Angry People

I witnessed three heated exchanges recently that got me thinking. The first involved a man crossing the street—shirtless, belly drooping, looking very much like a 60-year-old Bart Simpson. As he stepped into the road, a car entered the crosswalk and nearly clipped him. The man spun around, jumping and shouting at the driver, “You fing bh, watch where you’re going! You should get a ticket for that, goddamn it!”

Watching from across the street, I couldn’t help but think that if anyone deserved a ticket, it was him—for indecency, rudeness, and being a total jerk. Fortunately, the driver paid him no mind; she simply kept driving and went on with her day.


How many times have you had to deal with someone like that? A customer frustrated by a late delivery, a colleague bitter because you got the promotion, or a friend irritated because you’re five minutes late. There are endless ways to lose our tempers. It’s easy to get rattled or offended when confronted with anger, and if you don't know how to respond, the situation can quickly spiral. However, when you respond with calm and empathy, you maintain control and defuse the tension.


Twenty minutes after that first encounter, I saw another: a driver screamed at another, “You fing son of a bh, grow up! You’re an ahole!” It happened so fast the second driver didn't even have time to react. A spectator on the sidewalk just started laughing. “What the f,” he muttered to himself, shaking his head as he walked away.

A few days later, I was parking my car near a bookstore after work. As I stepped out and pressed the button on my electronic key to lock the doors, a man across the street suddenly yelled at a passing driver, “F*** you!”


He had mistakenly thought the driver honked at him, not realizing it was the "chirp" of my car alarm. I turned to face him. “That was actually me locking my car,” I said. He laughed, looking genuinely embarrassed. “Well, don't I feel like an idiot,” he muttered, before sheepishly walking away. Often, anger serves no purpose. Once you truly realize that, everything changes.















Location: Seattle, WA, USA

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