy) I couldn’t afford to miss a job. But except for those considerations I’ve always wanted to be on a jury so I was pleased when I got the recent notice to appear.

Having recovered somewhat from the disability caused by three fractured vertebrae we felt that Elizabeth would be okay for a week or so without me at home to help her. I hasten to add that she was very supportive of my being on a jury and assured me that she would be fine. Then on the day I was to show up she woke up after a bad night with a lot of (disabling) pain. She insisted that she’d be okay (and that she thought I needed a break from my caregiving job) but I felt that I needed to be with her.

To be relieved from jury duty for being a caregiver one needs to provide a doctor’s note. At seven AM on the date of said summons it’s kind of hard (impossible) to get such a note. So I figured that my only choice was to show up and tell my story to the person in charge.

A little background

As some of you know, for many years I worked as (along with other film jobs) a freelance producer. This work took me to distant locations all over the continent not only for the shoots but for lots of pre-production work. Much of this had to do with hiring local people and renting local hardware such as scissor lifts, cranes and other industrial equipment which was not cinema specific. Every town of any size has industrial equipment rental companies. Whether part of a national franchise like Abbey Rent All or a private business, they are locally operated. The first time I popped into one of these places in a small town with my high energy, get-it-done, New York attitude I was met with – if not outright hostility – a rather cool response. It didn’t take me long to realize that in Middle America that’s not how things are done. Folks are a lot more laid back and chatty in the heartland and I needed an attitude adjustment. I needed to adapt to my environment.

After this realization when I was in such a situation I would stroll into a place with a neighborly “How you doin’?” I even allowed myself to slip a bit into my youthful Tennessee accent. It worked wonders, occasionally even got me better prices.

What has this to do with jury duty? you might well ask. I’ll tell you.

I arrived in the court house fifteen minutes early and there were thirty or forty folks loitering in the hall outside the locked waiting room. On the stroke of nine the doors were opened by a diminutive woman standing all of four feet ten and as we began to walk into the large room she delivered her detailed instructional spiel. I stopped beside her as she spoke. Her speech was concise and well delivered – three times as the crowd shambled past her – in a strong, clear voice.

When the last citizen was in she looked at me and, in her professional civil-servant voice said, “Yes?”.

Realizing I needed to soften her up to create a receptive reaction I seized upon the obvious. Since I was genuinely impressed with her performance I smiled and said, “I have a problem but first I must tell you, as a director in theatre and film I was very impressed by your performance.” Being authentic my compliment had the desired effect.

Her invisible shield evaporated instantly, she smiled and asked what she could do for me. I explained my situation and without any hesitation or further questioning she led me to her desk and asked when I’d like to come back. I picked a day four months later and she took my summons and made appropriate comments, put in the new date and signed it. Handing it back to me she smiled and wished my wife well and I was on my way home.

The point of all this is that when we can penetrate strangers’ natural personal defensive “bubbles” they are usually kind, considerate and friendly. Of course this doesn’t always work (What does?) but it is always worth the effort.

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