Are you willing to admit you’re wrong?
I got cut-off in traffic today on my way to classes. Twice. Both times, I was cut off by somebody that did not respect the right-away rule at 4-way stops. Both times, I honked at them. Both times, I was given the finger.
This made me realize something. When something happens in traffic, some controversy of some kind, if I am in the right and I want to tell the person how I feel, I never give them the finger. I usually give them a thumbs up, as if to say “Nice going, ass-clown.” Or I will point to my temple to say “THINK!” But never the finger. The only time I give the finger is when I’m too flustered to think of something else, which is when I have done something wrong (and know it).
I’m a good driver (and, I admit, an aggressive one). But I occasionally make a mistake in traffic. Everyone does. But to give somebody the finger, at this point, just doesn’t do anything. It’s a way of saying “I don’t care what you think.” If you care about making the other person know they were wrong, you don’t give them the finger, you make them feel stupid (because they are).
With that in mind, I realized today that I am never going to be offended or apologize about a traffic incident if the other person gives me the finger. Instead, I’ll take it as an admission from the other person that they are wrong, stupid, shouldn’t be allowed to drive a car, or all three.
Don’t give the finger. It’s dumb, and you admit you’re wrong.
