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wmw999

"This website is not about you"

By wmw999, in The Bonfire

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LawnDart21    0

LawnDart21
As an elderly gentleman ran a red light in front of me as I attempted to cross an intersection yesterday, I honked my horn as my tires came to a skreetching stop in time to avoid a collision, I asked myself, did that old geezer really just give me the finger? :o

The answer is yes. Somebody's Grand Father flipped me the bird as he ran a red light, angered I assumed, by the fact I blew my horn at him as he illegally sped through the intersection.

It got me thinking about an article I read.

When was the last time somone flipped you off for cutting you off walking through the door of a restaurant? Probably never. At the restaurant door, we are apt to stop, say "you first" and then politely open the door for the other person while exchanging a polite smile. Put that same person behind the wheel of a car or in front of an internet connection, and they may act very different in a stressful social situation. Why? Of course the annonimity of being able to drive away or of hiding behind a fictiuous screen name make it much more temping to lash out at others, but the real interesting thing from this article was that:

We (people) have been walking around each other for thousands of years, and as such have developed deep rooted polite social customs as a result. Where as we have only been driving around each other for less than a century, we as people are not as accustomed to this newer form of societal interaction, and as such, we are less polished in providing courtesy to others than we would while on foot. That idea regresses even further in the fact that most people have really begun online interacting within the last decade and this medium is so new in terms of social interaction, that the levels of hostility otherwise "normal people" will exude are even higher than those stuck driving in 5 o'clock traffic. The OpEd piece ended by saying that the longer the social medium exists, the less negativety will be expressed as we as a people learn over time to co-exist better on the road and in cyber space.

I thought it an interesting parallel.

--
My other ride is a RESERVE.

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Rebecca    0

Rebecca
Last week, I was heading home on the loop, when I came upon lane closures right at my exit. The exit was open, but the right lane was closed by angled-in cones.

As I approached the exit next to the near non-existant right lane, a guy came speeding up from that side and swooped in front of me, which I considered rude. So I let him know in no uncertain terms.

Then we ended up at the same light, in the same order, and I looked down at the little green frog flashing a peace sign bumper sticker on his car and felt bad. Really bad.

So I flashed him a big peace sign and put my hands out palms up, like "sorry". He waved. I felt better.

:)

you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel loquacious?' -- well do you, punk?

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LawnDart21    0

LawnDart21
By "the loop" I can only assume you mean Rt 610?
;)
I used to fly to Houston for work every couple of months for years, and yes getting on and off that road at 5pm can be tough, especially at the Galleria exit..........lol [:/]B| Beautiful part of the country though!

You mean this place isn't

WWW.DROPZONE.TOM? :D:)

--
My other ride is a RESERVE.

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turtlespeed    226

turtlespeed
  Quote

To the thin-skinned out there: This website is not about you.

If you have a sister who is mentally retarded, the poster about winning an argument on the intenet is not intended to offend you.

If you are a PETA activist and animal lover, the comment about killing kittens is not specifically intended to inflame you.

If you are a recovering alcoholic, the repeated references to beer are not intended to drive the world to alcoholism.

If you are a gun activist, someone from another country posting something negative about guns is not designed to personally inflame you.

And if you're really stupid, someone saying "that's stupid" is not designed to be a personal attack.

So the next time something really gets you riled (as some types of threads on SC can get me), just remember that whoever started it doesn't know you, doesn't care about you, and that the world will probably continue to spin on its axis without your contribution.

That is all. As you were. :)
Wendy W.



So what is the personal attack on me for anyway?:|
I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

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