This is really minor compared to crap other people are going through, but...

A few days ago I caught a CTA train at Main St. in Evanston. I decided to add some money to my fare-card first. At that station there are two fare-card machines. A woman was using one of them, and a woman was standing in front of the other one, talking on her cellphone. I stood behind the woman on her cellphone, waiting for her to either actually use the machine or get out of the way. For about 5 seconds she did neither - then she said to me, "The polite word is 'excuse me.'" Then she complained about me being rude to the person she was talking to on her cellphone.

Anyway, she pissed me off. I figured the polite thing to do would be to wait for her to use the machine or move out of the way. It seemed to me that she just wanted to put all the blame on me for the situation, rather than acknowledge that maybe it wasn't best for her to be in front of the machine but not using it while she was distracted by her call.

The polite thing is for her to move the fuck out of the way without making you ask.

I figured the polite thing to do would be to wait for her to use the machine or move out of the way.

Considering that she was talking on the phone, I probably would have done the same thing. Only when she sniped, I probably would have said, "That's two words, Huffy McSnottypants." And made the situation worse, as I sometimes do.

The only time I've gotten frustrated with people who wouldn't say "excuse me" was when I was sitting in the aisle seat of an airplane and the strange, deeply midwestern people sitting in the middle and window seats would just stare at me when they needed me to get up so they could go to the bathroom.

In conclusion, Tom, cellphone lady? Kind of an asshole.

Happy Birthday, Brenda!

ita's link burned out my brain.

She was an inconsiderate person who probably would have been rude no matter how you approached the situation (including complaining if you had said "excuse me"). There's not a lot you can do about it, except ignore it.

I wasn't filled with unusual amounts of rage until I read your story, tommyrot, but that's all fixed now. WTF is wrong with people?

ita's warning did say "worse than goatse," but then qualified that with "possibly" and added that it seemed to her both funnier and less scarring. There was no way on earth I was clicking that link, but the warning was just ambiguous enough that I read the whitefont, and oh how I wish I hadn't.

She was an inconsiderate person who probably would have been rude no matter how you approached the situation

Plus, then complaining about it on her cell phone, as if you can't hear her, is fucking tacky.

including complaining if you had said "excuse me"

Yeah, it occurred to me to tell her that she'd probably have complained no matter what I did, but she was still on the phone minutes after the event when the train pulled up, so I didn't say anything to her. Because, you know, I try not to be rude....

Happy Birthday, Brenda!

Shouldn't have read the whitefont. Usually I'm OK with the whitefont. But there's just no OK there. Ah, well. I was warned. No one else to blame.

bon bon nailed it on that rudemeister, tommy. Bleh.

Thanks for the Alan Johnston link, Jars.

I don't know why people feel free to be dicks about the little things. One jackhole can really make your day or week go sour. I think everyone should participate in Operation Don't Be a Total Douchebag for a day, and anyone who can't make it a full 24 hours without being a fuckwit should be ejected from the planet.