Examples

On NPR today an article told of a lady who had an accident cutting herself.  She was bleeding.   She called 911 and was rushed to the hospital where she was treated.  She received good treatment, the same as the other patients in  the Emergency Room.  Then someone recognized her and called out her title and name, like “Professor Howard*, what are you doing here?” 

That changed everything.  They put her in a private room and called in a specialist.  The treatment she got before was good, and after they knew who they were dealing with,  it turned to excellent.

They went on to tell of a group, say a tour guide discovered of one of the members of the group was from his or her hometown.  The newly discovered home towner got special personal attention.

Nobody got less treatment, the home towner just got better treatment, from somebody his or her felt they had something in common. 

The article said special treatment is natural. 

It reminded me of a time several of us went to Acworth Beach at night.  We had booze.  We could not drink a the Beach without getting caught so we drunk our beer and some vodka across the water on the other side of the lake, sitting on stumps.

After we had enough to get loaded we went back to Acworth Beach.   We could see the Pavilion lit up.  Teenagers were there partying.  We parked on the outer fringes of the parking lot, near a sharp bank.  We were getting out of the car and I heard a jingle.  I looked up to see the jingling coming from a flashlight coming down the bank in the dark.  When he materialized he was a uniform elderly policeman holding a flashlight and I suppose the jingling was from his keys.

He was an Acworth policeman!

“What’s you boys doing?”

“Nothing much.”

He shined his flashlight in the car to see empty beer cans, and a half bottle of vodka. 

He said drinking as a minor is against the law.  He took out a pocket size note book and asked our names.  I was the 3^rd person to give my name, I said, “Edwin Hunter.”

“You any kin to Ed Hunter, the chief of the Cobb County Police?”

“He’s my daddy.” 

The policeman looked at his little notebook blankly for maybe a half minute, but seemed longer. 

He snapped his notebook closed and told us this is a warning.  For us to leave and don’t even think about going to the Pavilion tonight.

“Yessir!”

We left.

That is another example.

*not real name