I just got notified this weekend that I am to serve Jury Duty in July. Everyone that I talk to, friends neighbors, and even family seem to have a negative response though. I'm not quite figuring this out. My conversations have almost all gone like this.
Me:Guess what? I have jury duty next month.
Friend or neighbor: Oh, Ouch. Do you know how many days you gotta be there yet?
I realize that in my position I could be more negative about it because I am self employed. I don't get paid time off to show up for jury duty. I loose money if I can't get my Mom to help out. Even if I have my neighbor cover for me I'd be paying her to help and loosing my income for that day. The money from the court doesn't even come close to compensating.
Still, The people who've I've talked to who are negative about it seem to think it's a chore. I realize it could be boring to sit there through all the interviews of the lawyers, but still.
I personally see it as exciting. Probably not so the next time I have to go but most of these people have never even had jury duty so it's not old news to them yet. I see it as a chance to watch the law system in action, be a part of it, and do something new and different for a couple days. I must admit that part of my enthusiasm comes from being about to get out of the house without kids but it's only a small part.
Do you view Jury Duty as a chore? Or do you find it interesting, educational, and a privilege? Am I getting a skewed view because my town is half full of rednecks
or is this a normal attitude?