When I was little my sister used to say I was like that cartoon character, Taz, spinning my way through life, laughing and carrying on while totally unaware of the destruction I left in my wake. Hmmmm…. Now does that sound like me at all? Anyway, when I read this article on iVillage about pedestrian rage, I thought about my sister and Taz.
First of all, let me explain, I don’t live anywhere near the busy streets of New York nor do I live within walking distance of anything remotely resembling a large city, in fact, traffic is often stopped because cows crossing. Yes, I’m serious. But there are times when I must venture into the city and come in contact with shudder people and that’s when I remember that people are one of the reasons I no longer live in the city.
I don’t mine the lovers holding hands and strolling through the stores. Little people being dragged behind their parents doesn’t bother me. Elderly folks shuffling to and fro are fine. But what bothers me…what infuriates me…what boils my blood are people who come to a dead stop in the center of the aisle at the store. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind if they stopped because something on a shelf caught their eye (I’ve been known to freeze at the sight of anything monkey related) but what bothers me is that they come to a halt with their shopping cart in the middle of the aisle so they can start talking real loud on their cell phones about stuff no one but their doctor should know. Grrrrrr…. Then they turn around and give me dirty looks when I say “Excuse me” so I can pass.
Duuuuude, you’re the one who’s breaching all sorts of etiquette:
- Disrupting the flow of traffic
- Talking about personal business in a public setting
- General buttheadedness
The proper thing to do is to move your cart to the side and then start talking or, better yet, tell the person you’ll call them back. Trust me when I say, no one wants to hear about your rash, in fact, it’ll totally skeeve people and make them want to hit you with their carts and run.
Now tell me the truth, this is just between us, I’m not the only one who feels this way… It bothers you when people just stop in the middle of the walkway too, doesn’t it? Or are you one of those people?
