Is There Anybody In This City That Doesn’t Suffer From “Sidewalk Rage?”
WSJ - For many people, few things are more infuriating than slow walkers—those seemingly inconsiderate people who clog up sidewalks, grocery aisles and airport hallways while others fume behind them. Researchers say the concept of “sidewalk rage” is real. One scientist has even developed a Pedestrian Aggressiveness Syndrome Scale to map out how people express their fury. At its most extreme, sidewalk rage can signal a psychiatric condition known as “intermittent explosive disorder,” researchers say. On Facebook, there’s a group called “I Secretly Want to Punch Slow Walking People in the Back of the Head” that boasts nearly 15,000 members. Signs of a sidewalk rager include muttering or bumping into others; uncaringly hogging a walking lane; and acting in a hostile manner by staring, giving a “mean face” or approaching others too closely, says Leon James, a psychology professor at the University of Hawaii who studies pedestrian and driver aggression. For the cool-headed, sidewalk rage may seem incomprehensible. After all, it seems simple enough to just go around the slow individual. Why then are some people, even those who greet other obstacles with equanimity, so infuriated by unhurried fellow pedestrians? How one interprets the situation is key, researchers say. Ragers tend to have a strong sense of how other people should behave. Their code: Slower people keep to the right. Step aside to take a picture. And the left side of an escalator should be, of course, kept free for anyone wanting to walk up.
Not a day goes by that I don’t want to murder innocent commuters in a pedestrian bloodbath. And I don’t think I’m alone. I think virtually every single person in Manhattan suffers from sidewalk rage, no? Which is funny because then you gotta think who’s causing all the problems. If everyone out there thinks they are walking the right way, then who are the assholes sparking the sidewalk rage? Everyone probably needs to take a look in the mirror. We’re probably all assholes.
Except for me. I’ve got walking in this city down to a fucking science. Here are my top 5 walking in NYC pet peeves
1. The Stutter Step Collision Course – This is when you are walking directly into someone on a collision course and both of you stutter step the same direction like three or four times trying to avoid each other but you keep both moving in the same direction. One minute I’m walking perfectly straight and the next minute I feel like I’m fucking Barry Sanders juking left and right. This is America, folks. We drive on the right side of the road, right? If you need to avoid someone walking the opposite direction as you, everybody goes right and we can spare each other the dance routine where we still end up crashing into each other
2. The Guy Who Tries To Cross The Street Before Me – Listen, I’ve got crossing the street down to a science. You get the flashing red hand for 12 flashes and then an solid red hand for 5-6 seconds depending on whether you count with Mississippi’s or not. I know exactly when the last car to make it thru the intersection is gonna pass by before I can cross safely. If you try to cross the street before me, you are getting hit by a moving vehicle.
3. Asian Tourists – Doesn’t need much of an explanation. They will stop right in the middle of any sidewalk at any time to take a picture that undoubtedly sucks. My question is how come they can’t display the same sense of urgency they show on the subway? Asians on the subway are the most disrespectful people on earth. They will march over an infant to get onto the train. Get the on the street though? Just wandering and hanging out right in everybody’s fucking way.
4. The Dude Who Brushes Up Against You Even Though You Have 50 Feet Of Room – Every now and then you’ll be lucky enough to not be on a crowded sidewalk but some asshole decides he’d still rather come within 2 inches of you as you walk past each other. Like I’ll be walking curbside and he should be all the way over on the building side but instead he decides it would be better if we smashed out shoulders into each other. Either you cave in and turn sideways or your brace your shoulders for impact. Either way it sucks. This also happens if you’re walking straight and someone comes out of a building or a store and makes a wide turn. Hey dick, you’re the one merging into traffic. Yield motherfucker.
5. The Person Who Walks Ahead Of You And Steals A Cab – This doesn’t quite fall under the slow walking, tourist sort of sidewalk rage, but it needs to be mentioned. There are few moments where I feel like I would murder another person in cold blood – the moment when you realize that someone deliberately walked 20 feet ahead of you and stole your cab is one of those moments. It could be the most disrespectful thing one can do on the streets of Manhattan. The ultimate irony is that I’m always doing the walk-and-hail so I’m 200% sure I do this to other people all the time. I’m not gonna stand on the same corner like some sucker.

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- Fat people on the escalator. These are stairs that move and are meant to be walked on. Do you think they every ask themselves: Is clogging up this the fattest thing I will do today?
- Motherfuckers that stop right before getting on/off the escalator. Are you fucking kidding me???? Are these people afraid of falling? I legit see grown dudes in their 20′s pull this move. If i see u do this I automatically assume u were home schooled and want to cross check from behind.
- Texting and walking. This is ok most of the time but pay the fuck attention and don’t give me a fuckign look like its my responsibility to get out of your way.
Don’t forget the ‘slow ass family who walks 6 abreast.’
Stutter step rule should be written into law and passed by Congress. There should never be any confusion when two people are walking toward each other. You go to the RIGHT every time, this isn’t Asia. Unbelievable when people don’t comprehend this.
Can’t leave out the completely oblivious person who will start walking and then stop dead in the middle of the sidewalk, with no room on either side of them to go around unless you want some intimate contact.
By the way, is it me or is Lexington Avenue the FUCKING WORST avenue to walk on in this city? Not only is it incredibly busy, but has anyone noticed that it is one of the narrowest sidewalks in the fucking city? Especially for an avenue?
Scarecrow and Mathlete are so SPOT ON! That shit drives me insane! I seriously become a hockey player when it comes to walking the sidewalks of NYC. I’m checking people left and right – it’s like driving. Don’t STOP in the middle of a street, don’t cut someone else off, DON’T tailgate (fucking people from China or India where there’s a billion people have NO concept of personal space), and KEEP YOUR EYES on the road (this one relates to texting).
And I have to throw in rainy days & umbrellas. People become even BIGGER assholes when it rains! God forbid you have to LIFT your umbrella over a taller person coming your way so you don’t take out their eye! Alot of women will keep their umbrella close to their head right above it – when i encounter any assholes like this, whether I have an umbrella or not, I’m ducking my head so as not to get poked and I’m smashing right into them and their umbrella, with all the water falling down onto them. LOOK UP asshole!! YOU’RE NOT THE ONLY PERSON IN THIS CITY and YOU’RE NOT FUCKING ROYALTY!!
I can’t stand when people are walking their dogs and give that little shit so much leash that I can’t go by. If you r dog is on the left side of the sidewalk, there is no need to be walking on the right side, asshole
My ultimate peeve is the escalator hoggers. Stand on the right, walk on the left. Slow lane, fast lane. It’s really simple to understand so I don’t get why so many people block the way.
What’s the rule for people coming out of a revolving door? I always get pissed when they just roll out in front of me but it’s not like they can necessarily stop what they’re doing in mid-turn.
People standing on escalators instead of walking up/down them = fat black women. I have no problem asking them to get the fuck out of the way and if they say something I remind them that it’s not a fucking ride at an amusement park. It’s here to help you get somewhere faster not give your fat ass a lift.
“Don’t forget the ‘slow ass family who walks 6 abreast.”
HOLY FUCKING SHIT this is annoying. It’s almost always tourists who are at least 3 or four wide on the sidewalk. Are they fucking kidding me? Goddamn I need a bonghit, just thinking about it gets me all worked up. Do I need help?
just yesterday on my lovely commute home on NJtranshit I entered a train car about with about 10 rows of seating( a small car) some dbag on the opposing end obv, sees me walking through the aisle and cant fucking wait 7 seconds for me to get through. He has to begin his walk down the aisle so we get to play a game of butts and weiners with each other. I yelled in his face ” couldnt fucking wait?!”
In the morning getting into Penn station and getting off the train, holy fucking shit. God forbid you are not one of the first 10 people off the train b/c the concept of leaving the left side of the escalator clear for people who actually want to walk while on a moving staircase is completely foreign. it seems to take forever to get off those piss scented platforms.
I think I have sidewalk rage.
Im glad someone brought up the umbrella scenario. Unless you are 400 lbs and have your own fucking zip code, you DO NOT NEED A FUCKING GOLF UMBRELLA. Those shits cover entire mexican families. nobody can get around you on the sidewalk, especially when you gotta fight thru the crowd of pissed off commuters leaving penn station in the morning. $5 at any corner stand gets you a regular ass umbrella, dickface.
you need to be like oj out there. see 4 moves ahead, and not be affraid to slash someone, if you have to. my rule is never get behind someone old/crippled, fat, or black. nothing will drive you more crazy if your in a rush.
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I hailed the only fucking van cab in the city last weekend with 5 buddies. could have been the fucking cash cab for all i know because one. one single human being with dreadlocks and a small penis ran in front of us and got into the van by himself. we chased that mother fucker for like a block before the cabby stepped on it. faggots
w/you on #4, but i have no qualms burying my fucking shoulder into someone. mthrfckrs out there need to learn
The 3-4 wide walking towards you is the worst. Just get in a single file, or make room when someone is walking at you. I’m not moving so your walking party can take up the whole sidewalk. I make a point to split them and at least make contact with 2 of them. Almost got in a serious fight last summer because of this situation, knocked one of them down and shit just escalated.
“Hey dick, you’re the one merging into traffic. Yield motherfucker.” So true, so funny.