Coming to a Freeway near You
I have heard a bit about road rage, and seen some drivers cutting off others and then getting into a close encounter for a couple of seconds. I've been cut off my share, and have watched cars speed by in pursuit of each other. But, for some fortunate fate, full meal deal road rage hasn't happened to me. Until today.
Merging onto the freeway behind some cars with the right lane empty, things looked fine. Until the Mustang in the left lane flying by suddenly slammed on his brakes and cut in front of me. A Maxima following him did the same thing, only without any room left. I managed to swap lanes without hitting him and passed the second car, as both cars were now going about 40. (No, normal people really don't go 40 on a freeway in Washington.) With the Maxima right on his tail (like about six inches) the Mustang stayed even with me until we caught up to the car who had merged in front of me, also going a bit slow for some reason. Just as I was about the pass him, the Mustang gunned it, cut in front of me, and took off. The Maxima tried to follow suit, but the car in front slowed down more and he didn't have the room. So I passed the very slow car and moved back into the right lane. The Maxima immediately flew by me and I thought things were over. Except the Mustang slammed on his brakes again, almost stopping, and again cut in front of me. The Maxima followed suit. Now we were all going 40, so not knowing what else to do, I passed them again. However, the Mustang kept even with me for the next three miles, speeding up when I did and slowing down. The driver was a elderly Jewish man, complete with flowing beard and cap thing.
When we came upon another car, also going slow, I passed and pulled into the right lane. So instead of being on my right, the Mustang now stayed even with me on my left, the Maxima still about six inches off his tail. We continued along until we came to another intersection where a car pulling out was going slow enough for us to catch him. The Mustang left me and cut in front of the next car.
When the Maxima pulled next to me, I got a long look at the driver, who to my shock was a arab. I pulled out my cell phone and waved it at him, not like a gun, but like I'm now dialing 911, which I did. The Maxima driver, when he saw my cell phone, sped away, at the California freeway speed, of 80 something.
So, I got the state patrol. When I described the situation, they got all exciting, even yelling at me for "endangering" myself by waving the cell phone. Like what else was I supposed to do, pull over and let him attack me with his box cutter? Oops, profiling. Anyway, they were still interested right up until I described the drivers. They got throught the Jewish man, beard, cap, but when I said the second driver was a arab, they hung up on me.
I know it is politically incorrect to think in terms of racist, but it appears this wasn't just road rage, but ethnic road rage. It was a very scary thought.
Anyway, the arab sped away and was out of sight. The Jew settled down and slowly left me. When we came to the next merge, he was about a quarter mile ahead of me. But, then he did a very stupid thing. As the vehicles slowed into the merge with just a few feet left in the right lane, he suddenly passed the car in front of him and cut in front of him. This car had not been involved in anything.
At that point it dawned on me as to what may have happened. The Jew had cut off the arab, and they were battling away when I interrupted them. But, the Jew didn't learn anything from the experience.
If you are going to run around in your beard and cap, and therefore, profile yourself, driving like an idiot doesn't help. For me, not to be blanket prejudice, I wish these two would take their acts somewhere else, like the Middle East, and leave me alone.
But, that isn't going to happen. The Middle East, due to the melting pot this country is always been, has come here. We can't run and we can't hide. And, it doesn't seem we can do anything to solve the road rage between fat red-neck Nothern European decent white guys with no history of hate, mush less than between races who have hated each other for 3,000 years.
Merging onto the freeway behind some cars with the right lane empty, things looked fine. Until the Mustang in the left lane flying by suddenly slammed on his brakes and cut in front of me. A Maxima following him did the same thing, only without any room left. I managed to swap lanes without hitting him and passed the second car, as both cars were now going about 40. (No, normal people really don't go 40 on a freeway in Washington.) With the Maxima right on his tail (like about six inches) the Mustang stayed even with me until we caught up to the car who had merged in front of me, also going a bit slow for some reason. Just as I was about the pass him, the Mustang gunned it, cut in front of me, and took off. The Maxima tried to follow suit, but the car in front slowed down more and he didn't have the room. So I passed the very slow car and moved back into the right lane. The Maxima immediately flew by me and I thought things were over. Except the Mustang slammed on his brakes again, almost stopping, and again cut in front of me. The Maxima followed suit. Now we were all going 40, so not knowing what else to do, I passed them again. However, the Mustang kept even with me for the next three miles, speeding up when I did and slowing down. The driver was a elderly Jewish man, complete with flowing beard and cap thing.
When we came upon another car, also going slow, I passed and pulled into the right lane. So instead of being on my right, the Mustang now stayed even with me on my left, the Maxima still about six inches off his tail. We continued along until we came to another intersection where a car pulling out was going slow enough for us to catch him. The Mustang left me and cut in front of the next car.
When the Maxima pulled next to me, I got a long look at the driver, who to my shock was a arab. I pulled out my cell phone and waved it at him, not like a gun, but like I'm now dialing 911, which I did. The Maxima driver, when he saw my cell phone, sped away, at the California freeway speed, of 80 something.
So, I got the state patrol. When I described the situation, they got all exciting, even yelling at me for "endangering" myself by waving the cell phone. Like what else was I supposed to do, pull over and let him attack me with his box cutter? Oops, profiling. Anyway, they were still interested right up until I described the drivers. They got throught the Jewish man, beard, cap, but when I said the second driver was a arab, they hung up on me.
I know it is politically incorrect to think in terms of racist, but it appears this wasn't just road rage, but ethnic road rage. It was a very scary thought.
Anyway, the arab sped away and was out of sight. The Jew settled down and slowly left me. When we came to the next merge, he was about a quarter mile ahead of me. But, then he did a very stupid thing. As the vehicles slowed into the merge with just a few feet left in the right lane, he suddenly passed the car in front of him and cut in front of him. This car had not been involved in anything.
At that point it dawned on me as to what may have happened. The Jew had cut off the arab, and they were battling away when I interrupted them. But, the Jew didn't learn anything from the experience.
If you are going to run around in your beard and cap, and therefore, profile yourself, driving like an idiot doesn't help. For me, not to be blanket prejudice, I wish these two would take their acts somewhere else, like the Middle East, and leave me alone.
But, that isn't going to happen. The Middle East, due to the melting pot this country is always been, has come here. We can't run and we can't hide. And, it doesn't seem we can do anything to solve the road rage between fat red-neck Nothern European decent white guys with no history of hate, mush less than between races who have hated each other for 3,000 years.
posted by John | 7:50 PM
1 Comments:
Felt like a proponent of road rage myself, today. And, I'm normally so nice....
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