Use your words.

[Golden Phoenix]

Hubby and i took a trip into town today, the last before the big move. (4 days and counting)

We popped into popular game shop for a quick browse and started to pick out some games in the 5 for £10 offer, we were taking up approx 40% of the width of the aisle, people were walking behind us to the checkout counter perfectly easily.

I became aware of a young man in a wheelchair off to one side of us and glanced up in case we were in the way, however the chair was facing away from us and he was looking to the side to examine games on the shelf next to the one we were choosing from.

Every so often i'd be concious of him turning to face forward (relative to his chair) and sighing but couldn't really figure out a reason, i figured it was none of my business.

After about five or ten minutes we were done and stepped back to join the queue, at which point I heard the guy in the wheelchair have the following exchange with a companion who had been looking at games further up.

SG - sucky guy (In the wheelchair)
FSG - Friend of sucky guy.

SG: Finally!
FSG: What's up?
SG: I've been waiting to look at this shelf for ages but SOMEONE was in the way and WOULDN'T move!!!
FSG: God, people are so ignorant, you're in a WHEELCHAIR!
SG: I know, it's pathetic.
*pause to glare ant hubby and me*
SG: After all, god forbid other people might want to have a look or get past them. I can't fit my WHEELCHAIR through there. I'm DISABLED, I NEED more space!
FSG: How can people be so RUDE to a DISABLED person who needs a WHEELCHAIR?!

At this point SG huffs, wheels himself backwards to look at the shelf of games, declares "I don't have this console" and leaves.

It was hilarious in a way, all of the words I've emphasized were said in significantly louder voices than the rest of the sentence, it made them sound like they had a faulty volume button.

Thing is, i had no way of knowing we were in his way, he was facing away from us and most importantly, he never said a word to us, a simple excuse me would have done!!! Also we weren't just standing there for the heck of it, we were actively choosing games to purchase.

So Sucky guy, learn to use your words and stop trying to shame people who did nothing wrong by shouting the word wheelchair over and over again, you just make yourself look stupid.

[Merriweather]

My biggest peeve, from strangers, friends, family, anyone, is that passive/agressive thing, where the person wants something, yet refuses to simply communicate that desire, then proceeds to be upset because you did not comply with their wishes, which you didn't frickin' know about. It's nothing more than an emotional ambush, a deliberate set-up.

I will bend over backwards to be nice and polite to anyone, but why do some people need to learn one simple fact - they don't have telepathy, I don't have esp.

[Pixilated]

Your silence was much more than I would've been able to give him, and my reply would've been seriously nasty. If someone can't say at least, "Excuse me, can I edge in here?" or some variant thereof, they can sit there until the store closes.

[Teskeria]

SG - sucky guy (In the wheelchair)
FSG - Friend of sucky guy.

SG: Finally!
FSG: What's up?
SG: I've been waiting to look at this shelf for ages but SOMEONE was in the way and WOULDN'T move!!!
FSG: God, people are so ignorant, you're in a WHEELCHAIR!
SG: I know, it's pathetic.
*pause to glare ant hubby and me*
SG: After all, god forbid other people might want to have a look or get past them. I can't fit my WHEELCHAIR through there. I'm DISABLED, I NEED more space!
FSG: How can people be so RUDE to a DISABLED person who needs a WHEELCHAIR?!

Me: 'Some people are SO PATHETIC AND RUDE they use being DISABLED as an excuse not to use their manners! They make all Disabled people look bad. Why I've known some EXTREMELY Disabled people who could barely move even with a wheelchair AND barely talk that have no problem getting out a polite 'excuse me' when they want to get past someone.'

[Cazzi]

I had something similar happen a few weeks ago grocery shopping. Was stood reading packs of pasta sauces making sure I could eat them when I became aware of someone to my left.
There was a guy sat in a lightweight wheelchair looking at me, so I said, "oh sorry, am I in your way? Afraid I didn't hear you as I'm deaf on that side" or words to that effect.
He muttered something like, no, its ok so I finished checking the sauce I was holding, popped it in the cart & stepped back to the other side of the aisle....

To see the guy go right through where I was standing & further down to to the pot noodles

[blas]

What Merriweather said. Times infinity.

That's pure passive aggressive at its dark, evil roots right there.

People who refuse to make decisions (or simply, state an opinion or what they want), therefore, forcing someone else to decide or to guess for them, and without fail, it's always not want they wanted or something "wrong".

[Catwoman2965]

I hate that PA crap too. But what I hate more is someone who is disabled expecting the world to revolve around them, as in this case. All he would have had to do is say excuse me if he wanted to get buy, or perhaps look, and figure out that you were NOT just stnading there, but actively looking.

My mom is in a wheelchair and she would never in a million years pull that PA crap or try use her disability to her advantage. if we are out and about, whether she's alone or I'm with her, she or I iwll say excuse me if we need to get by, and say if we are in a restaurant and there isn't room to go anywhere, we will politely ask if we can move the chairs etc. for her to get by. And no one has ever had an issue with that

[PepperElf]

part of me says... "Oh I'm so sorry! You were facing the other way and so SILENT! I wish you'd have asked me to move! I hate being in the way" etc...


but it sounds like he's the "huff puff = give me attention" type that refuses to understand they need to do more than huff and snort to get what they want.... like those SCs who think standing still and staring (or huffing) is the same thing as asking for help.

[greek_jester]

My response would probably have been something along the lines of "oh, I'm sorry, I'm PARTIALLY DEAF so I DIDN'T HEAR YOU when you ASKED ME TO MOVE. When I'm pushing MY MUM IN HER WHEELCHAIR I make sure I REPEAT MYSELF LOUDER in case it's someone LIKE ME WHO'S PARTIALLY DEAF AND CAN'T HEAR". All with a big smile on my face, & by the way, 100% true.

[MoonCat]

I can't stand people who go around assuming everyone will just jump out of their way, even if you don't know you're in their way in the first place. Used to be someone at work like that. Somehow I was supposed to know she was coming through the breezeway between halls even though I couldn't hear her or see her because I was approaching from the side. I get to the door at the same moment she does, I smile and step back to let her through; she rolls her eyes with this "Duh!" expression as she comes through and goes her way. Gee, Ms. Personality, sorry I had no idea you were going to be there!

[Becks]

sorry I had no idea you were going to be there!

You couldn't sense evil?