Rude
people are taking over the world. Have you guys noticed lately? I mean,
everywhere I go, some extremely impolite person seems to harass either
me or whomever I happen to be with. Move over, all you normal, courteous
ones, because the rude are looking to crush us.
The
other day I pulled into my friendís driveway to pick her up, and
then realized it would be better if I waited for her by the side of the
road in case anyone wanted to come into the building. So I started backing
out slowly when a huge Mercedes came up behind me. At the wheel was a red-faced
woman, who looked at me as one would look at a slug on a piece of lettuce.
Then she pulled down her window and yelled, ìWhat the hell are you,
an idiot? Donít you know how to drive, you freak?î And then
she proceeded to discredit my heritage, my mother, and my aunt in Alaska.
All that was in Arabic. So you could imagine the translation, which is
a little too profane for this publication.
Now,
I have a bad temper, as any one of my patient friends will tell you. But
I was too shocked to answer back. Nobody has ever spoken to me that way
before. So I just glared at her and wished I had a gun so I could blow
her maggoty brains out. How, may I ask, does one deal with people like
that, who are simply bordering on the psychotic? Beats me. If you ask me,
that woman should be locked up in an institution. What is she doing freely
roaming the streets of Beirut? Iíll bet you it was people like her
who were responsible for the war.
Rudeness
kills me. I absolutely abhor it. I am a firm believer in manners. What
prompts a person to be rude? How do rude peopleís brains work, anyway?
Does something just click inside there somewhere, and they end up acting
like an extra off the set of an Alfred Hitchcock movie? I wonder what it's
like for them at home. Do they insult their families like they insult any
person on the streets? There should be laws against rudeness. Or possibly
mandatory tranquilizer prescriptions for rude people. And not just any
tranquilizers mind you. The ones that hunters use to incapacitate rhinoceroses
in Africa. And there should also be support groups for the victims of rudeness.
Some of us are scarred for life, after all.Last
month, my five-year-old cousin Tania was playing with other kids in her
neighborhood in Cleveland, Ohio. One of the kids was different from the
rest. He was a rude person in training. This kid kicked a neighborís
dog, then spat at it. Then my little cousin went to play on the swings.
She sat down on one and the kid came up to her and yelled, ìGet
up before I kick you, too!î I was terrified. What if he actually
did kick her? I ran to help her off the swing. But you know what she did?
She looked the bully right in the eye and said very icily, ì You
are rude.î
And
it worked. The kid retreated. He knew she was right. There was no arguing
with her. Maybe thatís what we should do the next time someone tries
to push us out of line so he can get our turn, or someone swears at us
for braking the car to let a cat pass. Sometimes, people, simplicity is
the key.