Things that piss me off

People who stop at the end of the escalator and ponder where to go next, oblivious of their effect on the poor fools behind them. These people are putting others at risk, even if only of collision with them, without ever being aware of it. A classic example happened to me yesterday, where at a mall so crowded that parking places were at a premium a rather wide middle-aged woman stopped dead at the top of the escalator, put her hands on her hips, and stood perfectly still, staring at her destination options. I was fourth in line behind her, and each of us scrambled and stumbled to find a way off the escalator without running her over. When the person behind me accidentally bumped her, she indignantly turned and began berating him for his clumsiness.

More generally, why do so few people have any sense of their surroundings and their effect--and potential effect--on nearby people? Sure, we all have daydreaming interludes, and we all mess up occasionally, but my time in airports and malls has convinced me that a significant percentage of Americans are clueless about what they are doing to others.

I'm all for personal freedom, but my mom raised me with the notion that one person's freedom ends at the next person's nose, and I'd extend that rule to include some personal space for each of us. I wish everyone would.