When did we become THOSE people?!

(ALERT: there will be no pictures with this one. . . .just ruminating)

So yesterday I went into my second job at this place to take part in trivia night. Pulling into the parking lot, I could tell that it was ultra-super-uber busy and. . . as luck would (for once) have it. . . I was well-pleased to score rock star parking right by the door. Walking in, I eyespied these things in immediate succession:

1. There was a spot at the bar next to one of the regular guys (who is a very interesting and cool person).

2. The line for drinks was almost to the back of the taproom.

3. There was only one person "on" and they were swamped.

Having seen all these things, I did what I thought any "normal" person would do. I put my stuff down, went to grab glassware out of the bus tubs, and got behind the bar to help out. I mean. . . who is going to see a fellow coworker (even at a part time gig) struggling and NOT do something to help? I feel like this is a no-brainer.

The whole thing was pretty funny and we chuckled about how busy it was and I kept making silly comments like, "I'm bartending in a DRESS!! I didn't do my HAIR!!" <<<that last part is especially funny since I never do much with my hair. Anyhow. . . I was back and forth from doing customer things and helping out. When all was said and done, the other person tried to give me some of their tips!!

What. The. HELL!?!?!? (This is where the whole point of the post starts so keep reading)

Now, this was a really generous gesture--don't get me wrong--but there's no way in hell I'm taking someone's tips when I voluntarily helped them out of a tight spot. That's just crazy!! So this begs the question (at least it does in my mind):

When did we become the sort of folks who assume helpers "expect" something in return for their help?

(In the interest of full disclosure, I absolutely SUCK at asking for or graciously receiving help. I'm no example of any virtue in this whole scenario.)

I mean. . . it's HELP. Isn't the very idea of help that it's given freely with no expectations? Is it not? Am I wrong about this? I'm in a state of wonderment about the whole thing. It's not as though I'm some paragon of altruism (trust me. . . I'm not. . . by any stretch) or anything. I just feel like if you see a person who needs help of some sort wouldn't you just help them out?

Maybe it's all about context. While I would 100% help out a coworker, I'm not very confident I'd stop and help a person with a flat tire---mostly due to my irrational fear of axe murdering strangers. Perhaps it's hard for folks to accept help? We do live in a very individualistic society after all. I'm very curious what other people think of this. I'm sure I'm overthinking the whole thing but it's stuck in my brain right now. The point here is that I wish we could give and receive help as though it's a completely normal, no-big-deal sort of thing.

Sadly. . . . I didn't win at trivia. I didn't even come close. Maybe next time.