I Blame It On Pacman

In 1980 PacMan was the hottest game in town and I blame the way people drive in traffic today on that very same game. I know that Pong was actually the first computer game, but IMHO PacMan was what let the manic out of the man. The object was to win and to win you had to gobble up everything in sight….. I think that gobble mentality has been pervasive in every facet of our daily lives.

People used to let you “in” more and not be so aggressive in traffic jams. They used to stop at stop signs. They used to use either turn indicators or hand signals and not just expect folks to read their mind about the direction they intend to go. I learned to watch people’s head for clues as to what they had in mind, but then they started putting window tint on so heavy it’s more difficult to see the head….. well …..and that’s if a head is visible and not almost completely lying down in the back seat!

When we first got Right On Red, the rule was to come to a complete STOP and then you could turn Right, unless otherwise forbidden, if the way was clear. Now they don’t even bother to slow down and they get mad at the oncoming traffic if it’s in their way.

Used to if people saw a sign that indicated they had to go straight, no turns allowed, they knew what that sign meant. Same can be said for the signs that said you had to turn… going straight wasn’t an option. Now folks just do whatever they want and get sore if the cops pull them over. The speed limit is how fast your car can go. The right of way is whoever gets ahead of you. Tailgating is how you ‘encourage’ the guy ahead to get out of your way. I don’t foresee it getting any better any time soon either. I guess my best course will be to go ahead and dye my hair blue or white and get a big Lincoln or Caddy and putt down the road oblivious to all around me.