Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Wrong About That

Back in 2009 we blogged about road rage, and how that being encased in an automobile appears to embolden people toward venting anger in ways that walking does not.

We referenced humorist George Carlin’s description of how drivers tend to refer to someone who drives slower than themselves as an idiot, and someone who drives faster than themselves as a maniac. We concluded that there is no such thing as "sidewalk rage," noting that if you encounter someone on the sidewalk who is walking either slower or faster than you, you don’t give it a second thought.

Wrong, apparently.

In today’s Wall Street Journal appears an item headlined Get Out of My Way, You Jerk!, in which researchers say the concept of "sidewalk rage" is real. The article includes the information that on Facebook there is a group called "I Secretly Want to Punch Slow Walking People in the Back of the Head," a group which boasts nearly 15,000 members.

The article goes on to report many of the researchers’ findings, including how fast tourists walk as compared to local residents, how talking on one’s cell phone affects one’s pace, and even the psychology that causes people to believe that they are the ones "walking correctly."

Still, one key difference appears to be that those who experience "sidewalk rage" often internalize it, getting angry and upset but not venting as motorists so often do. However, it appears possible that some candidates for the Facebook group may eventually replace their secret desire to punch fellow pedestrians with an overt action.

We hope that we’re wrong about that, too. But if we are not, our message from the earlier posting remains true: It can’t be hard to think "excuse me" instead of "moron!"

Photo by Ed O'Keeffe

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Self-Fulfilling

Recently, a Jersey City police officer suffered a severe concussion after being struck by a drunk driver.

The officer and his partner were responding to a burglar alarm when a passing car struck the officer as he walked around his patrol car.


The driver then sped away, running a red light in the process, until police later spotted the car and apprehended the driver.

A driver whose given first name proved to be "Tequila."

Parents, when you name your child "Tequila," you are pretty much defining that child’s destiny.

This is not to suggest that naming your child "Einstein" will necessarily lead to a Nobel Prize, but what goals are you setting with a name like "Tequila?"

A Breathalyzer test revealed that Tequila’s blood alcohol level was .13, significantly greater than the legal limit of .08.


Tequila's 7-year-old daughter was in the back seat of the car. The name of the child has not been reported, but "Margarita" would be an improvement.