Unusual Expectations

I've noticed something odd lately.

I don't know if it's something new, or just that I'm not a very social person and haven't noticed it until now.

There seem to be a lot of people who just blithely assume that they have the right to tell me what to do.
What to think.
What to believe.

I'm not talking about the professional pundits and egregious talking heads, but actual people.

And it's not so much that these people are acting this way that I find surprising (people will always try to get one over on you if given half a chance);  it's this disappointed parent attitude they seem to be whipping out.  This sort of 'ok, you've tried it your way, now do what I say' attitude from people who have absolutely no right, authority, or experience to back them up.

Lately it seems I catch this shit from strangers on the street.

A sort of snide arrogance that leaves me wondering (not for the first time) if restricting parental corporal punishment is really such a good idea.

Gotta love it when folks you've never met act like you owe them something.

Musing on Terry Pratchett

There are the people of the day, and the creatures of the night. And it's important to remember that the creatures of the night aren't simply the people of the day staying up late because they think that makes them cool and interesting. It takes more than heavy mascara and a pale complexion to cross the divide.    
― Terry Pratchett ―

So I was out early (for me) today getting groceries...

Let me go back.

I've been working/living late shifts for almost my entire adult life.  I can count the number of day shift jobs I've had on two fingers.

And for the most part I'm perfectly happy working these hours.  It's nice, and I understand the people around me.

But today I was up unusually early (for me) and decided to get a bit of grocery shopping done... I'd only been out for about half an hour and the above quote started floating around my head.

It's been a while since I was out that early, and by a while I mean a couple of years.


By the end of the first hour I lost count of how many times I narrowly avoided injuring someone who was paying absolutely no attention to their surroundings.


(Daytime people really have no concept of things like basic manners, situational awareness, or common courtesy). 

And the thing I don't understand, the thing that makes absolutely no sense, is that all the studies agree that people who work nights die an average of five years younger than people who stick to a daytime schedule.

How the fuck are these oblivious and ill mannered people still alive?

Glad none of them are my responsibility.