Some people are jerks

Not that it should be any real surprise, but some people are jerks. The thought came to mind yesterday as I walked Lumi in the park and was nearly run over in the crosswalk of the park's ring road.These are (some of) the people who are jerks:• The people who slow down a little when they approach you walking in the crosswalk, but never come to a full stop. You can feel the whoosh of air on your back as they pass by you and you're relieved that you didn't trip. Seriously, is it so hard to stop for someone crossing the road? And what if I had tripped? Jerk.• The person in the car that's fourth or fifth in line at the traffic light who honks the second the light turns green. Do you realize that it's against the laws of physics that you could already be moving, given the cars in front of you that all have to move and cannot until the car in front of it moves? The speed of light is super-fast. And maybe the person who's first in line at the traffic light doesn't want to get side-swiped by some jerk who's running through the red light because they didn't feel like slowing down in time.• The jerk who runs the red light. Look - if you need to get somewhere that quickly, you should have left your house sooner. There's virtually nowhere that you're going that stopping at one more red light is going to make you far too late for. And if it does, well, at least you're alive and didn't kill anyone with your murder vehicle.Enough about drivers. There are plenty more jerks on the road, but they're not the only ones.• The person who opens a box of food at the supermarket to - I don't know what it is they're doing. Are they having a snack? Are they taste-testing to decide what they want to buy? I mean, it's not your pantry. If you open the box, buy it, don't put it back on the shelf for me to grab and then everything falls out because it's open. Who raised you? Wolves?• The person who stops short in the middle of the sidewalk, staring at their phone. EXCUSE ME, walking here! If the message on your phone is so desperately important that you have to read it right now, move over and get out of my way. This is especially true in Manhattan, where someone once likened the sidewalks to highways - they are the main mode of transportation for too many people.• The people who eat all the Hershey's miniatures except for the Mr. Goodbars. Honestly, I mean, really? You know that's garbage behavior.Photo by thesaltr via Flickr Creative Commons.