Monday, November 26, 2007

Why are people so unkind?

I caught a bus today, I haven't done that for a while, I'm more of a train user these days. Anyway, I was enjoying the trip, looking out the window and daydreaming when the bus pulled up at a stop ... and the driver proceeded to very rudely tell off the woman who had mistakenly rang the bell to early and wanted to get off at the next stop. Then when she got off at the next stop he yelled out after her "next time try to get it right so you don't inconvenience all the other passengers!".

My pleasant trip was shattered and I reckon hers was too. How humiliating for her to be yelled at like that for making a simple mistake. I was so pissed off with the driver. I was tempted to go and ask his name so I could make a complaint about him ... but then I was scared he'd yell at me too.

I get so mad when people are nasty for no good reason. Why do they have to be that way, it just brings everyone down.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I know what you mean. I suspect unkindness is contagious. The driver probably caught his from some other people, and was just passing it on like a common cold.

If you're wondering how this random person came to your blog, well I had the same question as you, after thinking back about all the shockingly mean and insensitive people I had encountered. :)

Anonymous said...

I arrived at your blog in the same manner as the person who posted before me. I typed the same question as yours into Google. I just wanted to say I agree with you that people are SO mean to everyone else these days. Times are hard for a lot of people right now, but the economy is having an effect on all of us. It would be much better for all if each of us could make an effort to be more kind and considerate of the feelings of others. A smile might mean all the difference in the world to someone who is having a bad day.

Anonymous said...

I typed in a most similar question and wound up at this blog. I agree. These days it seems people are incredibly unkind to each other, and I wish I knew where it was coming from.

Anonymous said...

Here I am, just like the other posters only I have wondered about unkind behavior since childhood. I never found the answer so I became proactive instead. I stay tuned to people and places where kindness is experienced often enough to feel normal and keep negativity at bay. Since I can't change unkindness, I changed my response to it.

Anonymous said...

me too. i found it too...

Why are people so unkind?

Basically, we are animals competing for territory and identity in a hierarchy of power, both in the family and the wider world. Our self-interest in survival for ourselves or for our own is an animal instinct which can cause unkindness (or worse) to others. Compassion, or unconditional kindness, comes from our higher human mind.

Anonymous said...

You know, it takes the same amount of time to be "courteous" as it does to shout out a rant, usually out of a person's own frustration. Your bus driver was really rude and inconsiderate. It has been my experience though, that for a person to make a counterpoint "at that time" only adds to the fuel, which you politely did not do, so
good for you. Here's something you can do "next time" that will be highly effective and may save the next passenger that embarrassment. But before I get into that, yes, it's a darn shame that people can't do their jobs or just go about their businesses in a civil, kind manner. Okay. When something like that happens while you are on public transit, politely look around until your exit...or look around for driver information beside where he sits...get the number off the bus and his name off of the information up there. Then, write, email, or phone, the transit authority and tell them exactly what happened. It's not a bad idea to let them know if you ride the bus a lot, if you have friends who ride the bus, etc...any people you know "downtown" who could certainly see to it that money that should go to public transit just may not make it there. You know, let the higher ups know that our tax dollars pay for "quality service" and when we don't get it, we don't have to "support it" either. Let them know that the next City Council meeting is coming up soon. I like this site!!!!!