alexpgp | A different kind of stupid...

It occurred to me, earlier today, that the nature of stupdity here in New York is different from other parts of the country.

Take the simple act of realizing that you've been ambling along at some glacially inspired gait down the middle of where cars normally pass in a shopping center parking lot. In Colorado and Texas, people who suddenly realize they've been hogging the asphalt (and flirting with death) generally make a show of getting out of the way. Normal citizens will wave or even call out "Sorry!" as you go by. Those wading in the shallow end of the gene pool will shoot you a dirty look, as if to indicate that you've somehow disturbed the equilibrium of the universe.

But at least they get out of the way.

After 3 weeks in New York, I have accumulated multiple data points to indicate that - absent honking one's horn and/or rolling down one's window for the purpose of hurling epithets - such ambulatory denizens of parking lots will, upon realizing they're blocking traffic, turn back around to face their direction of (slow) motion and continue on as if the universe is unfolding in its natural progression.

Now, it turns out that honking and/or shouting is not the kind of thing I like to do when I'm behind the wheel, but I have noticed that such tactics do get results when others use them. This raises a troubling question: Do local knuckle-dragging pedestrians interpret the lack of aggressive behavior on my part under such circumstances to be some kind of... blessing?

I suppose things could be worse. Feht tells me that in France, such people might, upon realizing the situation they're in, actually slow down, in hopes of being able to take you to court, apparently.

<sigh> It takes all kinds, I guess.

Cheers...