Twitter Twatter: Oh No You Didn't
Sigh. What a hard, hard week. Some respiratory thing that had me low for days, when I wasn't begging some deity to put me out of my misery. Toward the end of this week, and back in the world, everything was such a struggle, and I had to get it done, so pushpushpush, tiredtiredtired, stressstressstress. Tonight I had several errands to run; those things you "have" to do, like go to a bank.
Folks? While I've been in bed sick, and reading when I could, I started thinking about things I wanted to write about in the future, and one of them was just how thin that societal veneer can be when money is involved, but overall the idea that we haven't come as far as we'd like to believe and we can be reduced to club wielders in a blink, with the right trigger.
My last stop (and ounce of strength) involved entering a Whole Foods (on a Friday night) for precisely five things. I was sick, but I had a list! I had fought bad traffic, I had made all my stops, I was in the 15 or less aisle, the one where the doors open and close to exit? I had just turned my cart toward the door and this woman stepped in front of me, stopped, lifted her bag from the cart and just walked away, leaving the cart completely blocking the now opened door.
The second she did that, in a voice that can only be described as something involving brimstone, this roar issued from my mouth screaming, "YOU BITCH!" There were three Asian employees standing there and they all let out an audible gasp, that sounded like what you would release after inhaling tsunami wind. My hand popped to my mouth. My eyes widened. I said "She just left her basket there, completely blocking the exit." They said, "Oh"....relaxing...."people do that all of the time."
Folks? While I've been in bed sick, and reading when I could, I started thinking about things I wanted to write about in the future, and one of them was just how thin that societal veneer can be when money is involved, but overall the idea that we haven't come as far as we'd like to believe and we can be reduced to club wielders in a blink, with the right trigger.
My last stop (and ounce of strength) involved entering a Whole Foods (on a Friday night) for precisely five things. I was sick, but I had a list! I had fought bad traffic, I had made all my stops, I was in the 15 or less aisle, the one where the doors open and close to exit? I had just turned my cart toward the door and this woman stepped in front of me, stopped, lifted her bag from the cart and just walked away, leaving the cart completely blocking the now opened door.
The second she did that, in a voice that can only be described as something involving brimstone, this roar issued from my mouth screaming, "YOU BITCH!" There were three Asian employees standing there and they all let out an audible gasp, that sounded like what you would release after inhaling tsunami wind. My hand popped to my mouth. My eyes widened. I said "She just left her basket there, completely blocking the exit." They said, "Oh"....relaxing...."people do that all of the time."
I walked to my car feeling like I had been eating fire. Of such things, my readers, are civilization constructs . "People do that all of the time."
Good to know since, I felt like I had just stepped back onto the planet from hell.
Labels: dcblogs, DCist, egocentricity, etiquette, fire eaters, profanity, rudeness, The Washington Post, wowOwow
posted by Washington Cube at 1:31 AM
14 Comments:
This ain't your first time at the rodeo, I'm thinking, Cube. You have to let it out once in a while. Live your inner Joan, or Bette, if you like. She had it comin'.
-- grince
When I feel lousy, every little injustice makes me crazy too! The woman deserved your screaming at her even if you were feeling on top of the world!
It happens. Sometimes people need to be yelled at. One time I was leaving the bathroom of a movie theater with semi-wet hands, which caused me to use my elbow to push the door open. At the same moment a woman on the other side happened to be simultaneously pulling the door open and there I was, suddenly, right in her face. She screamed "What is WRONG with you?" and I felt terrible and realized I must have looked like a total brute to her, shoving through the door that way. But it was the only way to not get any germs on my freshly washed fingers and I didn't expect her to be standing so close on the other side. Anyway, I'm doing my germ-free exit from the ladies room more slowly these days. Sometimes the screaming causes people to be more considerate the next time.
Kathy: I really do have layers of societal constructs worthy of the Japanese. I'm not given to using profanity or screaming at strangers. I think everything aligned to create this situation, and I was as shocked as hearing the violence in my voice as the employees. It really was such a narcisstic action on the part of the "only me" woman just walking away and doing such a thing. What's equally horrible is the WF peeps saying "oh it happens all of the time." If I hadn't been so sick, I was ready to haul her back into the store and point at what she had done.
Kate: I think I was wrong screaming. It reduced me to her level, and it just wasn't like me, which is where the "sick" comes in.
Cyndy: You're back? YAHAHA. Screaming at these people doesn't help. It's like they need to go to dog obedience school and get whacked with newspapers for a while.Even after I screamed, she didn't turn...just kept going.
I agree screaming does not help and I rarely do it except in my own room when I am alone. Am sure there is a psychological profile for that ....... be that as it may, given how you were feeling she deserved some retribution for being so inconsiderate! What if you had been disabled other than by the flu? But then I am the type who cleans up around the sink in public washrooms when I finish. Good grief: another profile!
I try very hard to be patient with people, and not scream...etc. However, in that situation, I would have done the exact same thing. It's not that hard to be responsible for a cart, for crying out loud! Not to mention that it is beyond bad manners and sulky selfishness to just leave one blocking a door that way. Your comment was spot on. That was a bitchy thing to do.
And, that behavior stated clearly that the woman who did it has zero respect for anyone else around her, and is soo self absorbed, she doesn't even see (or care?)that other people are impacted by her lack of manners. Even worse, she'd probably be one of the first to speak up and say something had you done the very same thing to her. What a shame.
My signature move (as in.. I do this ALL THE TIME) LOL is to say under my breath but kind of loud, "yeah don't mind me! I'm just in the way." to rude bitches like that. Damn they chap my hide. Inconsiderate assholes.
sorry I hit send to soon.
The way I figure it is if they hear me, well, they think they weren't supposed to, because I said it under my breath. So it's least likely that they will confront me for talking shit. And if they DON'T hear me, well I said it mostly for my benefit anyways, so screw it. hee hee hee.
What pisses me off is I'm very aware of my surroundings and have no problem apologizing when I do something like that lady did without realizing it. And yet? How many times do you think I get the same treatment? Ummmmmm none. People are just assholes lately. No manners. No remorse.
There are people who never bother to notice what is going on around them. There are a lot of drivers like that. Sometimes rage is justified!
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A full spectrum of valid points here, but I'm glad to see a little additional reflection on your part. Not as a matter of manners, but more to do with the notion of perspective. I think this is the sort of thing David Foster Wallace was getting at in his commencement address to Kenyon college in 2005.
Our instincts are right more often than not, and if nothing else they're certainly useful, but sometimes...
Sometimes there are other times...
Hammer:
That's just it. I would NEVER speak to someone like that. It blows the lid off humanity, and we may as well start ripping off an arm for a parking space. Yes, I was worn and sick, but still...no excuse. It was a bit too raw for me.
I wish she'd heard you, stopped, and moved her cart. Damned inconsiderate woman! And good for you - sometimes you just need to put those things out there.
It was out there all right, Lee. NOT Camp Virtue.
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