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Some of you might find this amusing - I was out in DC on a Friday night when I walked around a corner to encounter a homeless man ranting and raving loudly outside a CVS. Everyone around him was frozen waiting to see what he was going to do when he smashed a liquor bottle he was carrying and started screaming again. Many folks turned and walked in the opposite direction. During his raving he turned and looked directly at me while I stood still and looked at him. He said to me loudly "Why are you looking at me like I am crazy !" I smiled at him and said "Well, ...." and let it hang there. He looked puzzled for a moment and then turned and walked away mumbling to himself.
The really funny thing is I ran into this same guy two months later outside my office on a Saturday morning. He walked up to me and asked me for a cigarette. I told him no I don't smoke and he literally screamed at me "SO YOU HATE ME CAUSE I DO!" . Remembering the last time I saw him I very calmly said to him "No, I do not smoke, therefore I do not have any cigarettes." He just nodded at this and walked away.
My favorite was in Rome. We were in a line of 15-20 people at a taxi stand. The line was moving fairly quickly when I noticed that a well-dressed guy who wasn't in line makes a dash for the next cab. He's got a woman with him. They cut in front of an older lady who was starting to move toward the cab.
I was with my wife about 10-12 back in line. I stepped out and jogged over to the cab with the line cutters already inside. I told them to GTFO, give the cab to the older lady and get in the back of the line. The driver didn't know what to do, so he didn't move. I was acting crazily enough that the woman inside the cab told the guy they'd better get out - and they did, exiting on the opposite side from where I was standing. They did not go to the back of the line though... they went across the street, probably to put as much distance between them and me as possible, lol. I am not a small guy, having 4-5" and 50 lbs over everyone I could see in the area. There's a benefit to being a large, crazy American!
I got a big thank you from the older lady and a standing ovation from the cab line. Of course, they were already standing.
I'd do it again in a heartbeat. It was fun. And my wife loves telling that story.
I was driving with a friend and we were pulling out of a parking garage, and another woman almost hit us. It scared me but my friend was incensed about this, and followed her to the next stop light and noticed she was looking down at her phone. Friend motions her to roll down her window, she does, and then my friend asks her if she was texting back there, and that she almost hit us. The driver denied it.
Anyway, I don't want to stick my nose into other people's business, and as soon as they're out of my life without incident (especially the potentially crazy ones) i'm happy. We're lucky it wasn't an aggressive driver with a gun. I asked her if it would have been a man would she have done the same thing and she said "yes she would have. People need correction when they do something wrong that affects my life."
Anyway, am I off on not wanting to correct a strangers behavior in public? It's not really my thing and i'm wondering if i'm off the mark here. I know if someone were to approach me about my behavior, even being a somewhat shy person, it would put me on the defensive. I asked DH what he would do, and he said he would laugh at them or wave them off. I'm just worried that there's always a possibility of confronting the wrong person in this day and age.
I agree...Your friend, especially with you, an innocent by-stander in the vehicle with her...was wrong to follow and confront this person. If you want to make a person accountable, call the cops....
Your worries about confronting the wrong person is a real concern these days. So often in the news we read about the results of these confrontations. Sadly, they oftentimes end in tragedy. I side with you on this one.
No, normally I wouldn't. I did it once. This well dressed self-important looking guy cut in front of me in the security line at the airport. I made a sarcastic comment and called him out loudly which caused the whole line of people and security guards to snicker. The guy was embarrassed. I think he judged me as the kind of person who would never do this. lol Never say never. It was totally impulsive on my part. I think it just ticked me off that particular day and I couldn't hold it in.
I would never follow someone or confront them in a vehicle. There are too many people with guns or that are just plain nuts. You don't want to end up on the news or in the hospital. I totally get how annoying it can be to deal with drivers texting or on their phones. I encounter this every day! A lot of them are a complete hazard on the road, driving super slow, weaving like a drunk, pulling in and out without even looking. UGH But I just get away from them as quickly as possible and hope they get pulled over by a cop. It probably isn't even worth the breath to say anything. They are obviously so caught up in their own conversations and inconsiderate of the safety of others that anything I would say would bounce right off them.
My favorite was in Rome. We were in a line of 15-20 people at a taxi stand. The line was moving fairly quickly when I noticed that a well-dressed guy who wasn't in line makes a dash for the next cab. He's got a woman with him. They cut in front of an older lady who was starting to move toward the cab.
I was with my wife about 10-12 back in line. I stepped out and jogged over to the cab with the line cutters already inside. I told them to GTFO, give the cab to the older lady and get in the back of the line. The driver didn't know what to do, so he didn't move. I was acting crazily enough that the woman inside the cab told the guy they'd better get out - and they did, exiting on the opposite side from where I was standing. They did not go to the back of the line though... they went across the street, probably to put as much distance between them and me as possible, lol. I am not a small guy, having 4-5" and 50 lbs over everyone I could see in the area. There's a benefit to being a large, crazy American!
I got a big thank you from the older lady and a standing ovation from the cab line. Of course, they were already standing.
I'd do it again in a heartbeat. It was fun. And my wife loves telling that story.
I would have sat down on the sidewalk and then stood up so I could have given you a real standing ovation! Way to go!
Yes, there are times that you need to step in. If you see someone abusing a child or an adult or an animal or if you see someone in a dangerous situation and you can help I think that it is important for people to get involved.
However, there are many times when it is better to say nothing at all, especially now that so many people carry guns or prone to violence.
I was discussing this with my adult daughter and she was absolutely amazed that years ago I would not be afraid to reprimand children, even teenagers, that I saw running at the mall and bumping into people or being rude to sales clerks or harassing the elderly or a person with a handicapping condition. Sometimes, even giving them the "teacher look" or "Mom look" was enough to stop their behavior.
Now, I would be seriously crazy if I ever dared correct a Special Snowflake anywhere within a mile of their overprotective parent. And, during the past few years in my city, several adults have been seriously injured and even killed by groups of teenagers who felt "disrespected" by something that they said or the way that they "looked at them". Nope, I'm not correcting a stranger over their behavior unless it involved abuse or something dangerous and I felt safe enough to say or do something.
Last edited by germaine2626; 05-31-2015 at 07:20 PM..
I would probably just go on with my life and not confront them. But I do admire people who DO confront those types of jerks. She really could have hurt someone.
If I caught their attention, I might motion "hey, what did you do that for?" but I doubt I would ever follow someone.
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Way to go!
