Inconsiderate People.

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I’m just so annoyed at inconsiderate people. And, it is happening so frequently lately, that I am becoming more sensitive to it - actually expecting it to happen. They say that if you want patience, you don’t ask for patience - you are giving an opportunity to be patient.

But, people are just not aware of their surroundings anymore.

In my area of Cleveland, there are several major highways, and it isn’t uncommon for the on-ramps and off-ramps of these highways to have two turning lanes. The rule is, you stay in your lane all the way through the turn. Twice in the past month I have come this close to getting in an accident because the person in the other lane swerved into my lane halfway through the turn. I don’t honk. I let them honk. I might look at them, without staring, and let them go. And then I let them come to their own conclusion of where they went wrong.

Blocking intersections. I don’t honk at them when they are blocking me. I just wait patiently, waiting for them to understand where they went wrong. And, when someone honks at me because I did not move far up enough - blocking the intersection myself - I just look at the in the rearview mirror.

These next two just happened tonight at the grocery store.

We needed dishwasher detergent. I go down that aisle, and sanding there, right in front of the dishwasher detergent, was a young lady who was talking loudly to a middle-aged lady who was about ten feet away. “Blah blah blah blah.” The content isn’t important, but there was obviously some indecision on the matter in discussion. I stood there and waited patiently for about fifteen seconds, and then just jumped in there, reached around her, and grabbed the dishwasher detergent that I needed. I didn’t match eyes with here. I just grabbed it and kept going in one movement.

The wife and I had just checked out from the grocery store, and we heading towards the exit. At the end of the very first check-out lane, there is also the line for the customer service desk directly opposite. It gets a little tight at that spot, but you have to go through in order to exit the grocery store. Right in front of us, a lady came out of that check-out lane, and was obviously going straight for the customer service line. She let go of her cart, and stepped into the line. Admirable, since she didn’t try to navigate her cart through the customer service line, but horribly executed, as she left her cart, lengthwise, completely blocking the exit area between the last check-out lane and the customer service line. Just, right there, and she got in line. My wife and I, and the people behind us, stopped. My wife shoved the cart out of the way with an audible “oomph”, and we just kept walking, not looking back.

2

When I find a grocery store aisle or check-out lane blocked by the cart of an oblivious person, my first response (usually) is to stand their quietly, passively-aggressively waiting to see how long it will take for said oblivious person to notice. More often than not, this will happen within a minute or two, whereupon the formerly oblivious person will move the cart while also falling all over him/herself apologizing.

Failing that, my next typical step, slightly more aggressive and less passive, is sometimes to bump the blocking cart gently with my cart. That always gets their attention.
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3

There are a lot of people out there with very poor awareness of their surroundings. It is annoying as hell in the grocery store / public spaces; it is dangerous on the road.

I am not passive about it at all I am pure aggressive. I seem to radiate my annoyance quite effectively so people usually just step out of my way and apologize (hey its Canada), if that doesn’t happen right away I let them know verbally that they are blocking my way. If on the road I use the horn. These are oblivious people, they are likely not even aware of what they are doing wrong and need all the hints they can get.

4

Not applicable when driving, but in the supermarket I find it very effective to simply say, “Excuse me, please.”

5

A considerate person would say “Excuse Me”.

6

I’ve made my feelings about cell phone use known here and I know this will sound like another rant against users, but it does seem like the biggest cause of douche behavior is vastly related to butt heads paying more attention to their device then the world around them. Call me a luddite old fart, whatever; at least I’m not the cunt holding up traffic, annoying people in a movie, holding up the checkout line, or walking into traffic without looking. Grrrrrrr :mad:

(And yes; I do have a “smart” phone; I just don’t use it much because I loathe talking on the phone).

7

If I can tell someone is oblivious of my presence while I approach, I change my steps from silent to audible. Not stomping, but making a sort of schlepping sound. That usually works, and is better, I think, than silently creeping up on them and standing quietly behind them while they continue to be oblivious. IME, if they didn’t hear me approach in the first place, they’re not going to move *because they don’t know I’m there. * I prefer not to be the quiet creeper at the grocery store. In the cases where the schlepping steps don’t get their attention, then I clear my throat from a few feet away so as not to startle them, and say “pardon me” as I approach.

8

Getting cut off on the road I almost expect. It’s getting cut off when I’m walking that really gets my goat. There are days when I know how Burt Campbell felt during his invisible phase.

9

Yeah, if you didn’t bother to say, “Excuse me!”, when you grabbed your detergent. Or, “I’m sorry, pardon me!”, when you pushed through the blocked aisle, then I’m not seeing how you’re not contributing to the problem.

Both actions, passing through a blockage, are justified. Forgetting your manners, “Excuse me, Pardon me.”, not so much. Not exactly leading by example there.

Just an observation. Only my opinion.

10

it seems to me that if you consider a “big problem” to be people being rude or self centered in traffic or in a grocery store, then you should really be grateful that you don’t have “real” problems, like, being in a wheelchair or having no job

11

Wah wah waaaaaah . Thank you, Debbie Downer :dubious: :stuck_out_tongue:

Yes, there are bigger issues in the world but the OP did post the thread in a forum dedicated to *mundane *things that must be shared. So, you know, context and all . . .

12

Just as some people are preternaturally oblivious to their surroundings, some people are preternaturally sensitive to inattentiveness in others. It’s just the nature of things. The oblivious are the lucky ones, because not only are they freer than everyone else but they tend to miss when others are inconsiderate to them.

13

Or to quote the good book

“blessed are the assholes”

14

Have the kind of day you deserve, sir!

15

That’s “madame” to you, you rapscallion.

16

If the other person was on the phone (as described), I would only make eye contact but not say “excuse me,” as I wouldn’t want to interrupt a phone conversation. On an airplane or other close quarters a phone conversation would bug me, but in a grocery store aisle I wouldn’t be irritated.

17

Speaking of inconsiderate people: I’ve mentioned this before in other threads, but there’s a guy at work who thinks NOTHING of just starting to talk when other people are in the middle of a sentence. Two of us, me included, have put him in his place in the last month.

How in the hell can you even do this? We’re all professionals and this guy is, I dunno, 55? How do you not have the awareness to shut the fuck up till other people are finished talking?

He finishes your sentences too, to try to seem smart. Actually my manager also does this.

Good thing I’m outta the group shortly. Drives me bonkers.

18

This is extremely insightful. It doesn’t make things any more bearable, mind you, but it is on the mark :slight_smile:

19

My favorite combo are those who are so self-centered that they combine being completely oblivious to the needs of others with extremely likely to take offense at any slight or lack of consideration, whether real or imaginary.

20

But those “problems” don’t compare to starving to death or dying of Ebola in Africa, so I’m shocked you’d bring that stuff up.