If everyone does it, it improves the overall experience of everyone, as you said, at absolutely no additional personal cost, financial or otherwise. You get home from Blockbuster, insert the tape, flop on the couch with the still warm takeout food, and begin your movie night without any friction. At the end, you placed the cassette on rewind and switched to cable to watch something else until you dozed off, or kid’s bedtime came or whatever.
The other experience, you insert the tape, flop on the couch and…wait, the VHS says the videotape is at the end. Ok, then put the VHS into rewind, it was usually slow, then use the rewinder. You have to get up, take the cassette out, put it in the rewinder, wait a few minutes. “Daddy I want to watch the movie now.” “Patience, just wait a minute.” “Honey, the food is getting cold sit down to eat.” “Wait, the rewinder is do…shit, it swallowed the tape again.” Take it out, clear the jam, manually wind the tape, put the tape back in the VHS, it is gentler. Wait some more. Now start the movie. At the end, should you rewind?
It was just one of those things that, are simple, nice and cheap for everyone. Not doing it is just a mild annoyance for others, but it costs you nothing. It was truly a test of morality back then. Good people are those who still do the right thing even if no one is watching.
If everyone does it, it improves the overall experience of everyone, as you said, at absolutely no additional personal cost, financial or otherwise. You get home from Blockbuster, insert the tape, flop on the couch with the still warm takeout food, and begin your movie night without any friction. At the end, you placed the cassette on rewind and switched to cable to watch something else until you dozed off, or kid’s bedtime came or whatever.
The other experience, you insert the tape, flop on the couch and…wait, the VHS says the videotape is at the end. Ok, then put the VHS into rewind, it was usually slow, then use the rewinder. You have to get up, take the cassette out, put it in the rewinder, wait a few minutes. “Daddy I want to watch the movie now.” “Patience, just wait a minute.” “Honey, the food is getting cold sit down to eat.” “Wait, the rewinder is do…shit, it swallowed the tape again.” Take it out, clear the jam, manually wind the tape, put the tape back in the VHS, it is gentler. Wait some more. Now start the movie. At the end, should you rewind?
It was just one of those things that, are simple, nice and cheap for everyone. Not doing it is just a mild annoyance for others, but it costs you nothing. It was truly a test of morality back then. Good people are those who still do the right thing even if no one is watching.