Dealing with idiots * Trip Report (stories/pet peeves, etc.)

[UATrewqaz]

So I have the day off for President's Day and decide to swing by the mall, in a normal ok mood.

So as I'm driving there on a major highway a lady in the far right lane (it's like an 8 lane highway, 4 on both sides) decides she needs to take a left immediately and the fact she's 3 lanes in the wrong place doesn't phase her at all and she proceeds to cut across every single lane at 60 mph. Luckily there was no accident but the sheer idiocy of this caught my attention.

So I get to the mall parking lot and it's pretty crowded, which is fine, and when I get to the lane of parking spots I want to go to there is a car sitting there running.... just sitting there, not moving, not waiting on a spot, I eventually have it clear so I whirl around them and it's some moron lady on her cell phone apparently obilivious to the rest of the world.

So I start going down the lane of parking spots and some trailor park trash looking lady is walking in the middle of the road. I mean the DEAD middle to, so I can't even get around her. I'm a polite sort of guy so I don't start honking, I just nudge up close to her going slow hoping she'll get the idea "Oh I'm in the road, perhaps cars behind me need to use it" but she doesn't.

So after about 5-6 cars worth of traveling like this I let out a very gentle and quick toot on my horn, she then proceeds to turn around and looks at me like I'M crazy and slowly walks over to the side, lookign at me like I've HORRIBLY insulted her.

So I finally find someone pulling out of a spot and wait to take it. They proceed to back up 6 inches and stop, back up 6 more, stop, back up half way out and stop.... remaining stopped.... I notice then that the lady was fiddling around in the other seat with something.

At this point I'm on non-poker related tilt and just fuming. I keep my cool waiting for this idiot to pull out of the spot and take it.

So i walk to the entrace and there are these 2 doors that swing outward. A guy on his cell phone is standing directly in front of them and not moving at all, even though it's pretty darn clear I wanna use the door. So I kinda just stand there waiting and eventually am like "excuse me" and once again this guy looks at me like I've horribly insulted him and I'm just completely insane for wanting to use the door.

I'm hungry so right away I go to the food court and get my little Chinese mall food lunch, and this food court has communal stations where you get your straws/napkins/etc.

So I go over to one of the stations and these two old cow ladys have decided this is the perfect place for a conversation. Once again I do the whole politely waiting thing, followed by "excuse me" nudging closer and they proceed to move all of 6 inches, forcing me to repeat myself and they generally look offended that I dare disrupt their conversation.

So finally the point, what has happend to common courtesy in this world? I understand ultimately everyone is selfish but we all gotta live on the planet together. I'm by no means perfect but my parents have taught me just basic consideration for others.

Anyone have any thoughts or input on this? Is this the parents fault? The media/society? How do you deal with these people? Any stories?