Posted on 02/24/2011 8:28:33 AM PST by ETL
But again, many times it isn’t about texting or talking on a cell. My ‘theory’ is that mobs of people at a crosswalk are like a herd of wildebeest at a river crossing: when one goes, they all go. (replace saltwater crocs with fast moving automobiles)
A few years back I was at a Walgreens ready to check out. I walk over to the checkout counter and this blonde chick is standing in the way - just talking away on her cell phone. I wondered if she was in line, but guessed not. So I said “excuse me” and moved around her and took my place in line.
She then moved several feet up to where I was and said; “Excuse me, I was in line.” I said; “No, actually you weren’t. You were standing in the middle of the aisle blocking me and others while you talked on you phone. But hey - if you feel that you really were in line and that I cut in front of you, then please. Move on here in front of me.”
She took note of the heavy sarcasm in my voice, went back to yakking on the phone, and left me alone to check out.
I’m a tourist, and ill walk how I want. Remember,, YOU chose to live in a sense city. New Yorkers act like they own the place,,, lol.
make that a dense city. Sorry,,, droid vomit
I'm far more understanding of tourists that block the sidewalk traffic flow than the mindless long-term residents of the city that do the same. Tourists are unfamiliar with many of the areas they are in and are looking around at various attractions and things, while helping boost the city's economy by spending their money here.
No joke. I just came back from a Dr appt, and this idiot was walking to the parking garage. He almost walked into a glass window. He got on the elevator, still texting.
I punched the button for my level, and asked him for his. No answer, but after the door closed, he punched another level. The door opened for his level, and he stood there texting away. Dumb@$$.
I realize NYC is a densely populated place, but I'm referring to people who make matters worse by not thinking properly. A little basic common sense is all.
And with cell phones at least, the conversation almost always seems to be on some dopey unimportant topic, such as “did you watch Oprah yesterday?”. I imagine it’s the same with texting.
It’s pathological behavior brought on by overcrowding (see http://www.psychlotron.org.uk/resources/environmental/A2_OCR_env_crowdeffects.pdf). Read what happened in the famous Calhoun lab-rat colony study as they became more and more crowded. Killing their young, homosexuality, increased aggression, and other depraved behavior.
standing side-by-side on escalators, blocking the left-hand fast lane,
I didn’t realize there WERE lanes on escalators,
you’d think the DOPT would mark them.
( Dept of Pedestrian Transportation )
Unfortunately common sense is no longer common. I think we’re breeding oblivious humans. Our early ancestors either paid attention to their surroundings or became dinner.
We’re reacting to the inattention of others. People driving don’t observe basic courtesies because of inattention and possibly inadequate skills. Now we find out neither do pedestrians pat attention. Maybe we need to turn man eating tigers loose in NYC to keep folks on their toes.
Yeah go ahead and text. Just remember you are part of the food chain whether it’s a tiger or the bacteria processing your dead body.
I broke my ankle a couple of months ago, and I can't get around at my normal speed (admittedly, that's pretty fast). So, I stay aware of my surroundings and others, and I get the hell out of the way of faster moving people coming up behind me.
I also don't stand in doorways or in areas prone to traffic.
I was at the Whole Foods earlier this week, a prime spot for lib watching. In the ten or fifteen minutes I was there, one libtard left his shopping cart at bizarre angles in order to maximize his ability to block traffic, FOUR TIMES.
As I was leaving, I noticed him returning his shopping cart, which was surprising since he'd shown no recognition of the existence of anyone else up to that point... but I was wrong. He just took it to the doorway leading to the steps, grabbed his stuff, and left - blocking the doorway.
I don't think I need to mention that when I saw him in the parking lot, he had an Obama/Biden bumper sticker on his Prius.
There aren't. It's more of a common sense, common courtesy thing. I can understand some tourists not getting it, but not those that lived here awhile.
I agree on the need to be understanding as a city resident or worker. At various points in my life I worked in Union Station in Washington DC and Times Square in New York City. You just knew that at certain times of the year you were going to be in a mob, many of whom were from out of town and didn’t understand “city” walking rules. City folk like the idea of living in a town with a million tourist attractions but they get annoyed when tourists actually come to see them. When a tourist does something like stand at the top of an escalator and I say “excuse me”, they usually react like they didn’t understand they were doing something wrong and move.
I must admit not knowing the unspoken rule for escalator traffic (stationary on right - walking on left) on the east coast when I first visited. So, maybe that rule should be posted for those from flyover country where escalators are seldom used on a daily basis.
I've noticed that the dumbest tourists almost always seem to be from France. Just like the worst drivers often having New Jersey plates. :)
I will admit that from time to time I have been tempted to launch into “Walmart aisle rage” by the, um, “Sunday drivers” wending their way at a leisurely pace three abreast through the store, taking up both the slow lane and the passing lane as well as the lanes for the traffic going in the opposite direction...
Yes, some people make shopping a family outing. They not only bring all the kids, but also grandma and Aunt Flossy.
You can often times see people walking up the left lane of an escalator with stationary people on the right, especially during rush hours. One needn’t be an Einstein to figure it out and step to the right. General traffic rule: left lane = passing lane. :)
We had one driver in front of us on a very curvy road some time back. The driver (a female) was crossing the drunk bumps into the oncoming lanes, and then cross into our lane. I thought she was DUI, and decided to stay behind her. We caught up with here at a traffic light, and she was texting. After the light, she got off the texting and into the right lane. Drove normally after that.
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