Baby You Can Drive My Truck

The batter is warmed up, in the on deck circle. I love spring. He even has his Nike batting glove on.

Everyone has a right to my opinion and I carry a toilet plunger to make sure it’s forced as deep as possible down your throat.

I’m talking about, of course, everyone on the internet. That’s pretty much what it has come down to, right?

Take, for example, a video posted two days ago on YouTube of a road rage incident described as “Redneck Road Rage” and “Instant Karma.” The video quickly went viral. As I write this post it already has over 5 million views. Wow.

Click here to be transported to a dream world of YouTube magic: Redneck Road Rage / Instant Karma

According to the description on the video, the woman was forced to disable comments after she was issued “umpteenth” death threats and called “a b!#$h/c$%t/whore/slut” a “billion” times.

Oh, internet. Is there anything you can’t do?

Over on news websites, though, the comment sections are still open. And the opinions are flying fast and furious. The whole thing is almost enough to drive someone truck nuts.

Is it possible for people to watch the video and come to reasonable and different opinions? I think so. One thing’s for sure: People don’t hesitate to share them. Vehemently. With prejudice. And vile language. And death threats.

Where the hell is all of that vicious bile coming from? Methinks it has more to do with the source than anything else. Methinks some people, like the dude flippin’ the bird, have issues.

Some people sided with the woman who, when allegedly aggressively tailgated for three minutes, pulled out her cell phone to record the driver behind her. Others saw both sides. And still others blamed it all on the woman who was recording the video.

Is that what they teach in driver’s ed these days? If you are driving and see something going down, whip out your smartphone and hit record. I’ve often wished my eyeballs were video cameras, because the shit that I see? It’s unbelievable. In my case I should probably strap an iPhone permanently to my forehead.

Some commenters theorized that the woman must have instigated the incident and was only getting what she deserved. She was breaking the law by recording video while driving. She probably drove slow and antagonized the man in the truck on purpose.

The video clearly shows that she’s passing slower traffic on the right. Even if she’s driving slower than someone might like she still has as much right to the fast lane as anyone else.

One thing seems certain: The video is working a lot like a Rorschach test and everyone is interpreting the video through their own prism. The conclusions they come up with, I think, say a lot about who they are as a person.

Personally I think I side with the woman. Not that I’m willing to go to war about it or anything. I’ve been in that situation. Like on a two-lane highway and I’m in the left lane going just as fast as the cars ahead of me, also in the left lane. This isn’t good enough for some folks, and they tailgate and pass on the right every chance they get, each time moving one car length closer to their destination.

Sure, if one person is gumming up the whole works, I can emote with the best of them. But, all things being equal, I normally see the futility of trying to pass everyone in sight no matter what and I’m content to take it easy and go with the flow.

If someone likes to get too close this can anger me. I interpret it as a threat to my safety. I know better than to tap my brakes as that only increases the danger.

Sometimes you’ll get past the slower traffic and then, before you can change lanes the tailgater will Tokyo Drift and pass you on the right, which is illegal and reckless.

I guess I just shared my opinion like everyone else. I’m proud, though, that I didn’t resort to death threats and vile profanities.

What’s the moral and point of this post? I’m not sure there is one, except I’m really sad that such uptight assholes have to exist. These people walk among us. They are our neighbors, coworkers, members of our church and communities and more. That ain’t right.

I wish we could round up, shame and do something about the people who sit behind their computer screens spewing pure evil into the universe. Maybe we could give them all big trucks and a long stretch of road? That just might do it. Kind of like an Escape From New York for Road Warriors.

Jeffrey White, 33, of Tampa, Florida, was arrested and charged with reckless driving and leaving the scene of a crash.

Source: ABC News