# As I was walking down the street one day, I asked a guy the time and he was a total dick about it. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 6, 2012, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-i-was-walking-down-the-street-one-day-i-asked-a-guy-the-time-and-he-was-a-total-dick-about-it/621105 "2012-05-06T22:40:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-i-was-walking-down-the-street-one-day-i-asked-a-guy-the-time-and-he-was-a-total-dick-about-it/621105/1 "2012-05-06T22:40:11Z")
The appointment I had ran a little late. The bus line that I needed to use only runs once every hour on Sundays, so if I missed the bus I had hoped to make I would be stuck for a while. I was really hoping to get some chores done at home before a reasonable hour so I really wanted to make that bus. I reached into my pocket for my phone- my standard way of telling time for more than a decade now- and I notice it had died while I was in my appointment. Yeah, I forgot to plug it into the charger last night. Hardly the most offensive of mistakes that a person might make, still, I was kicking myself over it. I’m a few blocks from the bus stop. The bus comes at 3:35 (sometimes it’s a minute early). I look around for a town clock- maybe in that courtyard over there? I look through the windows of the shops as I walk by- maybe there’s a clock on the wall that I can see? Ah! Saved. There’s a guy walking toward me and _I can see that he is wearing a watch_. So, I ask him what the time was that was on his watch- awkward phrasing I know, but I just wanted to remind him that he was indeed wearing a watch. I certainly would not have phrased the question that way if he was not visibly wearing a watch. Know how he answered me? Know how this asshole answered another human being in need making a simple request? He says, “Does anyone really know what time it is? Does anyone really care?” Well, FUCKER, actually _YOU_ KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS- YOU’RE THE ONE WEARING A FUCKING WATCH! And does anyone really care? **I** FUCKING CARE OTHERWISE I WOULDN’T HAVE ASKED! This fucktard was like one of those handful of SDMBD-Bags who have to piss on any healthy Pit Thread about slow walkers or drivers who go the exact speed limit in the passing lane with their sanctimonious bullshit of “Why are you in such a rush anyway?” and “With the average length of a commute, you’d only get there five minutes earlier!” Guess what people, some of us have lives and we have places to be! So, I ask someone else, someone not visibly wearing a watch. This person was kind enough to reach into his pocket to pull out his phone and tell me the time- you know, like ANY CIVILIZED PERSON WOULD DO! Turns out I had time to make my bus. As I walked away, I turned my face back to give one more hate-glare at the dirty layabout who couldn’t give me the time of day. What do I see? I pretty lady saying to him that her diamond watch had stopped cold dead- and, baby what a big surprise, he gives her the same douchey chorus he gave me! (Yeah, it was entirely unnecessary and kind of obnoxious for her to specifically mention that it was a _diamond_ watch- but still doesn’t excuse his obnoxiousness.) This is one of those guys who looks like he never worked a day in his life, probably mooching off his girlfriend dreaming of the day his band will get off the ground, avoiding all responsibility and making no contribution to society. His ill-founded undergrad philosophy allows him to feel morally superior to the rest of us who he believes “push and shove trying to beat the clock”. Get a fucking job, hippie. And you know what, I actually do know how to find time to relax, I’ll be spending saturday in the park. But on days when I have actual responsibilities, I have to know what time it is. I realize this was a lot of cussing outside The Pit. I cuss a lot. It’s a hard habit to break. I’d apologize, but this guy made me so mad it’s hard for me to say I’m sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-i-was-walking-down-the-street-one-day-i-asked-a-guy-the-time-and-he-was-a-total-dick-about-it/621105/2 "2012-05-06T22:51:17Z")
And this has what to do about the arts? ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-i-was-walking-down-the-street-one-day-i-asked-a-guy-the-time-and-he-was-a-total-dick-about-it/621105/3 "2012-05-06T22:53:13Z")
Check out the lyrics to Chicago’s _25 or 6 to 4_. His answer was in response to the way you phrased your question. He still may have been being a prick, or he may have simply been playing along with what he thought was a gag from you. Either way, his answer was phrased to be in keeping with the song. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-i-was-walking-down-the-street-one-day-i-asked-a-guy-the-time-and-he-was-a-total-dick-about-it/621105/4 "2012-05-06T22:55:03Z")
[Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBuUUBrC9eQ) Joe ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-i-was-walking-down-the-street-one-day-i-asked-a-guy-the-time-and-he-was-a-total-dick-about-it/621105/5 "2012-05-06T22:55:34Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And this has what to do about the arts? [**Chicago**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Does_Anybody_Really_Know_What_Time_It_Is%3F). Too late, dammit. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-i-was-walking-down-the-street-one-day-i-asked-a-guy-the-time-and-he-was-a-total-dick-about-it/621105/6 "2012-05-06T22:59:03Z")
Oh, so _that’s_ what this has to do with the arts. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus\_alba](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quercus_alba/32/4061_2.png) [@Quercus\_alba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus_alba)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-i-was-walking-down-the-street-one-day-i-asked-a-guy-the-time-and-he-was-a-total-dick-about-it/621105/7 "2012-05-06T23:00:13Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > Check out the lyrics to Chicago’s _25 or 6 to 4_. His answer was in response to the way you phrased your question. He still may have been being a prick, or he may have simply been playing along with what he thought was a gag from you. Either way, his answer was phrased to be in keeping with the song. Actually the song you have in mind (and which the OP also appears to know well, given the appearance of a pretty lady with a cold dead diamond watch…:rolleyes:) would be [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Does\_Anybody\_Really\_Know\_What\_Time\_It\_Is%3F](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Does_Anybody_Really_Know_What_Time_It_Is%3F), not “25 or 6 to 4”. If the OP had this conversation, then I think he was in on the joke. Baby what a big surprise indeed. You make me smile. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-i-was-walking-down-the-street-one-day-i-asked-a-guy-the-time-and-he-was-a-total-dick-about-it/621105/8 "2012-05-06T23:01:16Z")
Oops, we’ve being had. Looks like none of us read far enough into the OP to hear about the pretty lady whose diamond watch had stopped cold dead. Good faux rant, _bienville_! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-i-was-walking-down-the-street-one-day-i-asked-a-guy-the-time-and-he-was-a-total-dick-about-it/621105/9 "2012-05-06T23:03:10Z")
Ooo! Ooo! Francis! I caught it! I caught it! ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-i-was-walking-down-the-street-one-day-i-asked-a-guy-the-time-and-he-was-a-total-dick-about-it/621105/10 "2012-05-06T23:03:22Z")
Thanks for the correction, **Q a**. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-i-was-walking-down-the-street-one-day-i-asked-a-guy-the-time-and-he-was-a-total-dick-about-it/621105/11 "2012-05-06T23:10:33Z")
Huh, I thought the OP was referencing Ben Harper’s [Excuse me Mr](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXcwvnfYXO4&feature=fvst) until I saw the responses linking it to a Chicago song. ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-i-was-walking-down-the-street-one-day-i-asked-a-guy-the-time-and-he-was-a-total-dick-about-it/621105/12 "2012-05-06T23:12:06Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And this has what to do about the arts? > [@bienville](#): > > …dreaming of the day his **band** will get off the ground Right there. ---
**Author:** ![Suil\_Dubh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85f322/32.png) [@Suil\_Dubh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suil_Dubh)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-i-was-walking-down-the-street-one-day-i-asked-a-guy-the-time-and-he-was-a-total-dick-about-it/621105/13 "2012-05-06T23:12:29Z")
Can you ever really KNOW a crackhead? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-i-was-walking-down-the-street-one-day-i-asked-a-guy-the-time-and-he-was-a-total-dick-about-it/621105/14 "2012-05-06T23:15:33Z")
Did you stop to think it might have been the 67th or 68th question someone asked him about the time that day? Did ya? Maybe it wasn’t only the beginning for him that day. Maybe people were coloring his world with so many questions he just wanted to be free. After all, it was 25 or 6 to 4 in the afternoon. He was probably thinking to himself, “If you leave me now…” Then he wouldn’t have felt like Harry Truman out for a walk. He would have been a happy man if everyone was gone, long gone. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-i-was-walking-down-the-street-one-day-i-asked-a-guy-the-time-and-he-was-a-total-dick-about-it/621105/15 "2012-05-06T23:20:08Z")
Oh, **bienville,** that was brilliant! I was laughing, I was crying…like a real celebration of your wit. And with the added gloss of whooshing noises! ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-i-was-walking-down-the-street-one-day-i-asked-a-guy-the-time-and-he-was-a-total-dick-about-it/621105/16 "2012-05-06T23:27:01Z")
> [@Quercus\_alba](#): > > You make me smile. Damn, I slid right past this one too. Good one, **Quercus**. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Prize](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d2c977/32.png) [@Sir\_Prize](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Prize)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-i-was-walking-down-the-street-one-day-i-asked-a-guy-the-time-and-he-was-a-total-dick-about-it/621105/17 "2012-05-06T23:33:13Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > Check out the lyrics to Chicago’s _25 or 6 to 4_. His answer was in response to the way you phrased your question. He still may have been being a prick, or he may have simply been playing along with what he thought was a gag from you. Either way, his answer was phrased to be in keeping with the song. > [@bienville](#): > > The bus comes at 3:35 (sometimes it’s a minute early). I think he knows the song. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-i-was-walking-down-the-street-one-day-i-asked-a-guy-the-time-and-he-was-a-total-dick-about-it/621105/18 "2012-05-06T23:33:40Z")
Calm down. Come Saturday go for a walk in the park. There’s a guy who makes kick ass ice cream and sings what I guess are songs- I don’t understand a word of them. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2012, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-i-was-walking-down-the-street-one-day-i-asked-a-guy-the-time-and-he-was-a-total-dick-about-it/621105/19 "2012-05-07T00:49:46Z")
\*\* I was walking down the street one day,\*\* Could have been worse. He could have told you [“man I can smell your feet a mile away.”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HfueUL2LeY&feature=youtube_gdata_player) ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2012, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-i-was-walking-down-the-street-one-day-i-asked-a-guy-the-time-and-he-was-a-total-dick-about-it/621105/20 "2012-05-07T02:04:21Z")
The OP is nothing. I was going out with this woman named Cecilia a few years ago. It was a weekend so we stayed around home all day. In the early evening, I went in to the bathroom to clean up a bit. Buy, was I in for a surprise when I returned. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-i-was-walking-down-the-street-one-day-i-asked-a-guy-the-time-and-he-was-a-total-dick-about-it/621105.md?page=2)