09-25-2018, 12:09 PM
I think a lot of times it comes down to how the interaction initiates.
Last night, I was at a stop sign on a country road, perpendicular to a major road. The guy behind me didn't like that I didn't take what I felt was a too small gap to zip across, and honked at me. I felt horrible about it all night and got really angry about it, and couldn't shake it. Yeah, I probably could have gone, but honking is so rude and abrasive and it just made me feel like he was a dick.
Likewise, when cycling or interacting with others on trails, I always find if the interaction starts out agressive, like "HEY, GET OUT OF MY WAY!!!!" shouting, then they'll get mad too and are more likely to flip you the bird.
If you keep it cool and be like "Hey man, this kinda sucks but you're in the bike lane, would you mind moving?", I think you're far more likely to get a less aggressive response in return.
Last night, I was at a stop sign on a country road, perpendicular to a major road. The guy behind me didn't like that I didn't take what I felt was a too small gap to zip across, and honked at me. I felt horrible about it all night and got really angry about it, and couldn't shake it. Yeah, I probably could have gone, but honking is so rude and abrasive and it just made me feel like he was a dick.
Likewise, when cycling or interacting with others on trails, I always find if the interaction starts out agressive, like "HEY, GET OUT OF MY WAY!!!!" shouting, then they'll get mad too and are more likely to flip you the bird.
If you keep it cool and be like "Hey man, this kinda sucks but you're in the bike lane, would you mind moving?", I think you're far more likely to get a less aggressive response in return.