Post Road-Rage Incident

This happened a couple weeks ago, maybe longer.

I was at a local grocery store.  Walking out, I saw this woman sternly confronting/lecturing this young teen just outside the automatic door.  From what I could hear as I passed them by, she was confronting him about something that just happened out in the parking lot.  What I remember her saying is something to the effect of, "Why did you honk at me while I was waiting for a parking spot?  Did you really want it that bad?"

It was kind of surprising to see that.  And I don't exactly know how I feel about it.  Part of me was scared to see a woman snap in public like that.  A series of small indignities suffered day after day adds up, and she just didn't want to take it anymore.  I understand.  That could have been me.  Shit, that could still be me.

But, another part of me goes, "Good for you, standing up for yourself!"  This punk had this "what the fuck is this lady talking about?" doofus look on his face, but he's looks like the kind of guy that owns a whip with a really loud muffler because he wants to be as fucking obnoxious as possible on the road.  He totally looked like a guy who honked and annoyed his way past someone waiting for a parking spot.  So he deserved the tongue-lashing he got, even though I probably don't have the stones to do it myself.  But I have to say that guy on the receiving end of that new one-ripping could have been me, and still could be me.

You see, that incident reminds me of two memories, one each from both sides of that confrontation.  One of them happened to me.

A long time ago, when I was ushering, I wanted to go to the local Barnes & Noble before heading off to work.  I parked and was just making my way to the store when I see this old guy just go off on this teenager.  He was shouting, so I just tried to get away from that crazy man.

I saw from my periphery that the teen tried to get away.  Then this Good Samaritan joined in on the one-sided conversation.  The teen thought this was his chance to get away from him and so he started backing away.  Meanwhile, the old guy started arguing with the Good Samaritan.  And after about three seconds, the old guy started shoving and punching the Good Samaritan.

I couldn't believe it.  Here I was, in the middle of suburban America, seeing a man snap before my very eyes.  And yet all I could selfishly think about was not getting into the middle of this.  This poor guy wanted to help out, and now he's getting his ass kicked by a guy who should be tased, but I ain't doin' a goddamn thing about it because he might come after me next.  And I have work to get to.

So I did the bravest thing a guy too timid to get involved would do: I called for help.  I saw the teen walk/run towards Shinders, this comics place with porn in the back that I would go to all the time.  I chased him in.

The teenager already was talking to the guy working there about getting help.  I asked the teen, "What happened?"  He said something like he got into an argument with him over honking his horn and/or while getting into the strip mall.

"Did you?" I asked.

He didn't say anything.  So he did.

By the time I looked back out, the crazy old man stopped assaulting the Good Samaritan, who was starting to walk away.  I had work to get to, so I just left.

The other incident was one where I was accused of the road rage.  I was going to a gas station close to the movie theater I go to all the time now (although I don't remember if I was specifically going to watch a film that night).  But I guess I was in a bad mood when I went to fill up for gas, because while I was going inside to pay, some stranger walks up to me and says (paraphrashing because it's been years), "Dude, you cut me off.  Don't do that.  If I were a different guy, I'd be a lot more pissed off and then you'd have real trouble.  I'm doing you a favor; watch yourself next time, alright?"

I've never gotten into a physical road rage incident after I left my car, but I certainly had never gotten into a confrontation where a guy told me he could have fought me after a road rage incident.  And to this day I feel a certain umbrage at not only him confronting me, but what he said and the way in which he said it.  I found him to be very condescending.  First of all, I may have been a bit curt when driving that evening, but I don't think I cut anybody off.  And even if I did, I don't think I deserved to be, for lack of a better word, dressed down like he did.  And to use a soothing tone, like he's a doting father trying to impart a Life Lesson -- that's the part that still pisses me off to this day.

I didn't say anything but, "Oh, OK."  But my visceral reaction was to think in my head, "Well!" to his haughtiness.  And now, I would rather him just fight me in the gas station store.

The world is crazy.  But we did our part to make it crazy.  All of us.