Comment of the Day: : Why Don't New York Times Writers Possess Any Awareness of Their Presentation-of-Self?: "One of the fascinating things--sad, but fascinating...
...about us poor monkeys is how we react to a criticism of behavior A not by addressing it, but by intensifying behavior B: the thing we want to do or think we're good at. I'm watching someone's marriage fall apart right now due to this tragic flaw in our monkey brains.
So MoDo is sad that her rating is low, and a driver explains the problem in pretty clear words that even a Times columnist should be able to follow. And yet her response has nothing to do with the problem behavior. She decides that what she needs to do is charm the drivers! Flatter them by asking about their lives--entertain them with her own pithy observations. Because the problem in her mind can only be that the Uber drivers aren't getting enough Maureen Dowd out of her. They grasp at the hem of her garments, and she feels the power flowing out of her.
I'm pretty sure all you need to do for a perfect 5 is (a) be there when the car arrives, (b) pay promptly at the end of the ride, and (c) don't be a jackass. You know--basic respect for other people. Schmoozing might even be a negative.
