We all fall victim to ranting in the passion of a moment, and this is just that. Call it a flaw of the internet for providing instant information and access to an audience.
I caved in and drove to work today - the first weak moment of the day (writing this being #2). I am not one to make excuses, but here are my excuses: I rode an extra 10 miles yesterday after work to get to a starbuck’s “jam session” with a friend, then continued on to church, then back home (at 8:30 pm). I had a long day yesterday, and it was cold this morning (for Phoenix at least). Moving forward…
As I am driving home this afternoon, I am cruising along in the middle of 3 lanes, approaching a stop light. A beat-up GMC Jimmy (missing one side-view mirror) speeds past me on the right, and the guy was obviously not paying attention to what was happening in front of him - 6 or so cars were stopped as the car at the intersection was waiting to make a right turn. The Jimmy on my right notices that the cars in front of him are not moving, slams on the brakes and cuts in front of me at the same time. All of this happens within inches of my precious hood. The guy proceeds to swerve around a bit as he settles into this lane, then resumes driving like a moron. Thankfully, no physical contact was made, aside from my hand on my horn.
As we approach the next light, I am still in the middle lane, and this guy has moved over to the far left lane. Cars come to a halt, and I notice that I will be pulling up right alongside the guy. I can see him edging forward as much as possible to prevent us from being right next to each other. No such luck for this fine gentleman. His windows are down, and a similarly aged female is in the passenger seat, seemingly oblivious to all that has taken place. This was my first real look at what this guy looked like. Late 20s-ish, smaller guy - I could take him if I needed to (although I like to think of myself as non-violent).
As I come to a stop, I simply stare to my left, and the guy is glancing out of the corner of his eyes, then sort of turns his head a bit more to me - all the while one hand is providing him some sort of false sense of security. Then it happens…
He flips me off.
He, flips ME, off.
I was caught so off guard by this gesture that I started laughing. The light turned green and the guy quickly accelerated out of view.
He flipped me off.
The guy has the nerve to cut me off because he doesn’t pay attention to the 3000 pound hunk of crappy American steal he controls, and then give me the universal sign of “go F- yourself.” I was stunned. I still am.
Thanks Moe for reminding me about the “classic” image.
I am disappointed, because this brief interaction with a stranger has left me wondering where all the civility has gone? The fingers can be pointed in many directions, but I won’t do that just yet. I hope that occurrences like these are rare - but I cannot say that for sure. I have yet to have a similar interaction while riding my bike, so maybe this is just one more reason to stay out of the car.
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6 responses so far ↓
1 Moe // Feb 7, 2008 at 5:28 pm
Your forgot to add our classic picture:
2 Ghost Rider // Feb 7, 2008 at 5:44 pm
I love that when someone directs their anger/rage/impotence at another person, when the blame can be placed squarely on the first person’s shoulders.
It happens all the time around here…so often that I have developed a response to it: “hey, don’t look at me like I f*&ked up!”
3 RL // Feb 7, 2008 at 6:12 pm
Ah that picture brings up memories of riding through the mean streets of Santa Ana Ca…..
4 Val // Feb 8, 2008 at 11:04 am
Yep, a classic response; he knows he is in the wrong, so he chooses to attack. Far too common, and darn near predictable. Oh, well.
5 Brendan // Feb 8, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Still, I think you had the appropriate response: laughter. When you get down to it, we all act like complete jackasses in our cars, even if we’re not driving like Mr. Middle Finger. At least he didn’t shoot at you, right?
6 Lance // Feb 8, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Oy. This Tuesday I had a Silverado rev his engine, cut me off with aggression, then gives a “what the hell are you doing on MY road!?” wave of his hand.
I like your response too, Jeff. For a while I’d get so angry I was ready to pull people out of their cars and pummel them. Aggression in return does no good ultimately though. Just have to shake your head and wonder how it is that people value getting there on time rather than a fellow human’s life.
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