Thoughts & Things

Pedestrian Rage

You know how some people have road rage, and can't seem to stop themselves from getting angry at other cars on the road? Well, I have pedestrian rage. I get angry at other pedestrians, as well as cars. It's mostly contained, and I typically won't express my anger, but it's there.

Other pedestrians are aggravating. They walk too fast, too slow, and somehow they're always in the way. A group of ten people somehow manages to walk side by side and block the entire Walmart entrance while collectively ignoring anyone behind them saying "excuse me." Yeah, I've had that happen. It takes all my willpower not to just run them down with the cart. As someone with chronic illness, I try to be mindful of anyone ahead of me who is walking slowly, as they may not be up to walking faster just as I sometimes cannot, but it's hard not to plow down people who are walking just fast enough that you can't pass them.

Cars aggravate me far more. Drivers stop them in the middle of the crosswalk, forcing me to move towards oncoming traffic to get around them. They park over sidewalks I need to use. They fail to use turn signals properly, so I stand there waiting for them to pass, only having waited for nothing as they turned onto a different street altogether. Then you get drivers who have road rage as well, who are honking at you to walk faster and making rude gestures, even though you have the right of way. Then of course there are just plain reckless drivers that make being a pedestrian at all into a hazardous task.

There are other pedestrians as well with pedestrian rage, and I think some of them are maybe not as aware of their surroundings. It can be incredibly frustrating to have people getting angry at you for walking slowly when you're going as fast as you can at that particular time. I do my best to stay to the side, but that doesn't always seem to be good enough. I try my very best not to be one of these people.

I don't know what exactly causes pedestrian rage. Perhaps it is simply a sign of regular rage. Maybe it's a sign that I'm an impatient person. I think it might just be an occasional intolerance to humans. I mean, I've never felt pedestrian rage towards a dog. Oh well. The best I can do is just try not to mow people down.

(I have committed to blogging daily with Give It 100. This is Day Seventy-Three. Eight days of leave taken total.)