The Rude Guy Out There

This happened on the way to work a few days back. The car ahead of us stalled and since my auto was barely 4 inches away from the vehicle in front, there was no way we could carry on. Add to this the fact that another car behind me was also less than a foot away, we were properly boxed in. On a narrow busy lane, a small incident like this is tantamount to disaster. A jam had begun to form and insistent honking from everyone behind made my ears pound. It seemed like everyone thought the car had stopped for fun and the constant honking would drive it into shame and running! Yes yes I understand everyone was rushing to work and they all had deadlines, but the headache they gave me then lasted all day.

Source: http://spoonintheroad.org/

Anyway, the driver of the stalled car was trying to get the ignition to start again when the friendly neighbourhood traffic policeman approached him and started pushing the car to the side of the road. I bet he meant for it to get out of the way and have the traffic moving again. The driver never once bothered to get out of the car or acknowledge him. While the policeman pushed the car, its engine sputtered to life and the driver promptly took off. He raced the car ahead, almost as if he was glad to leave the congested road behind. The policeman was left looking bewildered. I am guessing he is not used to being ignored like this!

Even as we talked about the incident, we realised that common courtesy demanded this man to get out of the car and thank the policeman. His office notwithstanding. Any person who has helped you get out of an unpleasant situation deserves as much. And yet, the guy just sped off. The only excuse for this behavior is that it was a stolen car and the thief was terrified of getting caught. I can’t think of any other explanation. You may say I am being judgmental here but it would have taken him 30 seconds to stick his head out and yell a thank you to that cop.

Why are we forgetting basic manners? In the age of no time, we have become curt and rude…