Real Americans
Real Americans
Several years ago, I was driving down I95 with my wife, Cathy. At some point I found it necessary to change lanes and moved into the outermost lane. This caused an incoming car to slow down a bit—it was moving pretty fast. I then went back to my original lane. Nothing very remarkable—happens all the time. As the car passed me, I glanced over: a man and his wife, white, middle-aged, ordinary, both gave me and my wife the middle finger with a look on their face of sheer hatred. I had, they thought, “cut them off”. This warranted anger of a high degree—I swear they would be quite happy to kill us both because of what had happened. I looked back at them with puzzlement and disbelief—all this over that. American hysteria, nastiness, violence—perfectly normal for these two proud Americans. I think about this episode often: so extreme, so theatrical, so mindless. A man and his wife consciously and collaboratively decided to be as aggressive as they could be because another car caused them to slow down a bit. My own experiences with Americans (often professors) have been not so far away from that, not to mention the state of American politics. It’s insane, psychopathic, terrifying, disgusting. It’s America.
I just got back from the vet (my cat had a problem). The doctor was the nicest, most compassionate, and sensible person you could ever wish to meet–and an American. There are exceptions to every rule.
Florida drivers are exceptionally aggressive, but point taken. Far too many Americans regard driving as a form of body language. When you move in front of them and cause them to slow down, they actually perceive this as a deliberate statement of disrespect. Their interpretation derives from a combination of pathological narcissism (how dare they slow ME down), free-floating anger, and a big chip on the shoulder – all of which help to explain why America is exceptionally violent.
Yup.