ALL LEGALITY ASIDE...

Blog number 438 ******** 09 November, 2010

There is really no purpose, no ulterior motive to this Blog entry other than to present an alternative to what seems to me to be a common and popular consensus amongst the populace here in motorized America. I refer to the conundrum that arises when a pedestrian confronts at ninety degrees, a moving automobile.

This was brought to my mind just this morning when my wife was driving through a parking lot at Safeway's. She stopped and waited while a pedestrian calmly strolled across our path. If I had been that pedestrian, I would have stopped and looked off into the distance behind me, or do a ninety degree turn myself and make it look like I had forgotten where my car was, thus getting myself out of the way of the car.

I told in an earlier Blog entry of hiding behind a bush waiting for a car to pass me by so I could continue on my way, but the driver of the car evidently knew what I was doing and waited me out. I was also once called a "damn artistic bastard" for refusing to walk in front of a car in another Safeway parking lot, this time in Sacramento and instead walked parallel to it so that it could continue on its way, trying to keep my facial expression as looking like I was preoccupied with other things. Evidently she saw through my ploy.

The "damn" in the "damn artistic bastard" in the previous sentence is an euphemism for the word actually used.

I was once chewed out by a fellow for not stopping to let him and his four year old son cross in front of me in a crosswalk, this time in Trader Joe's parking lot. And just the other day I got a dirty look for driving in front of another pedestrian - again in a Safeway parking lot. Seems like I do a lot of driving in Safeway parking lots, doesn't it?

The reason I drove in front of these two is due to what is called, "projection." I unconsciously put myself into their shoes and acted as I would want the driver to act if the shoes were indeed on the other foot. Or feet. I thought I was doing them a favor. Really.

My reasoning for this behavior and thinking of mine is this: The automobile is using much more energy than I am, there are probably more people than one in the car, so why should all that mass and individuals wait for one mere mortal? After all, in the water, the larger craft has the right of way over the smaller craft due to the greater agility of the smaller craft and the lesser mass that has to be adjusted. Same thing here, right? It's much easier and less time is wasted if the pedestrian makes way for the automobile. It's also easier for the pedestrian to get out of the way and thus avoid an accident. It is also easier for the pedestrian to see the auto rather than the driver see the pedestrian. Especially at night. I think walkers should be as careful walking amongst moving vehicles as they should be walking in the woods.

Doesn't all that make sense? Am I wrong? If I am, don't tell me. I only appreciate good things being said about me.

Is that wrong?