Perspective – The Unkind Streets of Bloomington

What is it with people lately once they get behind the wheel of a vehicle?

There isn’t a week that goes by now when the pages of the police blotter aren’t full of hit-and-run crashes.

Then last night, there was allegedly a man waving a gun while riding a go-cart. A go-cart!

So, my partner comes home today, and she’s upset.

She said she was driving home from work after a long day at the office and got stuck behind a parked bus at the intersection of Washington and Third Street where a pedestrian was killed a couple years ago crossing the street. It wasn’t obvious at first the bus wasn’t moving, but once it was, nobody would let her into the left lane, so she sat there for a bit as car after car sped past.

Finally, traffic was somewhat clear, so she merged into the left lane, but a young brunette, and her friend, both college-aged, were in a new red vehicle that then cut her off.

The young woman, possibly an Indiana University student in her late teens or early 20s, pulled up next to my wife, stopped, and began to yell, “You’re old and fat, then chanted, fatty, fatty, fatty……”

Who does that?!

I couldn’t help but think of some bad 1980s movies about entitled and privileged college students bullying those less fortunate. Movies like, “Up the Creek,” or, “Revenge of the Nerds.” But, my wife, who went to high school and lived in Bloomington in the 80s, assures me Bloomington wasn’t like that back then.

Has anyone else also noticed the number of people who just speed and disobey traffic laws? Lately, in Indy, it seems like pedestrians are constantly being run over, and killed. It’s probably not just here, but like most things, whatever is trending somewhere else, eventually seems to happen here, too.

But, honestly, it seems worse since both social media, and the pandemic changed things. Not to mention, we live in a very tribal, and polarized society these days.

Who else has had bad experiences lately while trying to drive in Bloomington? Or just dealt with rude people in general. 

Share your stories in the Facebook comments.

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