Being Unreasonable

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I'm probably not doing myself any favors by discussing it here, but I recently saw and article that really ticked me off and provides an excellent illustration of part of my personal philosophy.

This is the kind of thing that really makes me blow my top, complete unreasonableness. Perhaps it's my years of retail work talking, but I can honestly say that I would like to shoot that tow truck driver, and anyone else who acts like him. I think that every now and then that sort of personality needs to be reminded that there are consequences for their actions, and those consequences don't have to be reasonable either. I truly think that the only way to deal with these people is to go so far off the reasonable response scale in the other direction that it provides a shock to their system, and the systems of any others like them who may read about it in the paper. I have it on anecdotal evidence that California drivers are never more courteous then in the several weeks following a road rage shooting, so perhaps that is the best way to keep them in line, periodically shoot one at random. My personal experience also points in this direction, having had a customer escalate a simple complaint into a near violent incident because I wouldn't allow him to bully me, I can't put into words how satisfying it was when he discovered the possible consequences of that course of action. I'm far too level headed to actually shoot someone for simply being a jerk, but honest enough to admit that I want to, and wouldn't lose any sleep if one of these people were to give me that coveted "reason", it really would make my day.

I'm sure this seems quite extreme to some people, but I would argue that we are talking about an extreme type of person, whom less extreme methods haven't worked on up to the point that they cross the line. To clarify, I'm not proposing the death penalty for bad behavior here, or advocating blowing away any jerk that crosses one's path, but more lamenting that it has gotten to the point where I think that is the best "solution" for some people.

It seems like back in the day, bad behavior of a certain type was dealt with differently, like the tow truck driver in the story might have been "encouraged" by the deputy to let the woman have her car without the fee. Otherwise, he might have had a taillight out or found his tabs suddenly expired, maybe even resisted arrest if he pushed it. These days, that's a massive lawsuit at the least, so the bad behavior is allowed to flourish. It's the same thing with fighting words, some of the things people have said to me when I've been behind a counter WOULD have gotten you shot not that long ago, but now the idea that their may be consequences is the last thing on these people's minds.

It is these types of things that made me wish I could open carry my guns when I worked, very few people will be so rude or abusive to an obviously armed individual, because the possible consequences are right there for them to see. That is the true point of this rambling, that today's lack of consequences encourages behavior that might technically be legal, but is far from desirable.

If every jackass and douchebag and jagoff who deserved to be shot were actually shot, the world would be full of corpses. This is where your human spiritual qualities come in. Mahatma Ghandi said, "An eye for an eye leaves the world blind." But he probably didn't know how to field-strip an assault rifle.

Look around. The world is full of corpses. Sometimes deservedly so. Frequently not.

And yet so many jerks and jagoffs are still walking around. You can't shoot them all, because unfortunately they come from an inexhaustible source. You can't even shoot a few without becoming what you hate.

To a man with a hammer, every problem look like a nail.

To a man with a gun every mild offense provides a target?

That seems to be the prevalent mentality.

That is sig-line material. May I use it?

OK by me.

I think that many of the responses so far are being sidetracked by my method, and missing the thrust of my post. I say I'd like to shoot people who are extremely unreasonable because I'm known as a guy that knows how to shoot. If I were a lawyer, I'd say I wanted to sue them, and if I were a liberal I'd want to write a strongly worded letter, and/or slap a pithy bumper sticker on my Prius about it. The point I'm trying to make is that past a certain degree of unreasonableness, the proper response ought to be extreme, otherwise people who behave that way are encouraged by the success of being unreasonable. As said, I'd probably feel this way no matter what, but years of retail work have hardened this philosophy into it's current rather out there form. There's something about being threatened with physical violence over a customer service policy that just chokes all of the possible empathy right out of me.

in an elliptical sort of way, it sounds like a kitty genovese kind of deal (not in that it was a group reaction but the removal from reality into a kind of absurdist take on a scenario).

There is nothing wrong with feeling hatred and disgust at callous behavior but the reaction to act as judge and jury and executioner merely because one is expert in the use of a gun and possesses one is beyond what society accepts in normal interpersonal behavior.

Choice of weapon is not at issue here. I would agree that this tow guy needs his face re-arranging at the very least... I don't own or use a gun.

Could not the cop have just said "possible crime scene mate.. leave the car or I do you for interference..."? Or would that be too much initiative?

Y'know ... it's all well and good to kick up a row over the callouseness of the tow driver, the lack of initiative of the cop, and the criminal behavior of the botfriend.

But has anyone follwed up on the condition of the woman?

She's had insult added to her injuries, and yet you're all focussing on the antics of the three men around her!

I hope she's recovering well and getting the support she needs.

To misquote Walter Sobchak: "The woman is not the issue here Dude!" Given that she managed to drive to her grandmothers house, summon the constabulary and argue with the tow truck driver, I'm inferring that she wasn't too seriously injured. That is beside the point however, what we are discussing here is not domestic violence, but what constitutes a reasonable response to unreasonable behavior. The boyfriend's actions are covered under the law, what the truck driver did is technically legal but morally reprehensible, and to me is the stickier issue as to how it is handled.

So true, but what if the source is not exhaustible?
then issues from a repeat offender can come to a finale resolution.
case closed.

its about like two boxers in an inescapable ring, one keeps saying lets work together for the benefit of the good,
while the other keeps forcing the issues of there can be only one, if the one that wants peace does
nothing then eventually he gets beat to a pulp and loses, he then has no choice but to fight back,
in which case, if your going to do it do it right, take off the gloves and bring out the hammer,
there can be only one.