Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To genuinely believe people are much more ruder and 'entitled' these days?

222 replies

Snugglepalace · 28/03/2017 11:41

I may be heading down avenue 'grump old git' these days but people really piss me off recently.
For example, Dh works on the roads and they regularly get abuse from the general public, especially when it come to road closures.
Last week Dh and work mates were working on a road closure when a woman drives up to them demanding that they let her through, 'but the road is closed it says so on the board in front of you!' says Dh. 'No, no that doesn't apply to me I live on this road!' There are no houses on this road, it's a country lane used as a cut through for many.
Anyhow, Dh insists she can not get through, she argues with him, turns her steering wheel and drives right passed into road closure.
Thing is, the reason the road is closed is due to the fact there is a sodding great big hole in road which she proceeds to drive straight into getting car stuck in process Grin
Spends the next 4 hours sulking on grass verge waiting for recovery truck!
Wtf is wrong with folk?

OP posts:
Thattimeofyearagain · 28/03/2017 14:20

Yanbu.
Happened to me last week. In the supermarket about to empty my basket when a young woman- glued to her phone- steps in front of me . I just carried on and walked around her, she looked at the checkout assistant with a wtf look and he loudly said " You pushed into a queue, go to the back" she replied" I know I did, I'm in a hurry!!!" Entitled twunt.

Peonyfan · 28/03/2017 14:21

I like being grumpy and middle aged. I caused a shed load of trouble on a train last year. Some arsehole commuters were on one of the later (after 9am trains). No seats and a few younger people timidly looking for seats.

They put their bags on the seats, one even put her bag on the inside seat and pulled down the tray for her coffee, as if her bag was having a coffee. So determined was she that someone would not sit there.

I made a general announcement on the carriage about moving bags and got outrage, one man declared that he was a barristor. Twat.

Their embarrassment made them quite agressive.
I really don't care.

PorkyPandora · 28/03/2017 14:43

I see this at the DC school all the time. It amazes me.

For any event, e.g. school disco, return from activity, that finishes outside of school hours, there is a system where parents queue up and go into the hall to get their child so they can be marked as collected which is reasonable from a safety aspect. The queue is often all the way down the street as it is a large school. You just get there early if you don't want to be at the back of it.

Last week, the amount of parents who just walked past the queue and straight into the school door was ridiculous. It was like they couldn't see the massive line in front of them. I challenged some of them and a few went back. some ignored me but people in front of me who had been there first didn't say a word. Just let people who turned up late walk in front of them.

Gave me the rage.

I also had it in a very long supermarket customer services queue last week. Guy walks into the line in front of the guy who was in front of me. I say to the pusher inner, 'what do you think you're doing, you've pushed in'. Pusher inner then starts shouting at me aggressively in a foreign language. Guy in front of me then says 'don't worry about it' . I'm like WTF, well l I do because the guy has jumped in front of me too.

WaegukSaram · 28/03/2017 14:49

YABU to think it's just "these days". People have been saying this for generations. We watched 12 Angry Men recently (1957) and there were people bitching about the new generation of entitled and rude young folk!

I'm generally grumpy and think most people are annoying though.

ItchyFoot · 28/03/2017 14:54

My sister is great at challenging people. It's awesome. She also makes sure we don't get shoved at buffeted about while trying to board trains and things. But she's not rude about it and goes out of her way to also help other people. She just takes no shit

Original poster
Snugglepalace · 28/03/2017 14:55

The problem with saying no to these people is that some of them are nut cases! Here's an example (another Dh work based one). Dh's colleague (from a different depot) standing at road closure, guy drives up, spouts the classic 'I need to get through', work colleague:- 'sorry mate, the road is closed!', driver:- 'no, no I'm entitled so let me through!', colleague:-'sorry but No!'.
Driver runs worker over breaking his collarbone!

OP posts:
Original poster
Snugglepalace · 28/03/2017 14:56

And I do greatly admire people who confront these twats but I just hate confrontationBlush

OP posts:
expatinscotland · 28/03/2017 14:57

'They put their bags on the seats, one even put her bag on the inside seat and pulled down the tray for her coffee, as if her bag was having a coffee. So determined was she that someone would not sit there.'

I love people like this. I pick up their bag, hand it to them, and sit down. If I'm feeling mischievous, I'll pick up the bag and speak to it. 'Hiya, Mr Bag, have you got a ticket? No? No ticketie, no seatie, you know the rules. Here, go and sit on Mummy's/Daddy's lap like a good wee bag.' And sit. They never challenge you if you do this.

VladmirsPoutine · 28/03/2017 15:01

I once overheard someone pushing into the queue at the airport saying she had "3 degrees and a PhD" - I mean WTF!?

TrollMummy · 28/03/2017 15:02

Is it perhaps because everyone is stressed and in a rush these days so see red when anything gets in their way. I also think people are more likely to complain about things knowing that companies will be on the customer side rather than the employees. So even if someone is being an unreasonable arsehole, once a manager is called for then all rules go out the window and grovelling apologies are issued.

It doesn't take much to be kind and civil to people. We need more kindness in the world.

originalbiglymavis · 28/03/2017 15:10

Expat - I love that. I may need to nick it.

Is it ok to throw offending bag out of window 'no ticket, no ride, byeeeeeeeee!'?

originalbiglymavis · 28/03/2017 15:13

I once worked in an office where the help desk was.if they had a particularly obnoxious caller then they would put them on loud speaker. And yes, if you are on hold we can hear you.

'Dont you know who I am? I'm a doctor! A doctor - not one of these ordinary people you are used to dealing with!' had to be my favourite.

expatinscotland · 28/03/2017 15:15

Thanks, mavis. I got it from my aunt, a flight attendant. One time there was a man on a flight who had a plush toy frog with him that he sat on the seat next him and spoke to. But it was someone's assigned seat. He got agitated when asked to move it so my aunt picked it up and said, 'Mr Froggy, have you got a ticket?' The man put on his 'froggy' voice and said, 'No.' 'Then Mr Froggy has to sit on Daddy's lap for the flight.'

Gwenci · 28/03/2017 15:17

If they had a particularly obnoxious caller then they would put them on loud speaker. And yes, if you are on hold we can hear you.

The person you're on hold with can still hear you when you're on hold?!?!!!

Peonyfan · 28/03/2017 15:19

Plush toy frogs are completely different. I would have allowed that Grin

oldmum22 · 28/03/2017 15:19

Waiting at ticket office to get my sons weekly travel card. Man is being served, lady behind him and I stand behind her. Lady who was at the ticket machine comes storming over and declares "I was behind this lady"(the one in front of me). I say "No,you were at the ticket machine" to which she replies "Its not working,and I have been here ages". I just replied "Okeydokey" and gave her the look . I then went on to have a conversation with anyone who would listen ,bemoaning the fact that manners cost nothing and at the end of the day you get more from sugar than you do from vinegar. The woman was served and then turned around and said "I am a very busy person you know ". My flabber was ghasted !!!!

originalbiglymavis · 28/03/2017 15:20

Oh yes. Some people were so bloody rude about the 'stupid girl' answering the calls

Sodomeyes · 28/03/2017 15:22

Can I be a bugger about bags on seats?

As a teenager I was almost constantly harassed on public transport. The couple of times I actually reported it, I was told by a police officer and a ticket inspector that I should put my bag on the seat next to me as it deters creeps from sitting next to you. So I did and it did actually have an effect.

Now it's sort of become a habit. If I'm on a busy train I'll always move my bag out of the way if I know people will need a seat but if it's not busy then I don't. It particularly pisses me off that people ask women to move their bags much more readily than men. I guess it's the same thing, if bags weren't there then people would sit down next to women much more readily than next to men.

But, I'm not rude and entitled, I will always make way for others when it's needed.

Sorry. As you were!

expatinscotland · 28/03/2017 15:23

He spoke to Mr Froggy all through the flight, Peony. He propped it on top of the seat in front of him (I wonder what the passenger sitting there made of it all) and spoke to it and answered himself in froggy voice, pretended to feed it snacks and drink. Yeah.

TitaniasCloset · 28/03/2017 15:23

They can still hear us on hold?????

LouisevilleLlama · 28/03/2017 15:26

I genuinely believe there are arse holes but generally people will help and are willing- wanting to help if possible

originalbiglymavis · 28/03/2017 15:26

Yes. Well our help desk certainly could hear the callers!

JonesyAndTheSalad · 28/03/2017 15:26

I think you're right. But I am another old git. (44). I met someone the other day and I mentioned that I needed a new curtain rail and curtains so was going into town and she looked at me like I was mad.

The reason?

"But you RENT! Your landlord will have to get those."

She's also a tenant and I dread to think of the calls HER landlord gets!

Olympiathequeen · 28/03/2017 15:29

Definitely a few blurred in places picture for Facebook.

shovetheholly · 28/03/2017 15:34

I agree, and I think it's causally connected (in a loop that runs both ways) with the decline of collectivist thinking. We used to have all kinds of logics and systems that put the brakes on selfishness (at least a little) because they told people that their own concerns weren't the only thing in the frame. Most of those discourses and those systems have been dismantled or badly damaged now.