Hell is Other People (but mostly male drivers)
A few days ago, I read Oprah’s interview with Michelle Obama and was moved by Ms. Obama’s admiration for the American people. Her take on how much we all have in common and our community spirit was quite touching.
On Saturday, as I was driving down a four-lane (plus the center lane, so five-lane) hiway, I noticed a truck making a left turn into the center lane. I was in the left lane and as he drove along side me (all while in the center lane) for about 30 seconds, I marvelled at how rude he was. When he started moving into my lane, I honked at him, thinking, oh, maybe he doesn’t see me. At the next stop light, he pulled up next to me, rolled down his window and started yelling at me about how “courtesy” says that I am supposed to yield my lane on a four-lane hiway. The light turned green and he pulled away before I could tell him how vehemently I disagreed with his take on things.
Then this morning, as I drove down I-5 on my way to work, I was looking at the river and didn’t immediately notice that the guy in the right lane wanted into my lane. As soon as I saw his turn signal, I slowed down and let him in. Not soon enough for him though, apparently, given that as soon as he was in the left lane, he held up his hand (I mistakenly presumed to wave a little thank you) and flipped me off. For a good 15 seconds.
I like Michelle Obama’s appreciation for Americans, but there are times when I think that most of us are kinda shitty. I want to believe that we’re all just trying to take care of our kids and do good work and maybe enjoy our lives. But really, I think people, for the most part, fucking suck.
I continued on my way to work this morning and stopped at a light not far from my office where I got to watch a man mow the grass in front of the Olive Garden. I sat there thinking that this guy, who is almost assuredly not a U.S. citizen, has more in common with me than I do with the shitheads who feel a sense of entitlement, get pissed at me when I don’t drive myself off the freeway in order to make room for them to enter my lane, or who think it’s OK to yell or make obscene gestures at a woman simply because she’s a woman (because you WILL NOT convince me that the old guy who berated me at the stop light would have done the same if GTB had been in the car!).