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The BBQ Pit
41

Oh, come on. Use some common sense and assess the situation. It’s a busy road, the middle of the day, a pregnant non-threatening woman. Christ, you can scope out around the car and peek into the backseat if you must. Have we really gotten this fuckin paranoid as a society? I’m not saying this attitude is completely without reason, but it’s a bit extreme. I guess I must be some nutty “thrillseeker” because I stop to help anybody anywhere, even in the middle of the ghetto. But maybe I’m just lucky I haven’t been carjacked yet.

Are carjackings really that common? I’ve lived in Chicago proper until I was 22 and I didn’t know anyone personally or even friends-of-friends who have been carjacked. Not to say they didn’t happen, but I’ve known more people who’ve been murdered than carjacked.

42

I know a few people who won’t hold open doors or help the disabled anymore because the last few times they did it, the disabled person bitched them out for it. I’ve actually been bitched out by some woman because I held open the door for her politely, nothing more than I opened the door for her as I would anyone else, and she berated me for it. I really wanted to look at her, and use the door in the manner appropriate in that sort of situation, but breaking her face with it would have landed me in jail, and 2 minutes of pleasure isn’t worth 2 years in jail.

43

This is more than understandable. I’m a big fat mean looking angry Doper-type, and when I am moving up on a car on the side of the road, I look to see if the tire is REALLY flat, etc. I’ve been known to pull over, crack the window a wee tad and offer to call the State Police or AAA, but not get out of my car.

I don’t do anyone any good if my Samaritan act gets me hurt or worse. It’s a tough call though, and I know I’ve flown by people who really needed a hand.

I rode the NYC Subways for something like 11 years. It was an endless source of dismay. NOBODY has manners. If I ever saw my kid sprawled in a subway seat when there was an elderly or infirmed person ( of either gender, let’s just throw that in…), I’d make him profoundly miserable.

Common courtesy never used to be an oxymoron. :frowning:

Cartooniverse

44

Jarbabyj, I feel your pain. Literally. I also live in Chicago, and a few years ago had a severe leg injury that left me without the use of my left leg for the better part of a year, and for several smaller chunks of time subsequently. (Basically, I broke my leg in about 6 pieces, and needed several hours of orthopedic surgery involving a plate, several screws, and a thing that made me look like a shish kebob to put it back together again.)

After the external hardware came off, there wasn’t much left of my left leg below the knee besides bone, the aforementioned plate, and a little bit of flab covering it all. (That’s what happens if you are non-weight bearing for 8 months, so listen to your physical therapist! You may hate him/her, but really it’s for the best.) I then had a regular plaster cast for a few weeks to support the poor leg so I could start to put weight on it again, with the help of crutches.

One day, my regular ride home from work had to stay late (the kindly soul, a complete stranger before al this happened, had volunteered to schlep me to and from work every day for more than 6 months, so not all people are dogs!), so I had to take the El home. I dragged myself the 4 blocks to the Merchandise Mart, one of the few accessible stations, and up the escalator to the platform, a terrifying experience on crutches in itself.

When the train pulled in, it was pretty full, but not so packed that the uniformly young, healthy-looking guys who were sitting in all the priority seats couldn’t see me, the crutches, and the huge cast (plainly visible, as it was about 95 degrees that day and I was wearing shorts, and my pants wouldn’t have fit over the cast anyway). They all glanced up, pretended not to see me, and went back to their Wall Street Journals. One very cute guy standing next to me surveyed the scene and said, in a very loud voice, “Are you OK? Shouldn’t you be sitting down?” “I wholeheartedly agree,” I replied, “but all the seats seem to be taken.” Finally someone got embarrassed enough to give me a seat; I think it was a pregnant lady. Numerous times after that, when I was a bit more recovered but still walking with a cane, I gave up my seat to pregnant women, little old infirm ladies, and others…and don’t even start me on what should be done to non-handicapped people who borrow other people’s decals and park in handicapped spots, only to run off to work in their high heels…or delivery trucks who park in handicapped spots…

Hang in there, and remember that it sucks right now, but at least in your case it sounds like it’s temporary! And if you don’t like your doc, let me know; I’ve been to basically every orthopedic practice in Chicago.

45

Wow, I bet it was my roommate of almost 30 years ago! She decided any man who held a door for her was only doing it to put her down. I think if someone mouthed off at me for doing something courteous, I’d just say “You’re welcome” and go on my way.

Some people’s children…

46

Yep, but one brief point on that subject; after the surgery, I did eventually learn how to use either my body or a crutch to prop a door open so I could drag myself through it. If someone decided to “help” me by pushing the door open from behind so I couldn’t see him/her, I would fall flat on my face. (This was especially fun if the external hardware hit the ground before the rest of me; the pins went all the way through my leg, so some unscheduled internal rearranging of soft tissues definitely occurred in that case.) And the poor person usually thought he/she was helping.

47

Eva, I understand what you’re talking about. But what I witnessed by ex-roomie involved a man who paused on his way thru a door to wait for us rather than let the door close. I thought it was kind of him. She lectured him about how she was quite capable of opening her own door. Struck me as rather classless of her.

48

(blatant hijack…sorry)

My mother has had a handicapped decal for quite some time due to a back injury. A few months back she had a stroke and now has right-side weakness, so I have to drive her if she wants to go anywhere (or else my brother does), and we park her car (with decal) in the handicapped parking spot so she doesn’t have far to walk.

My biggest fear is that people will see me getting out of the drivers’ seat (in the handicapped parking spot), and think I’m the kind of loser you mentioned above (even though Mom’s on the other side with the cane, obviously having difficulty walking). Yeah, I could drop her off at the entrance and go to another spot, but she often needs help getting in and out of the car, and there are rarely benches where she can sit and wait for me to go get the car…

So, um, what was my point? Oh - that I hate fakers in handicapped spots so much that it’s a real struggle for me to park in one, even though it helps out my mom and she has a decal on the car and the DPS says it’s okay…it still makes me mighty uncomfortable. I’m an able-bodied driver - the handicapped spot scares me! My brother feels the same way too - like everybody’s GLARING at us…

(sorry about the hijack)

49

Two quick stories related on human kindness. Bit of a highjack.

Two winters ago, had my very first snow/ice related whipe out, on a busy morning by-pass. As I’m careening out of control as my car is going in circles, people are passing me by at 70 MPH. When I come to a stop, my world is backwards, I have no clue where I am, I thought I was on the other side of the by-pass. I see a red light flashing, and a gentleman comes up to my door and asks me if I’m ok, ect. He drives me to the nearest truck stop, making sure that I will be okay. He was a volunteer fireman. I will never forget his kindness.

The other incident happened just after I found out I was pregnant. My car had broken down on a well traveled road. I had my hood up assessing the problem, and several people passed, there was steam rising from my car. I eventually figured out I was going to have to hoof it back home, Approx. 8 miles or so. No problem, I would have stopped at any number of houses to ask to borrow their phone, but it was 6AM and I didn’t think it appropriate. I was dressed in my work uniform, walkeing, and several more cars passed me, about halfway home, a kind gentleman offered to take me the rest of the way. I will also never forget his kindness.
I have stopped numerous times, against the warnings of my family, though I’m more likey to stop if I see a car, or a family.
And I hold doors for anyone.

50

deborak

Keep on keepin’ on - you aren’t one of “those people”. You are helping your Mother and this is quite legitimate. Screw what those (uninformed) idiots may think - you are in the right here. If anyone dares vocalize a snide remark I’d promptly tell them that it’s none of their fucking business - even if someone called the police, you can prove that your parking spot is legit. The only caveat here is to never park there without your Mom being with you (which I don’t think you would do anyway) even if you are running an errand for her.

PS - I’m sure your Mom appreciates all you do for her. :slight_smile:

51

FairyChatMom and Deborak, not to say there aren’t righteous able-bodied folks out there (there certainly are, and power to y’all!). Unfortunately, though, I suspect you’re in the minority. In the meantime, I pray for the day of better enforcement of handicapped decals and priority seating.

52

tomndebb says

and

Since I happen to know the latter assertion to be wholly untrue: Cite?

53

I don’t ride the bus/BART too often, but when I do, I’m amazed by the number of people who sit like potted plants whenever someone who quite obviously could use the seat comes on, especially when these rude sitters are in their teens/twenties. Incredible.

54

http://www.cfo.com/article/1,5309,1106||A|93|100,00.html

Now, the general spin in the IT community is that Accenture lost the arbitration and was forced to surrender the name. Accenture, I’m sure, spins the tale differently.

As to the ethics of the company, this site has some interesting observations (and it does not even reach back to the Michigan Employment Security Commission brouhaha or the American Greetings incident or the little projects they “handled” for Atlantic-Richfield–all of which are identified as “successful” in the Accenture versions, but are generally seen as “less successful” by the …uh… clients):
http://www.polarisinstitute.org/corporateprofiles_files/Accenture-CorporateProfile.htm

If it bothers you, I will repost my previous statements including the words alleged or perceived. (I would still count my fingers if I was asked to merely wave at them.)

55

Regarding the metro/bus (which I only take when I’m traveling, the D/FW area has very little public transportation) - NOT to defend ANY creep who won’t give up a seat - but I know that I, personally, tend to either read, or stare out the window while contemplating complex subjects such as Schrodinger’s cat or where I’m going for drinks tonight. Unfortunately, I’m one of those people who can get so absorbed in reading or thinking that, well, the world around me just disappears. This is why I’d recommend at least asking for a seat, in case you’ve got a goofball like me who’s just flat-out not paying attention. (I never sit in the seats marked handicapped, but even if it was a regular seat, I’d give it up in a heartbeat to someone who needed it.)

I’d say your chances are about 99.9% that they’re just being assholes. OTOH, I’ve been known to stare right at people (while lost in thought) and not even see them (creeps some people right out). If you at least ask, and people still refuse to give up their seat, that would be the appropriate time to go postal. :smiley:

(Yup, I remember the time in school when I was reading right before class, with the book in my lap and my head down, when suddenly I lifted my head up and noticed that class had started and the teacher was actually talking…I hadn’t even noticed…)

56

Did Mom carry said bag of flounders with her at all times? Was you mother in the flounder business, or did she carry the flounders only as a disciplinary tool?

And if your mother carrying a bag of flounders was a rare occurrence, was it mere coincidence that she happened to have it when you misbehaved? Or did the bag of flounders somehow instigate your misbehavior?

Finally, as I think I’m seeing something here, do flounders or other aquatic animals play a role in your fantasy life and/or in sexual foreplay?

Sua

57

Mom carried them around because after lots of floundering about, she couldn’t hook another kind of fish to use, and since she was busy working for scale and couldn’t get a fin up on the competition, she had to make do with flounder.

Make no bones about it, Mom never stopped carping about it to the kids.

:stuck_out_tongue:

58

You mean she didn’t just hit you with a flounder for the halibut?

59

You were subjected to this as well, Cartooniverse? Was there a school of child-rearing that taught this?

Did it hurt? Or did you mom not have much in the way of mussels?

Sua

60

Groan. Reminds me of the picture my dad has - a fish that just barely sticks out from the rest of the picture.

The title? Bass-relief.