harassed today by drop-off parents because we walk our kid to school

[clarkfan1979]

My wife and I walk our kid to school. Not really sure what was said, but after a parent dropped off their kid they felt the need to shout something at us from about 200 yards away and then sped off (in a school zone). I think they were making fun of us for walking, but I'm not sure.  It didn't really both me, but my wife was upset. It's not important enough to change my habits or my life, but I thought the audience here would appreciate the story.

Edit: I think it's kind of a stupid move for many reasons. However, the thing that sticks out the most to me is that we now recognize the vehicle and the person. We are going to see them in the drop off line again many times during the school year. If I see them again, I'm going to approach their vehicle and ask them what they said. I will do it in a funny and non-threatening manner. I actually get some enjoyment out of those types of uncomfortable situations. 

[PDXTabs]

I actually get some enjoyment out of those types of uncomfortable situations.

Excellent, I wish that I did. Don't forget to wear your tricorn pirate hat made out of papier-mâché with $100 bills.

[Adventine]

What jackasses. Don't forget to secretly record, if you can!

[ChpBstrd]

If you're not sure what they said, why assume it was something negative?

At 200 yards, it's not even clear who they were talking to.

[Metalcat]

What a strange thing to do...

[solon]

Fun! Looking forward to further developments.

[DadJokes]

Hoping for a juicy follow-up...

[charis]

If you're not sure what they said, why assume it was something negative?

At 200 yards, it's not even clear who they were talking to.

Yes, maybe there is some context missing here. On top of the premise being rather inane, since walking to school is a well known practice even to those that don't do it, does this person or school community have a history of disliking walkers that would make you assume they would yell about it (and why?) from 200 yards away?

[GuitarStv]

Might have nothing to do with walking.

My wife has had another parent yelling stuff at her while walking our son home from school.  It turns out that our son and this parent's daughter had an argument in class, and the parent thought that yelling at my wife was the best way to resolve the matter.  So I took over the majority of walking our son to/from school and there's no more yelling.  Difference between a 200lb man vs 100lb woman I guess.

[HPstache]

If you're not sure what they said, why assume it was something negative?

At 200 yards, it's not even clear who they were talking to.

This is my initial reaction as well

[Morning Glory]

Might have nothing to do with walking.

My wife has had another parent yelling stuff at her while walking our son home from school.  It turns out that our son and this parent's daughter had an argument in class, and the parent thought that yelling at my wife was the best way to resolve the matter.  So I took over the majority of walking our son to/from school and there's no more yelling.  Difference between a 200lb man vs 100lb woman I guess.

Yep this is definitely a thing. People (most of the time men) feel they can yell at women for some reason. I got yelled at by a stranger because my dog got loose one day. Made it even harder to control the dog because he perceived the yelling guy as a threat to me, and i was really scared that someone would get bit. Husband took over walking the dog for a while and not a peep. Dude even half-ass apologized to me later. My dog will still bark and try to go after him if he sees him.

Since moving to North Carolina I've also been drive-by yelled at by strangers while walking or biking (i usually have headphones on so i can't hear what they're saying), had a woman at the pool yell and threaten to "beat my ass" because my kid touched her raft, and another man  in the park yell at me for supposedly choking my dog because I was holding him by the collar to keep him from lunging at another dog (this of course made the dog lunge more).

It has happened when I was alone, or with the kids, dog, or a female friend, but never with the husband. 

This kind of shit never happened when I lived in Minnesota.  I don't know if it's a southern thing or an east coast thing or if people are just ruder to each other now because of the pandemic or if im just outside more and also in a more uban area now so there are more opportunities for it. Must make them feel better about themselves,  to yell then drive/ walk off before you can say anything back.

[TheGrimSqueaker]

Might have nothing to do with walking.

My wife has had another parent yelling stuff at her while walking our son home from school.  It turns out that our son and this parent's daughter had an argument in class, and the parent thought that yelling at my wife was the best way to resolve the matter.  So I took over the majority of walking our son to/from school and there's no more yelling.  Difference between a 200lb man vs 100lb woman I guess.

Yep this is definitely a thing. People (most of the time men) feel they can yell at women for some reason. I got yelled at by a stranger because my dog got loose one day. Made it even harder to control the dog because he perceived the yelling guy as a threat to me, and i was really scared that someone would get bit. Husband took over walking the dog for a while and not a peep. Dude even half-ass apologized to me later. My dog will still bark and try to go after him if he sees him.

Since moving to North Carolina I've also been drive-by yelled at by strangers while walking or biking (i usually have headphones on so i can't hear what they're saying), had a woman at the pool yell and threaten to "beat my ass" because my kid touched her raft, and another man  in the park yell at me for supposedly choking my dog because I was holding him by the collar to keep him from lunging at another dog (this of course made the dog lunge more). This kind of shit never happened when I lived in Minnesota.  I don't know if it's a southern thing or an east coast thing or if people are just ruder to each other now because of the pandemic. Must make them feel better about themselves,  to yell then drive off before you can say anything back.

Of course. Physical threats against smaller females (and sometimes smaller males) are a normal and expected means of interaction, especially in the United States. Bellowing at a female person is treated as a legitimate way of getting her attention to express approval, but it's also a prelude to a physical attack. In the moment, it's impossible to distinguish one from the other. Also, everybody is entitled to correct, boss around, lecture, and attempt to control female people because they are automatically considered to be in a position of authority relative to that person. The world is an inherently hostile place when you're a designated loser, and it's a situation that's extremely hard to avoid because sooner or later you have to go into public places.

A male person is not automatically subject to aggressive correction if he makes a mistake. It still happens, but it's not the default.

[clarkfan1979]

If you're not sure what they said, why assume it was something negative?

At 200 yards, it's not even clear who they were talking to.

There is always a chance that it was a mistake and we were not the intended target. I hope that is the case. However, when someone sticks their head out of a vehicle, looks directly at you and then yells at you, it's pretty easy to understand when it's negative and when it's positive. I am 99% sure it was negative and I'm 95% sure it was intended for us. My wife feels the same way. Nobody else was in the environment. It actually happened in front of the junior high, which starts school 15 minutes earlier, so no adults or kids were outside. We were the only other people that were outside in that environment. We didn't see anyone else in the car. Even if someone else was in the car, why would they stick their head out the window to talk to them.   

I've been yelled at quite a bit in my life for just being outside. When I jogged outside in the evenings in grad school, it would happen probably once every 2 to 3 months. It would happen to my roommate as well who was a jogger. He had a large amount of body hair and would occasionally run without a shirt if it was hot. People would scream at him as they drove by and the most popular comment was "nice sweater"

Also while in grad school, I was doing some landscaping in my front yard and my basketball shorts got wet and was dragging. I was showing off a little bit of "plumbers crack" Some college kids stopped and screamed out the window, "crack kills" and sped off.

I had "friends" that would yell at runners on the street in high school. One time, after they drove off they realized it was one of the teachers at the high school.

Lastly, Scott Trench  (CEO from biggerpockets) tells a story of when riding his bike to work, someone in a large pick-up trucks yells at him, "Sucks to be poor!" and then sped off.

I think it's a thing. Humans are weird, right?

This Nike commercial comparing skateboarding to running is also very entertaining.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKo4NI6i_EY

[jinga nation]

If you're not sure what they said, why assume it was something negative?

At 200 yards, it's not even clear who they were talking to.

There is always a chance that it was a mistake and we were not the intended target. I hope that is the case. However, when someone sticks their head out of a vehicle, looks directly at you and then yells at you, it's pretty easy to understand when it's negative and when it's positive. I am 99% sure it was negative and I'm 95% sure it was intended for us. My wife feels the same way. Nobody else was in the environment. It actually happened in front of the junior high, which starts school 15 minutes earlier, so no adults or kids were outside. We were the only other people that were outside in that environment. We didn't see anyone else in the car. Even if someone else was in the car, why would they stick their head out the window to talk to them.   

I've been yelled at quite a bit in my life for just being outside. When I jogged outside in the evenings in grad school, it would happen probably once every 2 to 3 months. It would happen to my roommate as well who was a jogger. He had a large amount of body hair and would occasionally run without a shirt if it was hot. People would scream at him as they drove by and the most popular comment was "nice sweater"

Also while in grad school, I was doing some landscaping in my front yard and my basketball shorts got wet and was dragging. I was showing off a little bit of "plumbers crack" Some college kids stopped and screamed out the window, "crack kills" and sped off.

I had "friends" that would yell at runners on the street in high school. One time, after they drove off they realized it was one of the teachers at the high school.

Lastly, Scott Trench  (CEO from biggerpockets) tells a story of when riding his bike to work, someone in a large pick-up trucks yells at him, "Sucks to be poor!" and then sped off.

I think it's a thing. Humans are weird, right?

This Nike commercial comparing skateboarding to running is also very entertaining.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKo4NI6i_EY

Except for the plumber's crack quip, heartily bless their hearts.
If the crack distracts driver, then they ain't driving safely. Bless their hearts too.

[TheGrimSqueaker]

If you're not sure what they said, why assume it was something negative?

At 200 yards, it's not even clear who they were talking to.

There is always a chance that it was a mistake and we were not the intended target. I hope that is the case. However, when someone sticks their head out of a vehicle, looks directly at you and then yells at you, it's pretty easy to understand when it's negative and when it's positive. I am 99% sure it was negative and I'm 95% sure it was intended for us. My wife feels the same way. Nobody else was in the environment. It actually happened in front of the junior high, which starts school 15 minutes earlier, so no adults or kids were outside. We were the only other people that were outside in that environment. We didn't see anyone else in the car. Even if someone else was in the car, why would they stick their head out the window to talk to them.   

I've been yelled at quite a bit in my life for just being outside. When I jogged outside in the evenings in grad school, it would happen probably once every 2 to 3 months. It would happen to my roommate as well who was a jogger. He had a large amount of body hair and would occasionally run without a shirt if it was hot. People would scream at him as they drove by and the most popular comment was "nice sweater"

Also while in grad school, I was doing some landscaping in my front yard and my basketball shorts got wet and was dragging. I was showing off a little bit of "plumbers crack" Some college kids stopped and screamed out the window, "crack kills" and sped off.

I had "friends" that would yell at runners on the street in high school. One time, after they drove off they realized it was one of the teachers at the high school.

Lastly, Scott Trench  (CEO from biggerpockets) tells a story of when riding his bike to work, someone in a large pick-up trucks yells at him, "Sucks to be poor!" and then sped off.

I think it's a thing. Humans are weird, right?

This Nike commercial comparing skateboarding to running is also very entertaining.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKo4NI6i_EY

Except for the plumber's crack quip, heartily bless their hearts.
If the crack distracts driver, then they ain't driving safely. Bless their hearts too.

We can't bless what's not there. Given the overall callousness of the people who yell abuse at strangers, they clearly have no hearts. If we bless them at all, we must bless some other body part. I suggest the rectum. If sufficiently blessed, the offender's rectum may relax, allowing his or her head to pop free.

[Wolfpack Mustachian]

I really don't understand the need to yell at someone. I've angrily said things too myself, but very rarely had the urge to do the typical roll down the car window and scream.

My favorite yelling story was when I didn't see a car stopped ahead of me and slammed on my brakes. I would have hit it, but the car saw that and moved forward instead of waiting to turn left, preventing an accident. Yay.. Right. I was completely in the wrong for sure.

However, when we had gone on a bit, the guy pulled over in a lot and came flying out of his car, screaming at me.......as I drove on by and ignored him. I mean did he think I would stop and confront an irate, screaming dude? I genuinely don't know. It was really odd.

[FireLane]

You never know, it could have been a compliment. Maybe they were yelling, "You'll statistically live longer and be richer than me because of your better life habits!"

[iluvzbeach]

If you're not sure what they said, why assume it was something negative?

At 200 yards, it's not even clear who they were talking to.

There is always a chance that it was a mistake and we were not the intended target. I hope that is the case. However, when someone sticks their head out of a vehicle, looks directly at you and then yells at you, it's pretty easy to understand when it's negative and when it's positive. I am 99% sure it was negative and I'm 95% sure it was intended for us. My wife feels the same way. Nobody else was in the environment. It actually happened in front of the junior high, which starts school 15 minutes earlier, so no adults or kids were outside. We were the only other people that were outside in that environment. We didn't see anyone else in the car. Even if someone else was in the car, why would they stick their head out the window to talk to them.   

I've been yelled at quite a bit in my life for just being outside. When I jogged outside in the evenings in grad school, it would happen probably once every 2 to 3 months. It would happen to my roommate as well who was a jogger. He had a large amount of body hair and would occasionally run without a shirt if it was hot. People would scream at him as they drove by and the most popular comment was "nice sweater"

Also while in grad school, I was doing some landscaping in my front yard and my basketball shorts got wet and was dragging. I was showing off a little bit of "plumbers crack" Some college kids stopped and screamed out the window, "crack kills" and sped off.

I had "friends" that would yell at runners on the street in high school. One time, after they drove off they realized it was one of the teachers at the high school.

Lastly, Scott Trench  (CEO from biggerpockets) tells a story of when riding his bike to work, someone in a large pick-up trucks yells at him, "Sucks to be poor!" and then sped off.

I think it's a thing. Humans are weird, right?

This Nike commercial comparing skateboarding to running is also very entertaining.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKo4NI6i_EY

Except for the plumber's crack quip, heartily bless their hearts.
If the crack distracts driver, then they ain't driving safely. Bless their hearts too.

We can't bless what's not there. Given the overall callousness of the people who yell abuse at strangers, they clearly have no hearts. If we bless them at all, we must bless some other body part. I suggest the rectum. If sufficiently blessed, the offender's rectum may relax, allowing his or her head to pop free.

TGS, you have an awesome way with words!

[JAYSLOL]

You never know, it could have been a compliment. Maybe they were yelling, "You'll statistically live longer and be richer than me because of your better life habits!"

This sounds like a line straight out of The Invention of Lying or some other show when someone is given something that makes them instantly perfectly honest lol

[dang1]

if the parent who shouted, doesn't sign your paycheck, zero f's given

[BC_Goldman]

If you're not sure what they said, why assume it was something negative?

At 200 yards, it's not even clear who they were talking to.

There is always a chance that it was a mistake and we were not the intended target. I hope that is the case. However, when someone sticks their head out of a vehicle, looks directly at you and then yells at you, it's pretty easy to understand when it's negative and when it's positive. I am 99% sure it was negative and I'm 95% sure it was intended for us. My wife feels the same way. Nobody else was in the environment. It actually happened in front of the junior high, which starts school 15 minutes earlier, so no adults or kids were outside. We were the only other people that were outside in that environment. We didn't see anyone else in the car. Even if someone else was in the car, why would they stick their head out the window to talk to them.   

I've been yelled at quite a bit in my life for just being outside. When I jogged outside in the evenings in grad school, it would happen probably once every 2 to 3 months. It would happen to my roommate as well who was a jogger. He had a large amount of body hair and would occasionally run without a shirt if it was hot. People would scream at him as they drove by and the most popular comment was "nice sweater"

Also while in grad school, I was doing some landscaping in my front yard and my basketball shorts got wet and was dragging. I was showing off a little bit of "plumbers crack" Some college kids stopped and screamed out the window, "crack kills" and sped off.

I had "friends" that would yell at runners on the street in high school. One time, after they drove off they realized it was one of the teachers at the high school.

Lastly, Scott Trench  (CEO from biggerpockets) tells a story of when riding his bike to work, someone in a large pick-up trucks yells at him, "Sucks to be poor!" and then sped off.

I think it's a thing. Humans are weird, right?

This Nike commercial comparing skateboarding to running is also very entertaining.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKo4NI6i_EY

Except for the plumber's crack quip, heartily bless their hearts.
If the crack distracts driver, then they ain't driving safely. Bless their hearts too.

We can't bless what's not there. Given the overall callousness of the people who yell abuse at strangers, they clearly have no hearts. If we bless them at all, we must bless some other body part. I suggest the rectum. If sufficiently blessed, the offender's rectum may relax, allowing his or her head to pop free.

Well, bless their bottom!

[ChpBstrd]

You never know, it could have been a compliment. Maybe they were yelling, "You'll statistically live longer and be richer than me because of your better life habits!"

This sounds like a line straight out of The Invention of Lying or some other show when someone is given something that makes them instantly perfectly honest lol

"Thank you for doing your part to reduce traffic congestion, clean up the air, and encourage physical fitness, you wonderful person!"

[ChickenStash]

I don't know about all the yelling, but I really hope the phrase "Bless your rectum!" enters common usage soon.

Rectum?!? Damn near killed 'em!

[nereo]

I get why the OP thinks the parent was yelling at him (sorta), but what I don’t understand is why OP is convinced it was about walking his kid to school.  My first thought was perhaps it was about some perceived drama between the kids (e.g. Kid A told parent that Kid B said/did X….)

IME parents act the most atrociously when they feel their kid wasn’t treated fairly (real or imagined). Most people don’t care whatever else you do if it doesn’t impact them.

[volleyballer]

I get why the OP thinks the parent was yelling at him (sorta), but what I don’t understand is why OP is convinced it was about walking his kid to school.  My first thought was perhaps it was about some perceived drama between the kids (e.g. Kid A told parent that Kid B said/did X….)

IME parents act the most atrociously when they feel their kid wasn’t treated fairly (real or imagined). Most people don’t care whatever else you do if it doesn’t impact them.

My guess is that OP gets to walk right into school with their kid, to the chagrin of all the other parents queued up in their idling clown SUVs waiting to dropoff.

[Dictionary Time]

Maybe it’s perceived “cutting”.  I remember one time my husband and I loaded up a wagon with e-waste and walked to a recycling event. We got so much hate because we didn’t have to wait in the miles long line. It was pretty hilarious.

[charis]

I get why the OP thinks the parent was yelling at him (sorta), but what I don’t understand is why OP is convinced it was about walking his kid to school.  My first thought was perhaps it was about some perceived drama between the kids (e.g. Kid A told parent that Kid B said/did X….)

IME parents act the most atrociously when they feel their kid wasn’t treated fairly (real or imagined). Most people don’t care whatever else you do if it doesn’t impact them.

My guess is that OP gets to walk right into school with their kid, to the chagrin of all the other parents queued up in their idling clown SUVs waiting to dropoff.

That doesn't make any sense.  Even SUV drivers can see that pedestrians can't wait in a car line.  Again, walking or biking to school is not a remotely new concept, even for those that don't partake.  Do they expect students who walk or bike to school without being accompanied by a parent to wait as well or do they get a pass? 

At my kids school, kids are directed to enter the building at two different entrances, depending on grade and whether they take a bus, but they aren't going to be stopped from entering the other entrance.  The drop off line doesn't even see who is approaching the building at the opposite entrance, regardless of how they are arriving.  Some parents park in the lot and walk their student to the door or live so close to the school that driving would taken longer.  Kids arrive at school in a variety of ways.

[BlueMR2]

That doesn't make any sense.  Even SUV drivers can see that pedestrians can't wait in a car line.  Again, walking or biking to school is not a remotely new concept, even for those that don't partake.  Do they expect students who walk or bike to school without being accompanied by a parent to wait as well or do they get a pass? 

Might be thinking they parked down the street someplace and walked from there?

Or, just weird people things.  I was riding down a 5 lane road early one morning (no bike path or sidewalks).  Virtually no traffic.  One old guy in a pickup truck going the other way is waving his fist at me and yelling things I couldn't hear/understand.  I presume a bicycle on the road caused him heart ache even though I wasn't inconveniencing anyone.

[RunningintoFI]

As someone who happens to run outside quite often, I can attest that people have a desire to yell at anyone not presently sitting in their own insulated lounge chairs.  Also want to add that it can be physically unpleasant to someone with a heart condition to suddenly be startled out of the blue by a screaming adult child in a vehicle.

[clarkfan1979]

I get why the OP thinks the parent was yelling at him (sorta), but what I don’t understand is why OP is convinced it was about walking his kid to school.  My first thought was perhaps it was about some perceived drama between the kids (e.g. Kid A told parent that Kid B said/did X….)

IME parents act the most atrociously when they feel their kid wasn’t treated fairly (real or imagined). Most people don’t care whatever else you do if it doesn’t impact them.

My guess is that OP gets to walk right into school with their kid, to the chagrin of all the other parents queued up in their idling clown SUVs waiting to dropoff.

This makes sense to me. Another poster suggested that it could be interpreted as cutting line. The car drop-off line is super long and people are not happy about it.

[Morning Glory]

I get why the OP thinks the parent was yelling at him (sorta), but what I don’t understand is why OP is convinced it was about walking his kid to school.  My first thought was perhaps it was about some perceived drama between the kids (e.g. Kid A told parent that Kid B said/did X….)

IME parents act the most atrociously when they feel their kid wasn’t treated fairly (real or imagined). Most people don’t care whatever else you do if it doesn’t impact them.

My guess is that OP gets to walk right into school with their kid, to the chagrin of all the other parents queued up in their idling clown SUVs waiting to dropoff.

This makes sense to me. Another poster suggested that it could be interpreted as cutting line. The car drop-off line is super long and people are not happy about it.

They should be thankful to you for making the car line shorter.  Heck, if everyone just walked or put their kid on the bus this wouldn't be an issue.

[ChpBstrd]

I get why the OP thinks the parent was yelling at him (sorta), but what I don’t understand is why OP is convinced it was about walking his kid to school.  My first thought was perhaps it was about some perceived drama between the kids (e.g. Kid A told parent that Kid B said/did X….)

IME parents act the most atrociously when they feel their kid wasn’t treated fairly (real or imagined). Most people don’t care whatever else you do if it doesn’t impact them.

My guess is that OP gets to walk right into school with their kid, to the chagrin of all the other parents queued up in their idling clown SUVs waiting to dropoff.

This makes sense to me. Another poster suggested that it could be interpreted as cutting line. The car drop-off line is super long and people are not happy about it.

They should be thankful to you for making the car line shorter.  Heck, if everyone just walked or put their kid on the bus this wouldn't be an issue.

By this interpretation, the people upset about line-cutting might have thought @clarkfan1979 parked somewhere near school, got out of the car, and walked the rest of the way past everyone else, perhaps in violation of parking rules around the school. It could be inconceivable to them that you walked ALL THE WAY from home to school, because that's too far for any human athlete to endure.

[Morning Glory]

I get why the OP thinks the parent was yelling at him (sorta), but what I don’t understand is why OP is convinced it was about walking his kid to school.  My first thought was perhaps it was about some perceived drama between the kids (e.g. Kid A told parent that Kid B said/did X….)

IME parents act the most atrociously when they feel their kid wasn’t treated fairly (real or imagined). Most people don’t care whatever else you do if it doesn’t impact them.

My guess is that OP gets to walk right into school with their kid, to the chagrin of all the other parents queued up in their idling clown SUVs waiting to dropoff.

This makes sense to me. Another poster suggested that it could be interpreted as cutting line. The car drop-off line is super long and people are not happy about it.

They should be thankful to you for making the car line shorter.  Heck, if everyone just walked or put their kid on the bus this wouldn't be an issue.

By this interpretation, the people upset about line-cutting might have thought @clarkfan1979 parked somewhere near school, got out of the car, and walked the rest of the way past everyone else, perhaps in violation of parking rules around the school. It could be inconceivable to them that you walked ALL THE WAY from home to school, because that's too far for any human athlete to endure.

I see nothing unethical about parking a couple of blocks away to avoid the car line (I dont do it because my kids ride the bus, but its probably what i would do if driving were my only option). The school my son went to last year did not have room for a car line so everyone who chose to pick up their child had to park on the street and walk.

Do people in fast food drive through lines get upset when others park and walk into the store?

[Metalcat]

I get why the OP thinks the parent was yelling at him (sorta), but what I don’t understand is why OP is convinced it was about walking his kid to school.  My first thought was perhaps it was about some perceived drama between the kids (e.g. Kid A told parent that Kid B said/did X….)

IME parents act the most atrociously when they feel their kid wasn’t treated fairly (real or imagined). Most people don’t care whatever else you do if it doesn’t impact them.

My guess is that OP gets to walk right into school with their kid, to the chagrin of all the other parents queued up in their idling clown SUVs waiting to dropoff.

This makes sense to me. Another poster suggested that it could be interpreted as cutting line. The car drop-off line is super long and people are not happy about it.

They should be thankful to you for making the car line shorter.  Heck, if everyone just walked or put their kid on the bus this wouldn't be an issue.

By this interpretation, the people upset about line-cutting might have thought @clarkfan1979 parked somewhere near school, got out of the car, and walked the rest of the way past everyone else, perhaps in violation of parking rules around the school. It could be inconceivable to them that you walked ALL THE WAY from home to school, because that's too far for any human athlete to endure.

I see nothing unethical about parking a couple of blocks away to avoid the car line (I dont do it because my kids ride the bus, but its probably what i would do if driving were my only option). The school my son went to last year did not have room for a car line so everyone who chose to pick up their child had to park on the street and walk.

Do people in fast food drive through lines get upset when others park and walk into the store?

I'm enjoying the presupposition that people who scream aggressively at others from cars have well thought out, rational motivations for doing so.

If someone is whacky enough to scream at a pedestrian for getting their kid into school while they have to wait, they're unlikely to sit for a few minutes, think analytically about similar situations like drive through restaurants, contemplate whether they have felt similarly slighted in those contexts, conclude that they haven't, and therefore question themselves as to why I'm this context they feel aggrieved, and then make a conscious decision to rethink their intended plan of verbally assaulting a total stranger.

I'm actually laughing picturing this.

People are not rational creatures, they are rationalizing creatures. If the dude is in fact screaming from his car because someone is getting their kid in sooner, he's not screaming because he's rationally considered the unfairness of the situation. He's screaming because he's extremely frustrated, probably primarily by something other than school drop off, and seeing a kid get in quicker is just the tiny stimulus that set off his rage-hair-trigger and he's vaguely justifying it to himself as some sort of injustice.

People who are overtly hostile are rarely so because of much to do with the victim of their hostility, that victim just presents a convenient outlet for their underlying hostility, which is usually a manifestation of a more profound and gnawing fear that they've never learned how to cope with.

The "reasons" people are hostile are more like excuses. The hostility was going to come out at someone, whether that person has any logical connection to their true rage or not.

[DadJokes]

I get why the OP thinks the parent was yelling at him (sorta), but what I don’t understand is why OP is convinced it was about walking his kid to school.  My first thought was perhaps it was about some perceived drama between the kids (e.g. Kid A told parent that Kid B said/did X….)

IME parents act the most atrociously when they feel their kid wasn’t treated fairly (real or imagined). Most people don’t care whatever else you do if it doesn’t impact them.

My guess is that OP gets to walk right into school with their kid, to the chagrin of all the other parents queued up in their idling clown SUVs waiting to dropoff.

That doesn't make any sense.  Even SUV drivers can see that pedestrians can't wait in a car line.  Again, walking or biking to school is not a remotely new concept, even for those that don't partake.  Do they expect students who walk or bike to school without being accompanied by a parent to wait as well or do they get a pass? 

At my kids school, kids are directed to enter the building at two different entrances, depending on grade and whether they take a bus, but they aren't going to be stopped from entering the other entrance.  The drop off line doesn't even see who is approaching the building at the opposite entrance, regardless of how they are arriving.  Some parents park in the lot and walk their student to the door or live so close to the school that driving would taken longer.  Kids arrive at school in a variety of ways.

I think you underestimate the idiocy of many people.

[Metalcat]

I get why the OP thinks the parent was yelling at him (sorta), but what I don’t understand is why OP is convinced it was about walking his kid to school.  My first thought was perhaps it was about some perceived drama between the kids (e.g. Kid A told parent that Kid B said/did X….)

IME parents act the most atrociously when they feel their kid wasn’t treated fairly (real or imagined). Most people don’t care whatever else you do if it doesn’t impact them.

My guess is that OP gets to walk right into school with their kid, to the chagrin of all the other parents queued up in their idling clown SUVs waiting to dropoff.

That doesn't make any sense.  Even SUV drivers can see that pedestrians can't wait in a car line.  Again, walking or biking to school is not a remotely new concept, even for those that don't partake.  Do they expect students who walk or bike to school without being accompanied by a parent to wait as well or do they get a pass? 

At my kids school, kids are directed to enter the building at two different entrances, depending on grade and whether they take a bus, but they aren't going to be stopped from entering the other entrance.  The drop off line doesn't even see who is approaching the building at the opposite entrance, regardless of how they are arriving.  Some parents park in the lot and walk their student to the door or live so close to the school that driving would taken longer.  Kids arrive at school in a variety of ways.

I think you underestimate the idiocy of many people.

People are generally not nearly as idiotic as they seem, they just seem like idiots because the people they impact make the assumption that the person's behaviour is actually about them.

Of course a behaviour seems idiotic when looked at through the lens of "why would that asshole do that to me?" As opposed to "I wonder what's going on in that person's head to make them act like an asshole?"

If this happened to me, my first thought wouldn't be to wonder what *I* did that this person is so angry about. My first thought would be to wonder why this person is so scared that it's manifesting as rage.

Usual suspects: job fear, financial anxiety, and marriage fear, usually all of the above wrapped up in a nice, unmanageable bow.

Most people lack the courage and conviction to actually confront the things/people who are causing their distress, so they lash out at folks who can't hurt them instead, like the bozo walking his kid to school because FUCK THAT FUCKING GUY!!!

And it makes them seem like total morons because they aren't actually thinking through their behaviour, so they functionally are idiotic, but in reality, they're mostly just terrified.

[charis]

I get why the OP thinks the parent was yelling at him (sorta), but what I don’t understand is why OP is convinced it was about walking his kid to school.  My first thought was perhaps it was about some perceived drama between the kids (e.g. Kid A told parent that Kid B said/did X….)

IME parents act the most atrociously when they feel their kid wasn’t treated fairly (real or imagined). Most people don’t care whatever else you do if it doesn’t impact them.

My guess is that OP gets to walk right into school with their kid, to the chagrin of all the other parents queued up in their idling clown SUVs waiting to dropoff.

This makes sense to me. Another poster suggested that it could be interpreted as cutting line. The car drop-off line is super long and people are not happy about it.

They should be thankful to you for making the car line shorter.  Heck, if everyone just walked or put their kid on the bus this wouldn't be an issue.

By this interpretation, the people upset about line-cutting might have thought @clarkfan1979 parked somewhere near school, got out of the car, and walked the rest of the way past everyone else, perhaps in violation of parking rules around the school. It could be inconceivable to them that you walked ALL THE WAY from home to school, because that's too far for any human athlete to endure.

I see nothing unethical about parking a couple of blocks away to avoid the car line (I dont do it because my kids ride the bus, but its probably what i would do if driving were my only option). The school my son went to last year did not have room for a car line so everyone who chose to pick up their child had to park on the street and walk.

Do people in fast food drive through lines get upset when others park and walk into the store?

My in-laws pick up my kids from school on a regular basis.  They never go through the car pick-up line.  They park on the next block and walk over so the kids can play with their friends and they can mingle with the other parents/grandparents for a while.  Maybe I can't wrap my head around this because we live in an urban area and I've never been to a school where a car line was the primary or sole accepted method of drop off/pick up. Is this a suburban thing?

[ChpBstrd]

I'm enjoying the presupposition that people who scream aggressively at others from cars have well thought out, rational motivations for doing so.

There is something to this. A high school buddy of mine used to enjoy yelling at pedestrians as we drove by. Usually is was just "HEY!!!" to get the person to jump. It was nothing to overthink - just a prank to get a laugh. If anyone he yelled at gave hours of thought to what happened, it was a waste, or maybe a good example of how we contrive meaning out of ambiguity where there's literally nothing there.

[GuitarStv]

it was a waste, or maybe a good example of how we contrive meaning out of ambiguity where there's literally nothing there.

I'd like to formally welcome religion to the conversation . . .

:P

[Metalcat]

I'm enjoying the presupposition that people who scream aggressively at others from cars have well thought out, rational motivations for doing so.

There is something to this. A high school buddy of mine used to enjoy yelling at pedestrians as we drove by. Usually is was just "HEY!!!" to get the person to jump. It was nothing to overthink - just a prank to get a laugh. If anyone he yelled at gave hours of thought to what happened, it was a waste, or maybe a good example of how we contrive meaning out of ambiguity where there's literally nothing there.

Also an example of how we're all the main character in our own video games and think that the way people behave towards us must logically be about us. When really, we're typically just NPCs in most people's worlds.

[DadJokes]

I get why the OP thinks the parent was yelling at him (sorta), but what I don’t understand is why OP is convinced it was about walking his kid to school.  My first thought was perhaps it was about some perceived drama between the kids (e.g. Kid A told parent that Kid B said/did X….)

IME parents act the most atrociously when they feel their kid wasn’t treated fairly (real or imagined). Most people don’t care whatever else you do if it doesn’t impact them.

My guess is that OP gets to walk right into school with their kid, to the chagrin of all the other parents queued up in their idling clown SUVs waiting to dropoff.

That doesn't make any sense.  Even SUV drivers can see that pedestrians can't wait in a car line.  Again, walking or biking to school is not a remotely new concept, even for those that don't partake.  Do they expect students who walk or bike to school without being accompanied by a parent to wait as well or do they get a pass? 

At my kids school, kids are directed to enter the building at two different entrances, depending on grade and whether they take a bus, but they aren't going to be stopped from entering the other entrance.  The drop off line doesn't even see who is approaching the building at the opposite entrance, regardless of how they are arriving.  Some parents park in the lot and walk their student to the door or live so close to the school that driving would taken longer.  Kids arrive at school in a variety of ways.

I think you underestimate the idiocy of many people.

People are generally not nearly as idiotic as they seem, they just seem like idiots because the people they impact make the assumption that the person's behaviour is actually about them.

Of course a behaviour seems idiotic when looked at through the lens of "why would that asshole do that to me?" As opposed to "I wonder what's going on in that person's head to make them act like an asshole?"

If this happened to me, my first thought wouldn't be to wonder what *I* did that this person is so angry about. My first thought would be to wonder why this person is so scared that it's manifesting as rage.

Usual suspects: job fear, financial anxiety, and marriage fear, usually all of the above wrapped up in a nice, unmanageable bow.

Most people lack the courage and conviction to actually confront the things/people who are causing their distress, so they lash out at folks who can't hurt them instead, like the bozo walking his kid to school because FUCK THAT FUCKING GUY!!!

And it makes them seem like total morons because they aren't actually thinking through their behaviour, so they functionally are idiotic, but in reality, they're mostly just terrified.

Being an asshole and being an idiot are very different things.

[Morning Glory]

I get why the OP thinks the parent was yelling at him (sorta), but what I don’t understand is why OP is convinced it was about walking his kid to school.  My first thought was perhaps it was about some perceived drama between the kids (e.g. Kid A told parent that Kid B said/did X….)

IME parents act the most atrociously when they feel their kid wasn’t treated fairly (real or imagined). Most people don’t care whatever else you do if it doesn’t impact them.

My guess is that OP gets to walk right into school with their kid, to the chagrin of all the other parents queued up in their idling clown SUVs waiting to dropoff.

This makes sense to me. Another poster suggested that it could be interpreted as cutting line. The car drop-off line is super long and people are not happy about it.

They should be thankful to you for making the car line shorter.  Heck, if everyone just walked or put their kid on the bus this wouldn't be an issue.

By this interpretation, the people upset about line-cutting might have thought @clarkfan1979 parked somewhere near school, got out of the car, and walked the rest of the way past everyone else, perhaps in violation of parking rules around the school. It could be inconceivable to them that you walked ALL THE WAY from home to school, because that's too far for any human athlete to endure.

I see nothing unethical about parking a couple of blocks away to avoid the car line (I dont do it because my kids ride the bus, but its probably what i would do if driving were my only option). The school my son went to last year did not have room for a car line so everyone who chose to pick up their child had to park on the street and walk.

Do people in fast food drive through lines get upset when others park and walk into the store?

My in-laws pick up my kids from school on a regular basis.  They never go through the car pick-up line.  They park on the next block and walk over so the kids can play with their friends and they can mingle with the other parents/grandparents for a while.  Maybe I can't wrap my head around this because we live in an urban area and I've never been to a school where a car line was the primary or sole accepted method of drop off/pick up. Is this a suburban thing?

My kid was learning about bar graphs in math a couple weeks ago. In his class there are 2 bus riders, 4 or 5 walkers, and something like 10 car riders.  Combination of non walkable stroads and snobbery about school buses I think (parents maybe had bad experience on the bus when they were kids and feel like they should drive their kids if they have the means to do so, even though this causes traffic congestion and is actually less safe for the kid). School does nothing to discourage driving, they just ask if you want a bus or not.

[DadJokes]

My kid was learning about bar graphs in math a couple weeks ago. In his class there are 2 bus riders, 4 or 5 walkers, and something like 10 car riders.  Combination of non walkable stroads and snobbery about school buses I think (parents maybe had bad experience on the bus when they were kids and feel like they should drive their kids if they have the means to do so, even though this causes traffic congestion and is actually less safe for the kid). School does nothing to discourage driving, they just ask if you want a bus or not.

I didn't take the bus as a kid; I was in a small town where I was able to ride a bike up until high school. I still wouldn't want my child to have to ride the bus here. Spending 2+ hours each way on the bus is not unusual in this area.

[Metalcat]

Being an asshole and being an idiot are very different things.

Yes, but we're talking about an example of someone being an asshole and likely having idiotic motivations for doing so.

Much idiocy can be explained the same way though. Someone behaves in a way that appears unbelievably idiotic, but it's often a case of the facts of the matter just not rising to the level of feeling relevant to that person, not so much that they are incapable of understanding the factors involved that make their behaviour idiotic.

Basically, a lot of idiocy is explained more by self-absorption than actual inability to understand.

Nothing makes people more self absorbed than fear, and from what I've learned, most people are walking around with pretty consuming amounts of fear.

Funny story:

I was recently put on a medication that dropped my blood pressure way too low, and spiked my heart rate. I spent a week feeling physical symptoms of anxiety, and the mind will explain those symptoms by generating a belief that you are feeling fear.

I started processing everything in my life through a lens of anxiety, and found that I was relating to the factors in my life far more similarly to how I read people here relating to their own lives.

I looked at DH and said "Is this how normal people think and feel every day??? IT'S FUCKING HORRIBLE!"

[By the River]

Being an asshole and being an idiot are very different things.

I think assholes are those drivers going faster than you and idiots are drivers going slower than you. 

[nereo]

Being an asshole and being an idiot are very different things.

I think assholes are those drivers going faster than you and idiots are drivers going slower than you.

At least give appropriate credit…
https://youtu.be/1ygT0YnjdX0
(The late George Carlin)

[clarkfan1979]

I get why the OP thinks the parent was yelling at him (sorta), but what I don’t understand is why OP is convinced it was about walking his kid to school.  My first thought was perhaps it was about some perceived drama between the kids (e.g. Kid A told parent that Kid B said/did X….)

IME parents act the most atrociously when they feel their kid wasn’t treated fairly (real or imagined). Most people don’t care whatever else you do if it doesn’t impact them.

My guess is that OP gets to walk right into school with their kid, to the chagrin of all the other parents queued up in their idling clown SUVs waiting to dropoff.

That doesn't make any sense.  Even SUV drivers can see that pedestrians can't wait in a car line.  Again, walking or biking to school is not a remotely new concept, even for those that don't partake.  Do they expect students who walk or bike to school without being accompanied by a parent to wait as well or do they get a pass? 

At my kids school, kids are directed to enter the building at two different entrances, depending on grade and whether they take a bus, but they aren't going to be stopped from entering the other entrance.  The drop off line doesn't even see who is approaching the building at the opposite entrance, regardless of how they are arriving.  Some parents park in the lot and walk their student to the door or live so close to the school that driving would taken longer.  Kids arrive at school in a variety of ways.

I think you underestimate the idiocy of many people.

People are generally not nearly as idiotic as they seem, they just seem like idiots because the people they impact make the assumption that the person's behaviour is actually about them.

Of course a behaviour seems idiotic when looked at through the lens of "why would that asshole do that to me?" As opposed to "I wonder what's going on in that person's head to make them act like an asshole?"

If this happened to me, my first thought wouldn't be to wonder what *I* did that this person is so angry about. My first thought would be to wonder why this person is so scared that it's manifesting as rage.

Usual suspects: job fear, financial anxiety, and marriage fear, usually all of the above wrapped up in a nice, unmanageable bow.

Most people lack the courage and conviction to actually confront the things/people who are causing their distress, so they lash out at folks who can't hurt them instead, like the bozo walking his kid to school because FUCK THAT FUCKING GUY!!!

And it makes them seem like total morons because they aren't actually thinking through their behaviour, so they functionally are idiotic, but in reality, they're mostly just terrified.

Being an asshole and being an idiot are very different things.

True.

I am more interested in the discrimination between stupidity and fraud.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5XOKFH8ECM

[Cassie]

The other day I was reading about a school that insisted every kid be driven to school. Even the people across the street were not allowed to walk their kids. The school decided it was too dangerous. I hope someone decided to take a stand on a ridiculous policy.

[FireLane]

The other day I was reading about a school that insisted every kid be driven to school. Even the people across the street were not allowed to walk their kids. The school decided it was too dangerous. I hope someone decided to take a stand on a ridiculous policy.

That sounds like a perfect opportunity for civil disobedience. If I lived near the school, I'd ignore that rule and walk my kid up to the door.

What the hell are they going to do? Refuse to let him in the building? Insist I walk back home and come back in a car?

[clarkfan1979]

The other day I was reading about a school that insisted every kid be driven to school. Even the people across the street were not allowed to walk their kids. The school decided it was too dangerous. I hope someone decided to take a stand on a ridiculous policy.

That sounds like a perfect opportunity for civil disobedience. If I lived near the school, I'd ignore that rule and walk my kid up to the door.

What the hell are they going to do? Refuse to let him in the building? Insist I walk back home and come back in a car?

We live 6 houses away from the middle school and the elementary school is behind the middle school. It's about an 8 minute walk. During COVID-19, we were not allowed to walk our kid to school. I was considering civil disobedience, but I decided against it because I didn't want to appear inconsiderate of others. I'm not sure how not walking to school is going to reduce the spread, but whatever.

If the school is going to state that it's too risky to walk to school, I would walk my kid and accept the risk. However, I might not have my kid walk themselves.