A Path Less Trodden

I watched Gran Torino and was struck by the way the the Clint Eastwood character growled when things pissed him off. I’ve started to use ‘public’ transport now on my daily commute to work and one thing you don’t appreciate is quite how many of the ‘public’ you get to meet and there are several things I experience that make me want to reach for my inner growl. Here are a few, feel free to add to the list.

• Why do you spit on the street? (I don’t want to wade through it)
• Why do you throw litter in the street? (usually a few feet from a bin). Your crap is your responsibility. Deal with it you little shit.
• Why do you cough/sneeze (delete as appropriate) without covering your mouth? (Germs. They’re not nice. Especially yours)
• Why are you picking your nose. You’re  not a little child and you’re not invisible.
• What have you got a hideous tattoo on your neck/hands/knuckles?
• Why do have such a ferocious dog? Are you a drug dealer?
• Why do you stop and block my path and why when I say ‘excuse me’ do you look at me as if I’m speaking in tongues?
• Why do you have your MP3 player so loud? All I hear is a tinny noise. It’s annoying.
• Why do you drive around with your music blaring with your window wound all the way down? (even in the middle of winter). It’s not cool - you attention seeking jerk.
• Why do you smoke? It will kill you and yes, you do stink. (Ironic really - spent 30 odd years smoking before finally giving up)
• Why do you/we drink so much? Are you/we trying to escape from life?
• Why do you waste so much time rotting in front of the TV?
• The Daily Mail. Why?
• Why do you buy cheap crap from supermarkets? Support local shops and producers.
• Why do we allow supermarkets to ‘land bank‘
• Why don’t the police police any more?
• Why doesn’t ‘customer service’ mean what it says?
• Why do you urge me to use public transport and when I do it sucks?
• Why bankers?
• Why don’t schools teach entrepreneurship and governments support it?
• Why does so much of the tax I pay get wasted? It’s like having a wasteful child.
• Why did we get lied to about Iraq? What else is there buried away?
• If China has such an appalling record of human rights why do we buy so much from there?
• Why do companies make their money from me here in the UK and then expect me to talk to call centres halfway across the world?
• Why do you slow down on Motorways to gawp at accidents. What are you expecting to see? It’s a stupid voyeuristic thing to do. And dangerous.
• Why do you have to use the word ‘fuck’ in every fucking sentence? English is a rich poetic language. Use it.
• Why do you think my time and advice is free?
• Why do you think I want your advice? If I want it I will ask for it if I want it.
• Why do you tweet so much? You’re obscuring someone infinitely more interesting.

… Oh. and when did I get to be such a grumpy old man?