Zero Situational Awareness

Is it just me or has situational awareness completely vanished? Or am I just turning into a grumpy old man?

Lack of situational awareness has always been commonplace, it’s just you notice the lack of it more as you become more situationally aware depending upon life experiences (which can accumulate as you age, or not, if you’re not exposed to many different situations). The fact that you notice it’s absence in others is what causes you to become grumpy about it’s absence in others.

The good news though is that I no longer hold up queues in cafes while deciding which slice of cake I want, once cafes started charging €8 a slice I figured that’s just taking the proverbial altogether!

The people who stand waiting for someone to bump into them though, I never got that one, like sure, I might have my head buried in the phone, but I can still see people’s feet in front of me, so I just go around, can’t exactly walk through people 😂

Dogs are unpredictable. I could move out of its way to the other side and it could still dart across towards me at any second.

I won't step on your dog. That's the best I can do.

I think you are giving these types of people too much credit in saying that they don't realise you and others are being inconvenienced. They know and just don't care - as is the case with a lot of the examples already given.

Single filing on pavements is a concept that eludes most. I don't care most of the time and will just walk around, on the road, and then step back on to the pavement.

But those occasions where I'm just not in the mood, it's raining, or there's simply traffic oncoming not making it safe for me to even temporarily move onto the road for a second, I will just stop dead infront of the person blocking my way and make it awkward.

They do this whole, "oh right yeah, crap, someone else is walking on this pavement" and make a sorry little scuttle to the side realising they're blocking the path.

I think a lot of people leave the house and just expect people to operate and move around them like they're extras in a film. I don't think it's done with malice it's just pure ignorance and lack of thinking outside themselves. Of course, i can walk straight down this path unimpeded, unbothered, sure why wouldn't I?

While there's those who leave their house thinking a few steps ahead. I'll put this carrier bag infront of me as not to make myself wider and take up space, I can sense someone is looking to get by me and is walking faster I'll just move a bit to the side here and let them go on.

Ok Victor Meldrew, have a wurthers and try calm down

Woh woh woh. Wait a minute. What airport were you in where everyone was waiting several meters away from the baggage carousel? I want to fly there. Any airport I go to everyone stands on top of the damn thing like sheep making sure most people can not actually get their bag. The efficiency if everyone just stood back and stepped in to get their bag when it arrived would be nice. But nooooooo everyone needs to have the edges of the rubber belt rubbing their shins or they feel their bag might make a break for the exit without them or something.

Its simply the decline in good manners.

It happens constantly in supermarkets, and so few people ever apologise any more if they cut you up or get in your way. Its all about them, and nothing is their fault.

I do think it's generational though. Older folk like myself do apologise or let you through, it's the younger ones who couldn't give a fcuk.

I do generally walk the dog on the inside but the trouble is that some people walk towards us on the inside and I end up having not just to move over but to move the dog to the other side. It would be much easier if the oncoming people moved to my no-dog side. Walking the dog in front doesn't put me between the dog and the other person so isn't any use.

Watched this video too many times back in the day, this thread is for you:

Could never understand the ATM thing. People standing at it for 15mins pressing buttons as if they're playing an old fashioned space invaders game. Can someone enlighten me as to what they are actually doing?

Even worse are the ones who do this at a pay at pump fuel pump even though there are pay in shop pumps available.