Archives April 10, 2014

 

I’m sorry. I don’t usually call people jerks but in this case, it applies.

Even though I’m a Christian,  I’m calling them jerks.

I’m talking about people who take handicap parking spaces when they are clearly not handicapped.

We’ve all see those cars taking up spaces with no sticker on the mirror and no handicap license plate. However, I usually don’t see it done as blatantly as I have these past two days. Here’s what’s happened.

I’m at Target (a chain store here in the United States) and I see this van pull into a handicapped parking spot. I’m not thinking anything of it until a young woman gets out. I’m expecting her to at least limp or something.

Nope.

Instead, I see her put the hang-down tag on her mirror and jauntily walk into Target. I gave her as many dirty looks as I could but of course, she was clueless.

Second incident, tonight at the supermarket. My husband had to run in and pick up something, so I sat in the car.

A car pulls into the parking space facing me. It’s a young man. Oh, by the way the parking space facing me was the handicapped spot. (Not my side, however.) I watch as he places the handicapped sign on his mirror (while I’m watching him and he knows I’m watching him) and literally bounces out of his car and practically runs inside.

I just don’t get it. What is wrong with people? Who is so callous they don’t understand they are taking a spot that someone with a handicap might need? Not to mention it’s illegal.

It’s not like the handicap stall in a public bathroom. It’s perfectly ok to expect everyone to take their turn in this case. But that’s not true of parking spaces.

I have a friend whose husband has died and he had a handicap tag. My friend wouldn’t consider using it.

Now here’s the fact you might need to know to understand my anger. I’ve had three foot surgeries and am trying to avoid four and five. There are some days I’m hobbling from the parking lot to the store. And while I could probably get a  handicap sticker, I choose not to do so. There are so many people worse off than me.

I could also probably get one for my mother who is ninety but she insists on walking. As she says, “I need the exercise”.

I would’ve loved to confront both these people but in today’s world it could prove dangerous. Maybe I should’ve called the police or better yet take a picture and “tweet” it. For now, I will just vent and say I will never understand people who are so ignorant of the needs of others. What kind of society have we become?

And if you think this isn’t such a big deal, let me reassure you, it is. The same kind of person that will blatantly do this is the same kind of person that would do a lot of other insensitive things. They’re not the kind of people that make this world a better place. At least not in my book.

Maybe we shouldn’t judge people, but some people’s actions leave us no recourse.