Rude encounters

I don't have many bug bears but rude people just get on my tits.

So today I was walking home from work. Minding my business, listening to a podcast. Two women approach me jogging along the pavement (sidewalk?). There is just about room for two side by side where I am walking. They see me, I see them. I position myself as far left as I can without stepping into mud (its been raining a lot lately, and I couldn't go right or I would be on a busy road). The woman, still approaching, see me move to the left but just keep coming. I cant move any further left, I refuse to step in mud. All one of them needs to do is slow down and go single file for a split second to avoid collision. Do they? Do they bollocks. Cant interrupt their important conversation. Now that's just rude in my opinion.

Seeing this about to happen I tense up knowing that If i do so she will take the full force of her pace when she clips me, yet she still tuts as she is knocked back a step or two. FROM RUNNING IN TO ME!

I made all the effort to avoid the collision short of walking into the road or stepping in mud she did nothing. Like seriously some people just wind me up. Anyway, rant over. Did I do the right thing, should I have just stood in mud to avoid a collision?

What is the rudest thing anyone has done to you?

The pavement hogs of London really bust my swede sometimes. I have take to the stop walking trick - I think in my head it works like basketball, if I'm not moving it's their fault. Posh mummies with pushchairs seem to be among the worst offenders for not breaking the three abreast stroll. I think you in the right there - when me and my partner go out for a run, we will always break into single file as invariably we're the ones traveling at the speed out of sync to everyone else.

I once had a platform attendant howl 'leave me alone', spin on their heels and walk away tutting and waving their hands when I asked if the train at the platform was stopped at a specific station. The notice boards we off and I was as polite as a could be - might be one of the most extreme reactions I've had at me. Oh, and students who ask if the class is going to finish early before it's even started - they used to really get me off on the wrong foot.

I had a prof at the technical college I went to be so unexpectedly rude to me on the first day that I withdrew from the class immediately.

The class was just typical first day stuff, where she's giving everyone an overview of what we're going to do throughout the quarter. She came across like a real friendly sort; a very bubbly, positive personality. She had finished telling us about what our final was going to be, and asked us to to sign up for what time slot we want to present our final in. A few seconds pass and no one volunteers to go first, so I figure, what the hell. I go to say something and someone else volunteers ahead of me. I then pipe up and say I'll go second. No one else speaks up, so after several seconds of silence she decides she's going to determine the order by pulling names out of a hat.

Everyone is told to write their name on a piece of paper, and then she goes around the room to collect them. I don't do anything, as I already volunteered. She reaches my table and looks expectantly at me, and I say, "I'm going second, remember?" The smile vanishes from her face, and she leans in close and hisses (yes hisses, I can't think of a more accurate word for what sound she was making)

"I don't like your voice. I don't like your attitude. I don't like your face." I was briefly shocked, and just said, "What?", but then regained my composure and told her that was really unprofessional (if I had been a few years younger, I would have assuredly responded to her shittiness in kind). She said she didn't care, turned on the smile and moved on. I went straight to the administrative building, got into another class with a different prof, and filed a complaint.

Oh, and what class was it? Just some general requirement I needed to finish my Associate:

Interpersonal Communication.

I was once eating out for lunch by myself. Mid-bite, I feel a tap on my shoulder. It turns out it's some random old woman who stopped my meal to let me know she thought my car was ugly.

@squadaloo:

“Excuse me young man, but your car is offensive to my senses. Have a nice day.”

I don’t know why but I find that so humorous

@wmoyer83: Well, it started with "Was that the last one on the lot?" and when I said I picked it (it was green), she pivoted to "Oh, well it certainly is interesting" in a way that was clearly fake nice.

Yeah people can really rude especially when they know that you're never going to meet them again. It often reminds me that people have the capacity to be bad even before the internet shown a light on it. You just can't let them get to you or it will drive you insane.

I was waiting for a train one time and was minding my own business sitting on a bench with some people. Some guy comes in with his friend. He forces everyone on the bench to get off so he could have the whole thing to himself, which was absurd since the bench could seat 6 people. He then goes into a rant about how he hates homosexual men and would kill them for $1. Naturally, he used the F word. And then he started ranting about how he was going to kill all the white people on the station stop. He spat on a random white person who was passing by. Then he saw how mad I was and made a gesture indicating that he wanted to slit my throat before continuing his rant.

It's easily my one (and hopefully only) trip to Boston. I was on a trip to look at schools and had an appointment to visit Northeastern. The directions give me the street address and said that it is easily accessible from the subway, so I head to the station and start looking for a map. This is what they have:

While I'm sure that a map with no street names and very few stops listed is fine for locals, I'm from out of town, and there is no obvious stop listed for Northeastern. This is pre-cell phone GPS/Google, so I politely go ask someone if they could please direct me to which line and stop I should take to get to Northeastern. The response?

"Get the fuck outtah here, you fuckin' outah townah!"

I always thought the phrase "Masshole" was a joke, but it actually ended up being pretty accurate to my entire Boston experience. I will never go back.

The sidewalk has an imaginary line down the middle. It can usually be ignored, but if there isn’t enough space, two parties passing one another should stick to their half.

People that don’t do this do come across as self important assholes.

For whatever reason, in my experience, it’s usually two women walking or jogging at lunch, that don’t dare go single file. If I hold my ground, I’m usually rewarded with a dirty look. If I step aside being overly-polite, I’m usually ignored (would a knowing nod hurt you?).

Between those options, I’ll take the dirty look most of the time...

"I made all the effort to avoid the collision short of walking into the road or stepping in mud - she did nothing."

The best option was what you did, so you did your part to avoid teh colission. If you want advice as to another step to be taken, then consider the following: When they are six feet away, should have pointed just in front of where you are standing (basically in their path). Say very loudly while pointing, "Dog doo. Watch out for the dog doo!"

They will move away from, you not because they don't want to smash you, but to save themselves from stepping in dog shit. Sure, they will figure out 1 second later there is no dog doo; but it is too late - they have already moved. When they say, "What they hell!? Just say, "I thought there was dog doo, I was trying to HELP"; then just walk away.

@nutta27: You did the right thing, because you are allowed your space. A sidewalk that can fit two people side by side means that these two ladies should have been aware/consistently switching to single file as they come across people. Good for you for standing your ground. I have learned that pedestrians are some of the most entitled, spoiled brats out there. So many times do people just start crossing the road when they have a stop sign, then give me a look when I have to slam the brakes and honk at them for incorrectly crossing.

Joggers tend to be even worse than normal pedestrians, because they feel entitled to keep their pace no matter what. Hey, if you want to do that, GO TO A TRACK and don't run in traffic.

It seems that there is a parabolic curve to size of mode of transportation and being a jerk. Semis, super nice, try to stay of the way and just do their job. Pick up trucks, jerks who feel like they own the road. Sedans, middle of the ground. Motorcycles, feel like they own the place and don't do anything for their own safety and just assume everyone else will do all the work. Mopeds, zig and zag through traffic and squeeze through small spaces. Bicycles, feel like they own the road and should be treated like cars. Pedestrians, feel like they have the right of way no matter what.

When rude people force me off the sidewalk, what I like to do is jump in the nearest manhole, sprint ahead of where they’re walking, and then pop out of another manhole just in front them. I then yell “surprise!” followed by “y’know, you were a little rude back there, have a nice day”.

Are you a ghoul?

I don't have a story to tell, but i like this thread. Goodjob people. This is fun :)

I'm not short of options thanks to the day job. I think I'll go with the time a routine call about an appointment offer turned into this man telling me he was going to find someone to punch. I ruined his day, apparently. Curse this voluntary offer to get his claim sorted.

Hope you found a bald man to punch, mate. Hope you got what you needed. Radge.

It's funny this thread came up because a couple weeks ago I sort of had a semi-sequel to the old woman stopping my lunch to tell me my car was ugly (albeit this one was not as rude): I had yet another old woman stop me mid-meal while eating out because she couldn't figure out how to turn the Wi-Fi off on her phone because she didn't need it. She was appreciative but I don't know why she had to have that fixed so immediately that she needed to stop a stranger mid-meal to figure it out.

The worst rudeness I’ve ever encountered has basically always been by airport workers, especially in the EU. Don’t get me wrong, I’m well acquainted with the standards of the TSA, but something about EU airport security/customs just seems to breed a certain perfect mixture of insecurity and cuntiness that just can’t be beat.

I work in a supermarket...

... People are the fucking worst.

I live in a semi-wooded area with some paths and gravel roads.

For some reason dog owners think this a free roaming area for unleashed dogs. I know it's not the dog's fault but there is something deeply anxiety-inducing about jogging towards an unleashed dog running at you at full speed. Most owners don't seem to care much that the law claims you need to have your dog under control even in public areas where dogs can be unleashed (this was not one of those areas). The only thing I could possibly imagine doing to deter them is to take a photo of them and turn them in like a NARC while risking getting my ass kicked. I know this sounds high strung but when you want to walk/run in the woods to destress the last thing you want is dogs hunting you down.

I have encountered those double-file types on paths/sidewalks as well and usually I try to fake a cough or something to let them know I'm there but I might need a bell or horn or something like you would use on a bike just to make a point of it.

Having worked in the hospitality industry for a while, people snapping their fingers to get your attention is the single rudest thing anyone did to me. Its the thing that I hate the most. Instantly infuriating. The absolute gall of someone to snap at you like you are some kind of farm animal... Fucking assholes. There were several times when I kicked rude snappers out of the bar entirely for their behaviour.

@splodge: I first read this as, "Having worked in the hospital industry" and thought, "Wow, patients are snapping at nurses and doctors?!" Agree that snapping in the bar is rude. It's pretty easy to raise your hand (or is that considered rude? I haven't been in a bar in 10 years).

customer at my bank took 5 smoke breaks during a 40 minute account opening, and also met with someone to do some blow in the parking lot before we finished. next time he came in he choked a disabled man for honking at him for double parking 3 cars in

@splodge: Fuckin' yes. Been working in the industry for 15 years, 6 of them as a bar manager in a luxury hotel in a major coastal city. (And I actually love the job!) Short of creating a disturbance, finger-snappers are the worst. You aren't more important than anyone else at the bar; sit down, Rando.

@ginormous76: Raising your hand is more acceptable - but of course, there's a lot of body language at play. Raising your hand, while smiling, at a bartender who's not occupied with another guest? Spot on. Frantically flapping your arms in front of a bartender's face while they're working on another customer's order? You've just guaranteed you'll be ignored for a few minutes more.

@sahalarious: How was that banking customer not in jail by the time he assault-and-battery'd another patron while on bank property?!

I am sure people do this, but that made me laugh. I was thinking, I'm sitting at a bar and need another. It's been 3-5 minutes since the bartender checked on me and it looks like they're free. I'll just do one hand raise/slow wave to get their attention.