# Is getting beeped at in the West a huge insult? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 24, 2012, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-getting-beeped-at-in-the-west-a-huge-insult/629193 "2012-07-24T01:21:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![griffon502](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@griffon502](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffon502)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-getting-beeped-at-in-the-west-a-huge-insult/629193/1 "2012-07-24T01:21:13Z")
So I just got back from uni. I got beeped when I was crossing a street near the uni, I don’t want to get into details but it’s safe to say it wasn’t my fault. It’s not a busy street, no traffic light, basically leading to a dead end, very low traffic. I’m wondering how insulting it is to get beeped in the Western world. I kinda want to go back in time and at least give that driver a middle finger or something. It was totally uncalled for. If I got a knife I might even stab him, because I think it was totally rude and insulting. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-getting-beeped-at-in-the-west-a-huge-insult/629193/2 "2012-07-24T01:46:09Z")
Moved from General Questions to the BBQ Pit. Also, poster, good luck. You’re gonna need it. **samclem** , Moderator ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-getting-beeped-at-in-the-west-a-huge-insult/629193/3 "2012-07-24T01:56:30Z")
> [@griffon502](#): > > **Is getting beeped at in the West a huge insult?** Well, to start with, we would say “honked” here. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-getting-beeped-at-in-the-west-a-huge-insult/629193/4 "2012-07-24T01:58:33Z")
Also, highly recommend not going back in time with those intentions. Not out here anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-getting-beeped-at-in-the-west-a-huge-insult/629193/5 "2012-07-24T02:02:58Z")
Since you give no details, it’s impossible to know. However, the most likely reason is that, from the driver’s viewpoint, you did something wrong – which might not be something illegal, but just something that makes it more likely that you would be hit by the car. So it’s not an insult, but just a warning. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-getting-beeped-at-in-the-west-a-huge-insult/629193/6 "2012-07-24T02:07:18Z")
You were extended a common courtesy. Normally we just step on the gas. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-getting-beeped-at-in-the-west-a-huge-insult/629193/7 "2012-07-24T02:20:52Z")
You want to stab the driver because he beeped at you? ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-getting-beeped-at-in-the-west-a-huge-insult/629193/8 "2012-07-24T02:22:41Z")
When you said West, I wondered if you meant, like, Arizona. But I guess not. > [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Well, to start with, we would say “honked” here. Meh, beeped works. > [@Ulfreida](#): > > Also, highly recommend not going back in time with those intentions. Not out here anyway. People so rarely take this kind of good advice. So I’ll just say, be careful not to let your old self see your new self. Bad things happen. Just position yourself a little furthe down the road and flip them off there. Try to wear the same clothes, so that they’ll be more likely to recognize you. As to whether it was an insult, unless you were in their head, you’ll never really know. My son used to have a poster that said: Live Like All The Boats Are Empty. The idea being that if you’re rowing along and an empty boat bumps into you, you don’t get upset and start wondering what the boat’s motives were. It’s an empty boat. It probably floated there without thinking of you at all. If there’s a person in the boat, it’s probably still an accident or at least an inadvertance. If you don’t get angry just in case someone was being malicious, you’re better off. Just wave, push off, and keep floating. It’s a nice day out. ---
**Author:** ![Sudden\_Kestrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-getting-beeped-at-in-the-west-a-huge-insult/629193/9 "2012-07-24T02:33:09Z")
> [@griffon502](#): > > I kinda want to go back in time and at least give that driver a middle finger or something. It was totally uncalled for. If I got a knife I might even stab him, because I think it was totally rude and insulting. In that case, your stupid would cancel out any rudeness on the driver’s part. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-getting-beeped-at-in-the-west-a-huge-insult/629193/10 "2012-07-24T02:48:50Z")
Nobody _likes_ getting honked or beeped at (here in San Diego, I hear both, about interchangeably.) If I’m in the wrong, it promotes a defensive reaction – “Yes, yes, I know I screwed up; now shut up about it already!” – and if I’m not in the wrong, it comes across as stupid, offensive, and aggressive – “Idiot! You’re the one who ran that stop sign, not me!” At best, it’s like shouting, “Hey, you!” At worst, it’s like shouting, “Hey, A\*\*\*\*\*\*\*!” ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-getting-beeped-at-in-the-west-a-huge-insult/629193/11 "2012-07-24T03:09:03Z")
I have a fantasy of seeker missiles mounted on my car, and one of my targets would be people who honk the _second_ a light turns green. As in before you could even move foot from brake to gas. That I find insulting. Then there are the drivers whose idea of a “courtesy” honk is to lay on the horn for 5-10 seconds. That I find insulting. However, a driver can’t always tell if a pedestrian is paying attention, and a true courtesy honk could be a life-saver. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-getting-beeped-at-in-the-west-a-huge-insult/629193/12 "2012-07-24T03:14:38Z")
> [@jabiru](#): > > You want to stab the driver because he beeped at you? Yep. He’ll fit in our culture just fine. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-getting-beeped-at-in-the-west-a-huge-insult/629193/13 "2012-07-24T03:22:03Z")
> [@griffon502](#): > > I kinda want to go back in time and at least give that driver a middle finger or something. It was totally uncalled for. If I got a knife I might even stab him, because I think it was totally rude and insulting. Where is the OP from? If I didn’t know, I’d say they were American based on the above reaction. Car horns are inherently loud and obnoxious, so it’s hard for a driver not to come off sounding like a jerk whenever they use it. I almost never used my horn in the USA, instead I would just slow down a bit (if there was somebody I suspected hadn’t seen me coming) and wait for them to finish crossing the street or whatever else they were doing in the road. Anyone who is offended by horn honking must never go to Vietnam, where you will get beeped-at _when you are on the sidewalk_ and a motorbike needs to get by. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-getting-beeped-at-in-the-west-a-huge-insult/629193/14 "2012-07-24T03:25:49Z")
> [@griffon502](#): > > If I got a knife I might even stab him, because I think it was totally rude and insulting. Apparently, your studies are not teaching you anything important. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-getting-beeped-at-in-the-west-a-huge-insult/629193/15 "2012-07-24T03:56:26Z")
[QUOTE=griffon502] Is getting beeped at in the West a huge insult? [/quote] I suppose in the East drivers deliver hand-written notes? Or beeping is a form of courtship? Tells us more about the East… ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-getting-beeped-at-in-the-west-a-huge-insult/629193/16 "2012-07-24T04:03:25Z")
If you think a car horn is an insult, you should stay out of New York City. It’s considered nice if all they do is honk. ---
**Author:** ![SecretaryofEvil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@SecretaryofEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SecretaryofEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-getting-beeped-at-in-the-west-a-huge-insult/629193/17 "2012-07-24T04:05:33Z")
> [@griffon502](#): > > So I just got back from uni. I got beeped when I was crossing a street near the uni, I don’t want to get into details but it’s safe to say it wasn’t my fault. It’s not a busy street, no traffic light, basically leading to a dead end, very low traffic. > > I’m wondering how insulting it is to get beeped in the Western world. I kinda want to go back in time and at least give that driver a middle finger or something. It was totally uncalled for. If I got a knife I might even stab him, because I think it was totally rude and insulting. I guess it’s up to me to take up the white man’s burden and educate this poor foreign wretch. Most modern knives aren’t designed for stabbing, and therefore don’t usually possess any sort of cross guard. Without a guard your hand is going to slide up the blade when it meets the resistance of your victim’s flesh and you’re going to cut your own fingers. Stab him with a phillip’s head screw driver instead. This also works better because there are more legit reasons to have a screw driver than a dagger. **IMPORTANT:** When stabbing someone in the past, always double check to ensure that he’s not actually an ancestor of yours. I know it seems unlikely, but I can’t tell you how many times something like that has happened. Also, be sure you bring enough plutonium to power the flux capacitor for the journey home. Otherwise you’re going to end up stuck there, probably getting your ass kicked by an irate motorist while your past self watches with bemusement. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-getting-beeped-at-in-the-west-a-huge-insult/629193/18 "2012-07-24T04:07:51Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Well, to start with, we would say “honked” here. Well, in the East the cars have pussy horns that beep while in Merka we have manly horns that honk. ---
**Author:** ![SecretaryofEvil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@SecretaryofEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SecretaryofEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-getting-beeped-at-in-the-west-a-huge-insult/629193/19 "2012-07-24T04:08:39Z")
Aw hell, just for shits and giggles I’ll actually answer the question. No, getting beeped at is not a huge insult. It just means “Pay attention.” ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-getting-beeped-at-in-the-west-a-huge-insult/629193/20 "2012-07-24T04:13:36Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > I have a fantasy of seeker missiles mounted on my car . . . A friend of mine actually did something like that. He affixed a model-rocket launching rod into the vacant cavity where one of his headlights used to be. The firing switch was on the dashboard. If he was driving even as fast as 20mph, the rocket would simply tumble back behind the car, but if he was stationary, it shot out right smartly. One of the most useless damn felonies ever, but fun to demo in a parking lot! Q: Do you go 'troo da Loop? A: Nah, I go “BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP” all the whole goddam day. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-getting-beeped-at-in-the-west-a-huge-insult/629193.md?page=2)