Are people becoming more rude?
 

I stepped into the local McDonald's today to get some lunch... after staring at the menu for about 2 minutes I realized that there is absolutely nothing that I found appetizing... so I got back into my car and started reversing out of the lot when some middle aged guy who I saw was approaching (but was far away) decides to purposely speed up his walk while staring at me and gets infront of my reversing vehicle... then he accused me of trying to run him over and blah blah. Not sure what he was trying to accomplish but I just dismissed him and took off. For the record, I have never gotten into an accident in my 14 years of driving, and I am rated at the highest insurance level (no tickets in the last 6 yrs).
Anyways, I'm starting to encounter a lot of pissed off people lately, I think it's a sign of the economy and times changing for the worst. Dunno. :confused:

Just wanted to vent a little.

I think varies from place to place. A while back I met a woman who moved from Indiana to my area, Loudoun County, Virginia. I asked her how she liked living in Loudoun County. She gave the usual, "It's fine", type of reply. Then she paused and said, "But the people aren't very friendly." Her comment caught me by surprise because I was just making conversation and didn't expect a real answer to my question. Once I thought about it for a second, I told her that she is right. People in this area are decidedly unfriendly. My theory is that this area is full of people from other places. People don't feel a connection to each other.

My experience with the DC area, is that is is such a transitional place for most people, they don't put down roots and remain guarded while they are there (with good reason!). Of course, there are exceptions with the old money crowd who have been there for ever.

Transitional and type-A, the worst possible combination. :silly: You start to notice it on the roads as you get closer to town. Like everything else though, you make adjustments for it. JFK said: D.C. is a town with Northern charm and Southern efficiency.

Some time ago, some Road Rager type went off at me, this was in San Francisco, I think on 19th Avenue, near the Presidio, and I inadvertantly got off the perfect response, WHY DON"T YOU PEOPLE GO BACK TO NEW YORK?? I yelled at him,

And you should have seen it, it was perfect, he was went apoplectic with rage,at that, I think he actually must have actually been from New York!!!:D :D :D Made my day

I bet you were in the G35 not the 4 Runner. People will try stuff like that for insurance purposes with ovbiously nicer cars. In fact here in LA in Glendale there's a WHOLE fraud department in the police division just to deal with the tons of scams that people pull in Glendale. It's ironic becuase Glendale is supposed to be one of LA's safest places to live. Sure you won't get attacked but you'll have your ID stolen, "stomp and squatted", and have cars driving 65mph in residential neighborhoods. Who are they kidding??

Another illusion shattered
 

Glendale???!!! Shome mistake shurely!!!!??

My own car was delivered new from CALSTAR Mercedes Benz/Volvo, in Glendale, and I have been back there for service, too

I'm REALLY surprised!!! After my first visit I've come to enjoy South Brand Street, the commerical area is really pleasant, it seems like a nice place to shop and to live,

and then there's all those neat Armenian bakeries and shops in Glendale too.

I was just a visitor a couple of times, but I really had a good impresssion (except for the smog, of course)

That's really too bad, I thought it was a neat place. I guess I stand warned, to the extent you can with "swoop and squat" wrecks etc

I liked Eagle Rock and Brentwood too....

lol. that's it blame in the outsiders.. work everytime.. no us, it's them.. :silly:

Part of the problem is television. I see commercials and programs where the kids make fun of dad. Then the laugh tracks go off.
People say rude things to each other and the laugh tracks go off. So that makes it OK do be rude out in the world. People in cars are anonymous… you put your directional on to move over a lane and that person deliberately speeds up ….

Are people becoming more rude? Yes definitely.

The picture of W in Surf-n-Turf's signature block is appropriate for this thread.

BTW, before anyone thinks I'm bashing W again, let me say that I don't have any problem with W joking around by giving the finger. I just think the picture is funny in the context of this thread.

I suppose that's what I said, isn't it? :o I guess I need to think that through.

I was talking to an old-timer from Scranton, PA, which is where my parents grew up. He and I both commented on how people in Scranton used to really look out for each other. He attributed it to the stability that town had. They had generations of families living in the same houses and neighborhoods they grew up in. That continuity created strong bonds between people, or something. He said Scranton used to be that way, but it has changed in recent years.

Heres something good...
 

Here in the Philly area,where Philly cheesesteaks are very popular,there is a very famous cheesesteak restaurant called Geno's.Well,Genos is supposed to be the best place to go for cheesesteaks.Geno's has been on the news and in the papers alot now because of a new policy.There new policy states that they will not take your order if you do not speak properly.If you have an accent you better not go here.I was ordering some steaks for my sons and when I was ordering I was talking on my cell phone,he told me to put down my cell phone then he'll take my order.So,I stopped talking and told him what I wanted,then he said TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONE! then I'll take your order.I do not know how such a popular place can do this.Why would they do this,nobody knows!

No soup for you, TWO MONTHS!

Probably just the moon. The mob can sometimes be quite pleasant.

coming home from work tonight i was going speed limit... on a stretch of road where you have to go speed limit because two lights are close together and by the time you get to speed you have to stop more than likely..

so i was in the left lane.. going 55 mph.. and this old geriatric jerk was riding my bumper.. he passes me and gets me at the light with his window down..

"go a little faster *****"

me
" shut the F*k up .. speed limit is there for a reason.. now go F**k off.."

now i respect my elders.. but when they tell me to eff off i loose all respect


-on a note.. i proceded to kick his ass off the line and for another half football field... --

Dubya
 

It's funny all by itself, I think. He seems to be giving us all the finger lately. It's almost as though he's not planning to run again. . . .Oh, yeah, never mind.

I live in the Washington, DC area, and most people seem to be either rude or at least inconsiderate. I think the comment about the combination of Type A personalities and the transitory nature of the place is pretty much on the mark. Hey, these are the people who man our government apparatus! No wonder we have problems.

I think the problem is that the individuals, especially here in NY, have run out of vocabulary. Once they are rude to each other, one will immediately give the other the finger........then the response by the fingered one is to yell "go f*** yourself.......". Then, unfortunately, there is no way to escalate the conversation......therefore immense frustration exists.

So, either one must pull out a gun and shoot the other.......with all the associated issues that will entail......or we need more vocabulary words for these individuals to vent their frustration.

You really cannot expect the typical driver of a $hitbox to get by on "go f*** yourself". It's simply not sufficient in today's society.

I get the finger every time I drive the 300D. Today a well dressed woman in a new Lexus LX400 give me the finger as she passed me not ten feet after the light turned green. She was talking on her cellphone at the same time. If she had been using a pocket rocket that would have multi-tasking at it's finest.

There are some MAJOR driving issues too...
 

Two days ago,some lady talking on her cell phone came a few inches from hitting my ML500.I mean I just got the car and it was almost ruined by a careless driver.I sometimes talk on my cell phone when I drive,but I can also concentrate and dont get into accidents when I do.Then also,she had the nerve to give us a dirty look like it was our fault!

Where I live, the problem is not really rudeness, but abject stupidity. I have to battle three main types of people in order to get to work daily:

a. Adult Goobers

Generally, seen in beat pickup trucks. If you see a cracked windshield, run; this state has a "windshield replacement-no deductible" rule for car insurance (even the minimum basic insurance). You can bet that a cracked windshield means that the driver has no insurance. Strangely, the police here not made this relatively simple deduction yet, and the penalties are severe for driving with no insurance. They generally drive +30 or -10 of the speed limit; in any event, the vehicles are unsafe at any speed over 30 miles an hour, with bald tires, no brakes, and steering that was due for complete replacement 10 years ago.

A "Farm" licence plate on one of these vehicles means that you need to take extra caution; you can bet that no lightbulb on the rear of the car/truck actually works, and that no attempt has been made to actually use any of them in years anyway.

b. Juvenile Goobers

Generally, the cars driven are beat, 15-year old Civics and Accords with 3000 dollars of far too wide and small wheels, which give the appearance of a Flinstonemobile (this is apparently legal here - in Illinois, you couldn't get out of your driveway with this). Other requirements for cars driven by this type of driver are clear taillights (which amazingly usually work!) and at least a four-inch in diameter "muffler", which has amazing power-generating qualities. Armed with this device, these cars are driven as though they had been stars of The Fast and The Furious. The reality is that these cars are poorly maintained, run on N-1 cylinders and can't really go fast enough to do real damage, they just sound that way.

Especially annoying, however, is to have the contents of your stomach shaken by 2000 watt amplifiers and 10 inch speakers (which are traditionally installed hanging loose from the headliner), as their stereos, often worth more than the entire rest of the car except the wheels, play music written and performed by people that they despise.

c. Senile Goobers

These are goobers who have deteriorated prematurely due to years of hard living, bad food, and drinking. They are very slow, but generally harmless. They are a problem only in the morning, when they go to the doctor in The Big City. They can usually be identified by the cars driven: clean, four-door mid 80's to early 90's Buick Centuries or Oldsmobile Cutlasses (which were going to be their Last Car). I keep extra distance from them although they generally drive 10-20 MPH under the speed limit, because they put on the brakes for almost any object they see, even objects that only they can see. They are, however, easily passed and never challenge you when you are passing; this is because they literally don't see you as you do it.

There have been horrible cases in other states where old people have plowed into groups of people; fortunately, this never happens here, because they just stop moving forward entirely.

All of these people use modified Kentucky driving rules:

0. If your vehicle is capable of rolling, it has sufficient equipment to operate on Kentucky roads.

1. Yellow lights are advisory, and it is OK to go through a red light if the other cars aren't moving yet. Stop signs are cautions to slow down a little, but if you are on the bigger street, you don't really have to do this at all.

2. Stopping before entering a street from a parking lot, driveway, etc is discouraged, as this impedes the flow of traffic.

3. You do not need to use the right turn signal, ever.

4. If you feel the urge to use a turn signal, the recommended distance between the signal and the turn is 5-10 feet (before or after you turn); you must, of course, apply the brakes BEFORE using the signal.

5. Merging on a busy interstate or road from an on-ramp is best accomplished by bunching up with people doing the same thing, and forcing other drivers already on the interstate/busy road out of the lane. After successful "merging", it is then OK to accelerate to speed.

6. You can get a DUI only before 9:00 PM or after 2:00 AM.


I won't even mention what driving with the above people is like when they are on the phone. Just pull over and pray that you don't get rear-ended.

Around here you only see a turn signal if it was switched-on when purchased.

Yesterday I was waiting at a light, and every person turning in front of me was talking on the phone. It was surreal. Unbelievable how people can't get their yakking done before getting behind the wheel of a car.

You live in Glendale? I lived there many years ago, when it had a reputation for being the "gateway to heaven" (thanks to Forest Lawn) and when they used to roll up the sidewalks at 8:00 p.m. It is very different now...

People are more rude (ruder ???) now. It is all part of the trickle down effect. Sports figures, rock and movie stars, politicians...the rest just watch and copy.

Look at what passes for TV comedy. The quick putdown and the the "gotcha!" have replaced god writing.

I miss the old Dick Van Dyke (MTM was such a hottie!!!) and I Love Lucy shows!

I can't stop laughing.

Funny...true...sad. All in one post.

I live in Eagle Rock...but I am not one of the yuppie artists. ;)

My last job's office was actually next to the cemetery....and that is ultimately where the business will end up the way they ran it!!

You're up in the Encino area?

I like driving in many ways -- late at night, near-deserted roads in mah beemer, but in many ways, driving is not conducive to mental health, I've concluded. We interact with vast numbers of our fellow men while within ARMORED VEHICLES.

If you don't think they're armored, try getting run into by one of them.

When I used to ride my bike a lot more, I noticed that my state of mind was usually better than when driving. You're much less likely to flip someone off while riding a bike than while driving -- I mean it happens but way less for me.

Also, if you see a babe on the sidewalk.... so much easier to chat her up than if you'd been in a car.

Eagle Rock? Man, that brings memories of the Eagle Rock Plaza (ERP), when they still had a a Montgomery (Monkey) Ward store and memories of Ernie's Taco House. There was a Bob's Burger (a junior store) inside the Eagle Rock Plaza. The girls from Eagle Rock HS (some real cuties) used to hang around the ERP. A good place to go trawling on a Friday night after school. :cool:

It is funny that Eagle Rock has now become a refuge for yuppy artitsts. It has gone from being Pasadena's poor cousin, to being an almost-ghetto to now, where it is a nice place to live. There are some beautiful old houses in Eagle Rock. I remember riding my bike from Glendale through Eagle Rock to the Rose Bowl and then back home.

Nah, I am not in Encino...I have forsaken LA. County altogether and moved up North and West on the 101... :D

Encino is nice...L.A. County is just too crowded.

I used to get the finger wen I drove the 300SD. The car had over 300k miles and it was not very swift going up a steep grade.

The drivers behind me would honk, impatient for me to "step on it." I would then oblige them and step on the gas --the resulting smoke screen was a thing of beauty to behold.

That's when I would usually get the finger. :D

A pocket rocket...hmmmmmmmmm. ;) :eek:

I think that people have been forced into situations which require them to be a lot busier. Too much work and not enough time with the family, to yourself, to get things done, for hobbies, etc. I don't think people are purposefully more rude, I just think that as a whole people are more unhappy than they used to be. Not being able to keep up with life pisses people off.



I suffer from being one of the impatient jackasses on the road of which you guys speak. Am I right when I do it? Sometimes, but seldomly. Knowing this, I try very hard not to be rude to people even if I am pissed at them for driving too slow.

I honestly don't know why these things make me mad. Usually after I get pissed I'll sit back and think about the situation and chuckle to myself about how much of an idiot I can be.

I agree. But, what's even more unbelievable, is the fact that every last one of them will tell you that "they" have no problem driving and yakking at the same time.......because "they" are a good driver. It's the "others" that can't talk and drive at the same time.

Many of them drive $hitboxes. Some are right on this thread.:rolleyes:

one night there was a traffic jam in my area coming off the highway and the people coming off the highway merge with a traffic light.. well this lady.. was after the light and there was no room for her to get in front of my benz..she started flipping out.. my windows down.. shes telling me to effing move and all of this stuff while shes on the phone.. i tell her to shut the F**k up i cant move and she does not have the right of way, she gets madder she flips me off goes wild.. i sit and laugh at her.. and pull ahead of her.. in which she gets behind me.. and my car had a fuel problem that week so it would smoke pretty good at low speeds ;). then she taps my car with her bumper.. bad idea lady.. bad idea on my part but i take my mcdonalds shake.. which i was enjoying.. and chuck it out the sunroof.. landing on her windshield.. take that *****

I used to be the same way. You know what changed me? When my kids began to drive.

The thought of them, out on the road, being subjected to the kind of jackass driver I used to me (well I still am, a litlte bit) made me re-think my ways. When I tend to get impatient, I think it might be one of my kids out there and then I lay off. I believe in driving Karma -- if I am nice to others, others will be nice to my kids.

You will probably change when your little one is old enough to drive (and you see things through his eyes). Or before -- you don't want your kids to pick up bad driving habits from watching you.

Way harsh...:eek:

Is the CD changer working?

Yep.

I'll find out today................:o

I don't know how anyone could drive a 220D in todays traffic. Though, people probably just get out of the way, like when they see a decrepit VW bus.

In all honesty,I miss driving my 230S because thats when people would pay more attention to the car.The best way to avoid all this is to be driving in a fintail!:silly:

A few weeks ago, I was in the Best Buy parking lot.In the spot where I parked,right next to it was a 68 Mustang (the license plate read "68 Stang").Right away the car looked to be a bucket.The rear plastic window was ripped right down the middle,it was rusty as hell and the best part,it had NO gauges.It looked as if the gauges were just ripped out.The interior was shot and im sure you guys get the point.Now for the best part,this car had inspection stickers until 2007!How?It looked as if the car had been pushed there.Imagine driving by that car on the road!
Also,has anybody ever seen the teenagers driving old beat up cars (for example,this one was a corolla (the square lighted one).This I saw in the Best Buy parked lot also,the was this red corolla.It had paint,but it was faded.The car was rusty on the wheel wells.Then,was really grabbed my attention was this HUGE REALLY REALLY BIG spoiler.The spoiler looked as if it was waying the car down.And imagine this big lime-green spoiler (that was fully painted)sitting on top of a beat-up corolla.I do not know what teens will think of next!

Monkey Ward's! I remember calling them that too although I was little at the time. It's a Westfield now and they have a Target as an anchor store. It's cleaned up now but there isn't much in terms of stores. Ernie Jr's is still there! Still cranking out the french bread loaf size burritos for when the Oxy food just wasn't enough. :)

Ghetto....it still is that way in terms of the people. There are NO hotties anymore :( just people who need to cut their caloric intake and exercise a LOT more. You're right, ER is becoming an artist refuge and they're buying up the stores and turning them into cafes and increasingly snooty ones at that, art galleries, and comfort food restaurants which seems to be the trend....even a sushi place?! My girlfriend tried riding down Colorado once but got hit by a car not 10 minutes after leaving the Oxy campus and so that was the first and last bike ride in Eagle Rock.

So have you graduated to Ventura? Santa Barbara/Montecito ;)

I grew up in Glendale and know of the fraud that goes on there. Lots of folks there try to set up something so they can sue. I also am surprised to hear that its "safest place to live" in the LA area... before I moved from Glendale, the fights between the Armenians and Mexicans were escalating to a point where it was ugly.

an 80 hp civic needs a spoiler to keep the rear end planted.. pffft sure thing chico...its not CCX that needed a spoiler after almost killing the stig.. thats the only time a spoiler was needed for a reason.. and on other high horsepower/high speed cars.. not your rust bucket 89 civic with a fart can and MOMO stickers

Back to original question here ;
IMO people are ruder and shorter with their neighbors in say the last 6 or 7 years than they used to be.
IMO it has a connection with the mood set in this country by the republican party. People are not used to being **** on the way they have been under the most corrupt adnministration in modern history.

F'in hangin chads!!!

it may be true, but folks have been rude for some time.

too busy, and too many folks in one place. imho.

i live in lafayette indiana. population about 50k. with purdue on the west side of the river and west lafayette and the county and the illegals, i guess the total population of the county to be about 200k.

when i moved here 32 years ago, there were maybe half as many folks.

back then when i walked down the street about half the folks would look you in the eye and speak as a routine. now about one in ten.

now if you go to a small town like greencastle in population maybe 15k, about 8 or 9 out of ten will speak or at least nod as you walk by.

when i am in such a small town i quickly get into the friendly mode and enjoy it immensely.

in lafayette, my strategy is to look at folks and if they look at me i nod or say hello. if they dont look i dont worry about it.

and this internet thingie makes it a lot more easy to say nasty things to folks. things that might get you punched if said in person.

now behavior in cars is a whole 'nother thing.... i restrain myself very much 'cause you never know who may have a gun.

and i rarely honk anymore at brain dead drivers 'cause i am afraid i might wake them up and they might hit their brakes or swerve and hit me or someone else.

tom w

Inattentive = trouble
 

I agree with you Dee8go. It seems to be getting worse - especially on the East and West coasts places where there is more congestion on the roads
Stems from impatience and selfishness I think.

As to Washington DC, JFK spoke of Southern efficiency and Northern charm. :D


I think the posession and use of guns and cell phones in moving cars is *not* a good thing. When stopped at stoplights, I cringe when I see someone barreling up behind me whilst yakking on a cell phone.

I was once stopped behind a double parked yellow cab in San Francisco that I couldn't get around, driving a 1979 Cadillac Coupe de Ville I owned then, and the Cadillac was rammed in the rear by a 1966 Pontiac going about 35-40 mph.
I'm still here, but it was a godawful crash, totalled the Pontiac - driver was uninsured and ran off to Michigan 3 days later:mad: :mad: The Cadillac still ran after that crash, and could be driven away. Hard to argue with the laws of mass and physics...

I always tended to favor, and buy large, safe cars - Big Cadillacs, Oldsmobiles, Ford Crown Victorias, Volvos, or a Mercedes. They are just safer in a wreck, that's all. One of the Crown Victorias was T boned by a 1958 uninsured Ford moving van, and I escaped without injury that time too

It's amazing how everyone on the internet is 7 feet tall and bullet proof.
I am only 5 foot 8 inches but I have noticed that anyone over 5 foot 11 is just plain ugly.:D

hahaah :D

by that definition, i am at least not ugly.

i think a really good idea is to pretend whomever we are engaging here we might run into one day... in person. and just try to be courteous.

hate the idea, love the person. tough to do, but worth striving for.

tom w

I'm already starting to change because of him. He kinda returns me to normalcy when he is in the car with me.

And you are exactly right. There are plenty of things I want to pass on, but certainly not the way I am on the road.

i have on occasion sworn and made supremely obscene comments...racial and or ethnic too.. (you stupid fu%*ing _____fill in the catagory__ ) while driving.

now when you do this and suddenly remember your four year old is in the back it makes pause for thought.

so i am trying to cut down.

unfortunately whatever you say...you can't take back.

tom w

I get blown away when I go to a friendly city or town (like SF) and then come back to south Florida...and the contrast in the friendly way people actually look at you and say "good morning or HI" vs here where people actually turn their heads to avoid eye contact with another person.
Even your neighbors here are like F'in zombies....!

:mad: :mad: :P

although i seldom see or speak with my neighbors we all are on friendly terms.

tom w