When I was growing up, one of the negative remarks I got from my teachers was that I wasn’t good at paying attention. I have this sense of déjà vu that I’ve written this story, and perhaps this entire post in some iteration before, but fuck it, it’s on my mind, and I feel like writing it. Anyway, it was the bane of my mother’s patience whenever I’d get a report card or a teacher observation note stating that I was bad at paying attention and listening to and following directions. I’m pretty sure if I were a kid in today’s world, I would have been diagnosed with ADHD or some fake modern ailment to justify the fact that I was well, a kid.
In the third grade, my mom reached her boiling point and gave me an ultimatum that the next time I brought home such bad news, that it was my ass. I guess I tried too hard, or well, I was just being a kid, but the following week, I got an interim that of course, stated that I wasn’t listening to and following directions still. My mom beat the shit out of me that night.
By the time the fifth grade rolled around, I began pulling in near straight A’s, and I was apparently a pretty good student. Maybe it was result of getting my ass kicked by mom, or perhaps I was just growing up or just becoming a better student. Either way, it all kind of worked itself out; I was better at paying attention and listening to and following directions.
The point of this trademark excessive introduction is my belief that there’s a whole world of people out there that probably didn’t get their ass kicked by a parent at some point in their developmental stages of life, because if their driving habits are any indication, they simply don’t pay any attention, nor do they listen to or follow the directions posted everywhere and all over the place. And I find it aggravating that LITRALLY. Not a single day can go by where I am not confronted by at least one retard driver doing something completely idiotic, ignorant, or dangerously stupid, as a result of their inability to pay any attention.
I could so easily just go the route of proclaiming that I think I’m smarter than 90% of the people on the road, or proclaim that my driving acumen is superior to at least 96% of other drivers, but that would be juvenile, presumptuous and well, as long as it’s on the internet, kind of cliché. Now that doesn’t mean that I don’t think these things in my own head, but let’s try to be logical here. People, drivers, and specifically Atlanta drivers; not enough of them simply don’t pay any attention, and it’s quite bothersome.
Driving is really easy to me. I like to think that I’m a pretty good driver. Now I know there’s plenty of Asian driver jokes that could be directed at me, but I can assure you that most of them don’t apply to me, not to mention the fact that I’m hypocritically quick to fling them at Asian drivers who are applicable. But really, I’m mindful of my surroundings often, I recognize routes, have good anticipation, and am constantly vigilant to the conditions around me, so that I may adapt to the situations as they come.
If I’m hanging out in the left lane because the road quality in the right lane is shit, which is often the case in Atlanta, but I see a fast-approaching car coming at my six, I’ll get out of the way. That’s courtesy, unless I deliberately feel like being a dick and standing my ground. If I’m in the right lane pulling up to a red light, and I see that the car behind me wants to make the right on red, and could make it if I pulled up as close to the white line as possible, I recognize it, and might give such a courtesy if I’m in a good mood.
Now I know I’m not exactly helping my own case by admitting that when I’m feeling ornery I might deliberately troll some others, but the point remains that just about all the time, I’m pretty aware of my surroundings while behind the wheel of a car, at all times. I am positive that a vast majority of drivers, not just in Atlanta, but anywhere where I’ve ever had the privilege of driving around myself, cannot say the same thing.
It’s hard for me to comprehend, but I guess this is one of those situations where I think I’m good at something, and it comes generally easy to me, and me being incapable of understanding the feelings of those to whom it doesn’t come so easy, or isn’t an easy task for them. But really, it’s all just a matter of paying attention to your surroundings, and if you’re incapable of doing such while doing something as simple as driving a car, well then perhaps you shouldn’t be driving a car in the first place.
Notable examples of what aggravates me are some obvious ones, like the asshole in the left lane in morning traffic that is completely oblivious to the fact that they’re holding up traffic, because they’re staunchly refusing to go above the posted speed limit. Or who knows, maybe they’re doing it on purpose to be a dick, but come on, even when I feel like pissing someone off, it’s usually just one car, and not EVERY SINGLE CAR for a mile’s stretch. Then there’s all the black people in the world that don’t know how to use a turn signal, and people who have zero spatial awareness or consideration, and do shit like not move up when cars are clearly trying to right turn behind them.
Just the other day, I’m sitting in the exit of my bank trying to turn left, and I see this car braking right in front of me. And much to my dismay, she begins turning into the exit, where I’m already at, and trying to squeeze past me. Ultimately, she succeeded, but I literally stared her down, and pointed at the sign that said EXIT. In this particular case, it doesn’t matter if she was not paying attention or deliberately disobeying, she looks like an idiot regardless.
But seriously, not a day goes by where I get behind the wheel of my own car, and can get from point A to point B, without saying “what the fuck?” to someone else’s retard behavior, because they simply weren’t paying attention.
If it ever does, I’d post about it, because it would really be that rare of an occasion to warrant mentioning.
