Monday, April 07, 2008

Mixed Message


What do you make of a person who cuts me off at high speed, requiring me to brake suddenly and causing an entire back seat of grocery bags to fly all over the car, and then flashes me a peace sign?

His driving says "fuck you" but the peace sign means -- what?

1. Thank you for not shooting me with your dashboard bazooka after my exceptionally asshole move?

2. I can do whatever I want because the rules don't apply to me?

3. I know I nearly killed you and caused unbelievable carnage inside your car but I was only kidding?

4. I'm confused. If you can catch up with me, I would appreciate your help in sorting things out?

5. I saw this hand gesture in a 60's flick and thought it was way cool but it has nothing to do with who I am?

6. ???

28 comments:

RED MOJO said...

No, it's not a peace sign, it's a scissors sign indicating he's cut you off successfully!

thailandchani said...

Sounds right to me. Not a peace sign. It has to mean something else.. or it may be a rather lame attempt to say "sorry".

Anonymous said...

Well my first thought was something along the lines of passive-aggressive assholedness but then I dropped back, centered, re-read and realized I might have been influenced by your wonderful telling.

I could be sooooooo wrong but it could be the driver realized the, uh, non-right action "nature" of the move and offered the sign as a "oops, sorry."

Or not.

More important, what was your response? (smiling)

Anonymous said...

"An" oops. "An" oops.

Christ-on-a-cracker, I can't believe I let that edit go by.

Should've given it the peace sign, huh? (lol)

the walking man said...

Hearts,
Sounds like the way MOST people in bigger than a small sedan drive around here.

6] All five fingers up is bouquet of middle fingers, you only got a small vase worth.

Peace

mark

Fate's Granddaughter said...

Over here putting two fingers up at someone in a heated moment is the equlivilant of saying "F*** you."

Perhaps he was British, and a royal arsehole.

Anonymous said...

Heart, in the UK the V sign doubles as meaning precisely Fuck You so I guess that's what he meant. Cutting in is an epidemic here, I couldn't count the number of near misses I've had from arsebags like that. Oh and the V sign can also mean Victory, as per Winston Churchill's famous gesture.

Anonymous said...

Oh, FG got there first!

Say It said...

I'm pretty sure it means he's an a-hole. yup, pretty sure.

Don't you just want to rearend those people sometimes?

Echomouse said...

It's the Dick response. You know the type. They walk all over you, you step ahead to let them pass, they can't believe they treated you like dirt AND that you helped them do it so they figure it's all good. What they don't get is the reality of the situation --

They're ASSHOLES. ;)

Echomouse said...

Just read earlier comments...the V sign means F-you in the UK??? Wow. Had no idea.

Suddenly i'm reminded of all the celebrities who flash the peace sign to the paparrazzi. Maybe they're all really telling us to f-off! lol

Bob said...

the victory "V" is displayed with palm toward the audience. the fuck-off "V" is inflicted with the palm towards the inflictor.

I'd say the guy was being passive-aggressive by attempting to apologize for doing something he knew was wrong.

heartinsanfrancisco said...

Mojo,

Well, that changes everything.

Chani,

I'm pretty sure it meant, "See ya later, Chump."

Wendy,

My reaction? Dumbstruck by the incongruity between the act and the gesture, the surreality of finding myself still alive despite all sorts of grocery items slamming madly around the dome light.

Mark,

I guess I should be grateful for small favors.

Fate,

I had no idea. Thanks for the tip.

Nick,

I remember Churchill's victory sign and thought it strange when hippies adopted it to mean "peace" in the 60's.

Say it,

If I drove a Hummer, I would consider it.

Echo,

I'm familiar with the concept. So many assholes, so little time.

Bob,

That is exactly the conclusion I came to.

Anonymous said...

Turn the fingers around and you have the middle finger gesture in Britain. Maybe he was English.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like an apology. We all do stupid things, don't look all the way 'round, forget about that blindspot, act a little careless at time -- a peace sign would be a good symbol of "I'm sorry."

Mariposa said...

I echo Red Mojo! Yet, I would love to think Chani is right as well, he may be sorry for what he did...some people here make some hand gesture too to say sorry...but not a peace sign though, something like showing their palm...like a stop sign but with some facial nod... ;)

heartinsanfrancisco said...

Claudia,

So it has been noted. I guess there is no reason all the assholes would be American. Britain deserves their share, too.

David,

Probably so. If he regularly drives like that, his finger must be getting a lot of action.

Mariposa,

That is the hand signal I'm familiar with - it means "Oops, sorry." This one was a bit confusing.

Rebecca said...

Wow, that is truly baffling. Is it what Red says? Ooooo, a British bird. Got it. I thought it was like a Nixon move, myself, before reading comments (thanks, everyone, for the education). But what do I know, here in New York, we just go ahead and flip the bird. Usually while verbalizing same. Loudly. That way we got you whether you are visually or hearing impaired ;)

that said, wow, that guy was a DICK!!

r.

heartinsanfrancisco said...

Rebecca,

So many dicks, so little time...

Jake Allsop said...

We - or at least I - need an unambiguous hand signal that says "Sorry, what I just did was stupid." One suggestion is putting your forefinger, gun-like, to your temple as symbol that you ought to be shot for your mistake. Unfortunately, like the V sign, it could also mean "I think YOU should be shot". Tricky.

meggie said...

Assholes are just assholes, regardless of what they do with their fingers!

heartinsanfrancisco said...

Jake,

Yes, it is tricky. I would have liked him to get out of his car and lie down under mine, actually.

Meggie,

Who knew that assholes had fingers? That explains a lot.

urban-urchin said...

I'm a shithead who needs to be castrated...

heartinsanfrancisco said...

Urchin,

Oh, of course. (Claps head.) Why didn't I think of that?

Angela said...

Yeah. I'd probably go with "See you later, Chump." Unfortunately. The idealist in me wants to believe it was some sort of apology, but I think that you and I both know what the chances of *that* are.

heartinsanfrancisco said...

Angela,

It may have been an acknowledgment of his assholeness, but an apology? Nay. I think not.

Jameil said...

"this means something totally different in my country."

"i bet this is how many seconds it will take you to realize what just happened and curse me out."

heartinsanfrancisco said...

Jameil,

He was wrong. It doesn't take me that long.