Door Close

The city is not the best place to work if you’re looking for considerate people. Not that the people of Gotham are necessarily bad people, collectively speaking. But there is a rushing nature to city life that just doesn’t seem to lend itself to kindness toward strangers. Or even civility.

I can deal with the smokers in doorways and people mindlessly blocking the sidewalk. Taking up a whole bench with your butt, backpack and stretched out legs is rude enough but usually, I’m not wanting to sit on the bench at any rate.

Some jerk shoulder-slammed me one day for daring to be in his way. He was fazed not at all by the fact that I was standing on the curb waiting for the light, whereas he was blatantly jaywalking.

All the people I’ve discussed so far did something overtly rude but I can deal with that.

I don’t know why, but the people who really make me grit my teeth are the ones who get on the elevator, hit their floor button and then more or less automatically, hit the “Door Close” button. There’s something about that – some “I got mine, so screw you” mentality – that really lights me up.

I guess what really gets me is that these are people who would probably be horrified to find a stranger considers them self-centered. Selfish, even. It’s hard to take the big rudenesses by jerks.  But these little, unthinking discourtesies committed by seemingly regular people really chap my hide.

To be fair, I do see a lot of folks holding the doors for others. In fact, they kinder, gentler elevator riders are without doubt in the majority at 1501 4^th Ave.

I just wish the Door Close people would stop it.