Drive-by insults

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I don't have a car, so I walk to and from college. Within the past couple of months, people have been yelling insults at me while driving by (usually single words). Most of the time I can't tell what they're saying (because they are driving too fast), but today I clearly heard the word f** (not sure if the use of that word is allowed here)



Does anyone else experience this?

i experienced being verbally assaulted in the street when i was younger (18-20ish) a few times. I think some people see that you are looking awkward/shy and see it as an opportunity to be vile.
The best course of action is to try not to react and walk with your head high. If its the same people doing this to you they will hopefully get bored when they see they're not affecting you (like most bullies)
hope you are ok

Back in the days I didn't have a car, people would sometimes hurl insults at me from passing cars. After a while, I detected a pattern; it happened usually happened during the following occasions.
I was reading a sign somewhere in the distance, and looked distracted as a result.
I was staring at the screen of my cell phone while reading e-mail via WAP.
I was standing next to a bus stop located near my high school.
I was engrossed into a book while sitting on a bench somewhere.
I was looking in any direction other than straight ahead.
Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

I devised the following strategies to avoid being targeted by NTs.
Choose bus stops that have shelters whenever possible, and sit inside the shelter.
Not look at my phone screen for longer than a few seconds.
Look only straight ahead, except to briefly check something in another direction.

Another method I devised is this, to use when standing or walking near any place where I'm likely to be targeted. I'd put my right hand into a certain position, where my index finger is extended and all other fingers are bent. Then I'd put my hand into my pocket, keeping it in that position. From the side, it looks like I'm carrying a gun . (Whenever I see a police car, I straighten out all my fingers until it passes.) Lo and behold, it worked or at least it seemed that way . But please be careful when using it, so it won't be misinterpreted in any way.[/list]

No, I'm lucky enough to own a nice car so that would never happen to me. And when I don't drive to school I get a ride with my dad, who also has a nice car.

I get that sometimes, because i like to work on my car outside. For some reason people feel good about themselves after yelling an obscenity at someone else.

It happens to me all the time from random nobodies, and just jerks.

I don't really care anymore. It happened more when I was younger.

Believe it or not, someone threw an iced tea can at my back, while I was riding my bike in the neighborhood. I think people are so dumb when it comes to the fact that it is not necessary to provoke others when you can see a counselor and be a changed man.

Ever since then, I have been afraid to walk on the side of the road.

This happens to me as well. The reason we cannot understand what they are yelling is because of the doppler effect, a distortion of the sound that occurs when they are moving at a different speed than you are.

I take solace in the fact that they are ignorant fools. They are such ignoramuses that they do not even realize that their insult cannot be understood, and thus they wasted their breath. You can derisively laugh at them for their ignorant unintelligent wasted effort.

One time the car was driving slow enough for me to understand what the insult was. It was, "You f***ing lebo!" (a racist slur against lebanese people). However, I am not lebanese, and do not look it either. So I just laughed derisively because the guy who yelled this was obviously a dumbass who cannot determine the nationality of people correctly.

Summary: People who make drive-by insults have only a basic level of mental development.

Yes, that has happened to me before. What I really hate are these noisy cars, with bad motors. When I plug my ears, they'll often times honk there horns at me.

Why even bother worrying about drive-by insults? People just want to have fun, and it's a pretty sick world out there, with all the things you have to do to get by in life, go to school and get a job and all those things. Even NTs become non-NT for a while when faced with all this crap, so they do all these bizarre things.

If you have to put up with a nasty boss all day long, I can empathize with someone who's going to take out his frustration on some innocent bystanders from his car window. It's harmless, and why should we care? It's surely better than these road rage incidents involving guns, you know?

I had this one incident at one time right on the street of my own house. There were these six kids playing in the road, and they refused to move. I beeped my horn, and they started making all sorts of facial expressions. I just screamed, "Either get out of the way, or mommy's gonna have to buy you a new basketball hoop!" How fast they so ran!

- Ray M -

I've been heckled by groups of guys in cars, but I never thought much of it, I just assumed it was too much testosterone and happened to everyone. I was nearly run over on purpose once too, but again it wasn't personal because they weren't close enough to see me properly when they started revving up the engine. It's a pity they were going so fast, because had I caught the number plate, for $2 at the post office I could have got their address and poured milk on their paintwork and sugar in their fuel tank. What do they say about revenge being sweet?

Usually the best technique is to just ignore people like that. Don't even turn around. They're doing it to get a bite, and if you ignore them they'll give up.

Here's my tip*:

Don't look up
Make a loose fist with your left hand (or right, it's up to you)
Hold the fist at about shoulder height (or where ever comfortable)
Turn your wrist so your fingers face you
Extend your middle finger
Hold this position for no more than 3 seconds
Release

Do this each time someone hurls insults at you. Practice holding this position in various situations...walking, waiting for the bus, looking at your cell phone, etc. Be sure your hand position is displayed in the general direction of your insulter.


*Note: Use this position wisely! Be sure to do this only when you are not at risk of being injured, i.e., when there are other people and cars around and it's during the day. This post is not responsible for injury to the insultee when this exercise is used in not so nice places.