To wit:
Monday morning I went to the post office in Branson and entered via the exit, not realizing it was one way. It was early and nobody was there, it wasn't even open yet, I was just dropping off some mail.
I went in, mailed my postcards, and when I came out there was an older man and his wife (?) standing behind my car taking down my license plate. He yelled at me, "You'll be getting a ticket in the mail!!" I asked for what, and he said for coming in the wrong way. I told him I didn't see a sign and it was my mistake, and then he yelled at me some more - it's dangerous, I could have KILLED someone!, etc. Then he said, "Don't come back to my city if you can't follow the laws!" He was really fired up.
I thought his reaction was more hostile than my honest mistake warranted but I was polite to him. Then as I pulled out of the parking lot I realized why he was so enraged:
I wasn't wearing a mask.
He and the wife were masked up and had that combative posture going on, and then the yelling and hostility - it was way more than the situation warranted. Now granted, it WAS my mistake but I honestly didn't see the sign and didn't realize I'd done it until I saw the parking spaces going the opposite way. I'll know better next time. But this man WAY overreacted to it, and coupled with the recent kerfluffle over the mask mandate I have to believe that's what he was really angry about - my lack of mask.
It's like, wow, is this really how you want to spend your life? Yikes.
And I guess the answer is yes, this is how some people want to spend their lives.
Monday morning I went to the post office in Branson and entered via the exit, not realizing it was one way. It was early and nobody was there, it wasn't even open yet, I was just dropping off some mail.
I went in, mailed my postcards, and when I came out there was an older man and his wife (?) standing behind my car taking down my license plate. He yelled at me, "You'll be getting a ticket in the mail!!" I asked for what, and he said for coming in the wrong way. I told him I didn't see a sign and it was my mistake, and then he yelled at me some more - it's dangerous, I could have KILLED someone!, etc. Then he said, "Don't come back to my city if you can't follow the laws!" He was really fired up.
I thought his reaction was more hostile than my honest mistake warranted but I was polite to him. Then as I pulled out of the parking lot I realized why he was so enraged:
I wasn't wearing a mask.
He and the wife were masked up and had that combative posture going on, and then the yelling and hostility - it was way more than the situation warranted. Now granted, it WAS my mistake but I honestly didn't see the sign and didn't realize I'd done it until I saw the parking spaces going the opposite way. I'll know better next time. But this man WAY overreacted to it, and coupled with the recent kerfluffle over the mask mandate I have to believe that's what he was really angry about - my lack of mask.
It's like, wow, is this really how you want to spend your life? Yikes.
And I guess the answer is yes, this is how some people want to spend their lives.
