Are there a lot of nasty people about or is it just me that brings them out? and what should be done if anything?

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I feel like some kind of middle class reactionary (which I'm not, I'm a fairly hard core Guardianista) but I'd be interested in hearing what people think about this.

While walking along a quiet 30mph country lane with dp and 2 children this afternoon, a car came racing along doing at least 50mph. He was going so fast I immediately shoved ds into the hedge to make sure he wasn't hit. We were walking on the right side of the road on a pavementless road in single file, in daylight. At the same time I threw my hands up in a 'what do you think you're doing' way. The guy stopped about 100yds on, opened his door wide enough (but didn't get out) to scream at me 'Yes, I'm using the road and I pay fing taxes, so f off, you f*ing slag.' How sweet, and in front of my children too! So my questions are:

Have I been living in the countryside for too long if I think this is disgusting, unacceptable behaviour?
Is this why people keep their mouths shut and walk on by while tossers like this get away with abusive language and attitude? In general, I mean.
Why are people like this?
Are people more like this then they used to be? Why?
Should I keep my mouth shut at all times? (some of you may remember I was screamed at in the park recently for daring to ask a lone 7yo if he was ok)
Has this sort of thing happened to you or do you just not ever do things like throw your hands up in disgust (I realise it may be me!)

This completely spoiled our walk, any and all views on this, NOT just on my specific incident, welcome.

Should have previewed, tinkerer of text.

Sadly, underline only applies to a single word without additional space.

Quite frustrating.

well I never

Have I been living in the countryside for too long if I think this is disgusting, unacceptable behaviour? No, its disgusting behaviour full sop and especially in front of your kids.

Is this why people keep their mouths shut and walk on by while tossers like this get away with abusive language and attitude? In general, I mean. If my kids are with me then I wouldn't say anything, would try and be a role model and demonstrate the walking away maintaining the moral high ground approach. If they weren't with me I would probably give as good as I got.

Why are people like this? Because they are prats.

Are people more like this then they used to be? I think there is a definite culture of yobishness.

Why? Because theya re prats.

Should I keep my mouth shut at all times? No, but pick your battles and moments.

Has this sort of thing happened to you or do you just not ever do things like throw your hands up in disgust (I realise it may be me!)? Yes, things like taht happen quite regularly i'm afraid to say

Can I join in - is this turning into a grumpy old women thread?

Oh dear - dh is one of those in the lycra shorts I fear, but he wouldn't mow anyone down. Promise! I can see how annoying it can be though.

Inconsiderate dog owners get me too. I have scraped the contents of their pets off my children and out of my car once too often. Also, when we are out with the pushchair and an owner and dog (on long lead) walk past - why is it okay for the dog to stick it's nose in the pushchair at my children? God, I can feel steam coming out of my ears just thinking about it.

Oregon might suit you, h2d - empty and green (and Green!)

I think this is a grumpy old women thread and I def am one

Agree about dogs, totally.

www: May I ask how long you lived in Devon, if you both did (or just one of you), how long you've lived in the city you live in now, and why you wouldn't go back ?

Thank you wordsmith for an insight into Vancouver. The quiet roads and considerate people I would valuely extremely highly. The weather patterns sound interesting. I enjoy seasonality for the change in nature, but I think I like to know where I stand and could possibly do Year = cold and snowy for 6 months than warm for 6 months.

If we went to Vancouver, though, my guess is that we would need to be in the city for access to facilities for dd-to be and for dw not to go mad.

I'm am of the Grumpy old Woman Order!

JanH - mate of mine was working there for several months. He thought I'd really like it.

We will defo have to check it out one holiday soon.

Hub2dee, I lived in devon for 3 years, with dp mostly (he's from there) and before that I lived in West London for years (with ex dh and ds) and before that I lived in Bristol, Bath, Salisbury. We're in Bristol now and have been back nearly 2 years from Devon. If we had loads of money and a private jet we'd maybe consider going back to Devon. But since there are no jobs we would be exceedingly poor there, plus it's 99.9% white and as ds is half Indian AND goes to London every other w/e to see his dad it would be a PITA from Devon! So, logistics, money and race really.

Ooh, can feel another grumpy old woman moan coming on about dogs!

It's not so much the dogs, it's those owners who can't be bothered to pick up the shit. When you walk them, clean them, feed them, vaccinate them, you really would have thought that cleaning up after them is really the easiest task you've got - why is it so difficult for some dog owners to do?

check this out, h2d!

Oh I know, don't they know about toxiplasmosis? Or whatever it's called.

I've only been to Vancouver once, but have a ftiend who lives there (although she's now moved east to a summer/winter place. When you buy a coat apparently it is rated like a duvet - ie good to minus 30 degrees or something!) I have a relative in Winnipeg - but it's nicknamed Winterpeg which tells you all you need to know.

If someone offered me the chance to move to Vancouver, I would walk over hot coals to go there. I am waiting till my kids are old enough to appreciate it before I go back. Hoping to make it for the 2010 winter olympics. It's regularly rated the top city in thw world to live in for quality of life. If you can cope with faily MOR radio stations (Bryan Adams and The Rolling Stones seem to be where it's at) then everything else is truly fabulous, IMHO.

I'd love to get that dog shite and scrape it up and chuck in their gardens.
See how they like it.

Oh god Caligula - don't get me started! Dd had a lovely brand new expensive pair of Clarks shoes that were never the same because I had to scrub them in boiling hot water to remove dog shit from them

MistressMary, perhaps you could follow them to their houses and, ahem, crap on their front step instead ?

JanH: The h2g2 is a bit odd. The third para sounds worryingly like the heart of town is going to the God of Concrete, and maybe it's a bit late, but I couldn't make head nor tail of the third para.

I've only been to Vancouver once, but have a ftiend who lives there (although she's now moved east to a summer/winter place. When you buy a coat apparently it is rated like a duvet - ie good to minus 30 degrees or something!) I have a relative in Winnipeg - but it's nicknamed Winterpeg which tells you all you need to know.

WS: When you say you are "waiting till my kids are old enough to appreciate it before I go back." can I ask what you mean - is it boring for little ones ? I'd read several times about he #1 place to live. . Will remember to take my iPod.

MM - I once had a mad Japanese student staying with me who said that in Japan, they post the dogshit back through the letterbox of its owners.

I was never sure whether that was just her and her acquaintances, or whether it is a general Japanese habit!

Sorry - excuse editing / cut and pasting mishap.

Will have to be on turd alert for it to work effectively and I would need to be regular.

Gosh, all grumped out, must go to bed now! Good night all.

No, I didn't understand that either!

BBC annual weather summary for Portland (high humidity)

ditto Vancouver (even higher humidity!)

Wanted to do the same for London but can't find it

I don't know really, H2D, It's just the way I think. We went there just before I got pg with no1, and it was the freedom that I loved, and the whole ethos of the place. Mind you I think that about all the holidays we had before becoming parents - I used to love places like Barcelona, Paris, Amsterdam etc, and just hopping on trains to the next destination with no-where booked to stay. ie, not child-oriented at all. My kids are 5 and 1: there's too much baggage with the youngest and the oldest is a bit too young to appreciate driving miles and miles just gawping at mountains. Holidays at the moment involve a lot of entertaining them, not entertaining ourselves. In about 5 years I think they'll both be less labour intensive [pauses while MN mothers of older kids hoot in derisive laughter], and we can think of ourselves a bit more as well as them. But holidaying is a completely different scenario to moving there permanently, I would be perfectly happy to do that with kids of whatever age.

WWW, I had an encounter (from afar, thankfully!) today.

On my way back from the garden centre, I way driving up an extremely steep and long slope of road (the kind where, if you remove your foot from the accelorator for a split second, you end up back at the bottom of the hill!).

I was nearing the brow and junction of the road when a car suddenly appeared on my side of the road - I took my foot off the accelorator, but managed to slam the brakes on before ending up back at the bottom of the hill. The man driving the other car had, on realising that the road was closed from his direction, decided to help himself to the 'wrong' side, so very nearly causing an accident.

More shocking were the two (actually four, IYSWIM) fingers his wife leant over and stuck up at me! For what?

It was in the middle of nowhere, I felt quite vulnerable in the relative safety of my car, but really would have been upset had I been a padestrian with children in tow, like you .