Sitting on a subway car (or waiting in line, in a laundromat, etc.) is one thing, walking down a busy sidewalk completely oblivious to one’s surroundings is another. People in 1950 didn’t routinely come to a sudden halt right in front of you because they got a really totally so urgent they couldn’t possibly waste two seconds moving out of pedestrian traffic text message in the New York Times.
Depending on my day, I might let those people walk directly into me. They’re one scale of horrible above the folks who stand to the left on exceedingly busy public transit escalators and then look confused at the people telling them to move to the right and GTFO of everyone’s way.
Today while I was walking downtown (using the right hand side of the sidewalk, naturally) a woman who was at the far end of the pavement by the street (so, about 5’ away from me) all of a sudden started walking directly at me. In order to not be hit by her, I had to stop in my tracks: there was no way to get around her in any direction. She stopped literally in what would have been my next step, pulled out a lipstick, and put it on using the building’s glass window directly beside me as a mirror. She looked right at me while stopping.
I think smart phones are simply the latest excuse for all-too-common human selfishness that we’ve always had to deal with. Case in point: I’m quite certain there were lipsticks and shop windows in 1950!
That’s a peeve of mine, too. I’ve always walked to the same side you drive on when walking on sidewalks, paths, etc. It’s amazing how many people hug the opposite side. Or when people in a group spread across a sidewalk and absolutely refuse to bunch together or walk single file while walking past an individual going in the opposite direction. I’ve been elbowed, hip-checked, and pushed into trees because people don’t want to be inconvenienced. Grrr.
Yeah, I think poor manners are driven by people not technology.
I typically walk on the “wrong side”, but that’s just because I like to smoke and walk, and I like to let my cloud waft out into the street instead of hang in doorways and under awnings. I also am acutely aware of my surroundings. I’m holding an orange hot piece of burning plant up near my face where my squishy eyeballs and stuff are, after all.
I know I watch Twitch Streams (rarely) and YouTube channels (often) for the entertaining hosts more than the game they are playing.
Someone like KurtJMac or Game Grumps playing a game provides entertainment for me. JUST watching someone play a game if they’re not also entertaining, not so much.
