We’ve all heard the phrase, “Road Rage” — That 20th century phenomenon of rude, risky, violent behavior on the road. 
It’s infancy, best as I can remember, was in Los Angeles, CA in the late 80’s when people started getting shot by other motorists on southern California freeways. Everybody blamed everybody else because of some roadway foibles. It spawned the popular bumper sticker,
“COVER ME, I’M CHANGING LANES.”
It even motivated the lawmakers to propose a “drive with a gun, go to state prison” legislation. I don’t know if it ever passed.
Through the 90’s the behavior broadened to include all kinds of weird, aggressive actions taken, one human being to another, within the integument mask of their automobiles. Odd how people will do things in their cars that they’d never dream of face to face. People are funny that way.
Researchers have now found various excuses for these nefarious drivers. Some say they’re not to blame because the lanes end and merge too quickly; turns are too sharp. Others contend that the exits and entrances are too crowded. We all know that freeway traffic is often slow or stopped which leads to tension, anger, aggressive driving, road rage. Well, of course.
I wonder if during the horse and buggy days they suffered from Buggy Rage. I can see it clearly. Jeb, is taking a leisurely ride to the general store to pick up some candle wax and new butter churner . He’s suddenly overtaken on a narrow portion of the road by young Billy-bob who is trying to impress his friends with daddy’s new surrey complete with isinglass curtains you can roll right down, in case there’s a change in the weather.
He leans on the hooter to get Jeb to shake it on up the road a little faster. Jeb isn’t quick enough to respond and suddenly Billy-bob whips the horses and passes Jeb on the right shouting obscenities as he goes by slinging mud and rocks in his wake. Sound ridiculo
us? That’s because it is.
I read just the other day about a new 20th century phenomenon. Desk Rage. “In today’s pressure-cooked work place, stress can be a breeding ground for Desk Rage.” I’m not kidding. I really read it. Half of all workers claim they’re victims of regular yelling and verbal abuse in their workplaces. Nearly one-fourth of them have been driven to tears.
One manager who was the object of numerous complaints about his excessive foul language responded, “I’ m tired of walking on $*%&# eggshells, trying to make people happy around here,” Well, isn’t that poetic.
Researchers have found excuses for them as well. It’s the stress, they say. People are just pushed too hard at the office. The experts say that longer hours, bigger work loads, smaller cubicles all are responsible for desk rage. And with people using cell phones now even the commute is a place for desk rage. Or would we be back to road rage? I’m confused.
And oh the consequences. One man lost his management job he’d held for over 20 years because of his inability to control his language. Another spent time in jail for brandishing a gun during a roadway dispute. One woman has received company-paid psychological counseling for the verbal abuse she’s received. On and on and on.
As confused as we may be about the politically correct terminology, we shouldn’t be confused about the process of self-control and consequences or how to respond to it. Seems that we’ve given a lot of fancy names and convoluted excuses for the simple act of people losing their temper. That’s what they called it when I grew up. And there were no excuses.
“Now keep your temper,” my mother would say, “I’m sure nobody else wants it.”
And I learned (the hard way) that nobody did.
It's a Good Life! . . . .
