They aren’t uncommon situations: the person in line behind you at the grocery store, loudly blathering on and on into a cell phone; trying to park in a small lot only to find one car carelessly taking two spaces; women walking down the street, being harassed by men who walk by them.
For those of us who have been wronged, it is most upsetting to know these people will never face any repercussions for their actions.
The times are changing. In the past few months there has been a flood of new Web sites serving as forums and databases, whose essential purpose is to call out those rude and irritating individuals in our society. These sites have become a therapeutic venting ground for the victims, and an easy way to identify trends among some offenders.
Sites like PlateWire.com and baddriver.com allow motorists to log bad drivers by their license plate numbers. They can detail the offense, including date and time, and vent about the situation. You can also search for license plates and see if the Miata that cut you off has a history of doing so.
HollabackChicago.com follows the same model, allowing women to describe and report men who harass them, make lewd comments, gestures or sounds. IParkLikeAnIdiot.com, RudePeople.com and LitterButt.com also report people for their namesake offenses.
This new phenomenon has the potential to take on a life of its own. Some offenders find their names and contact information posted on the Internet and get flooded with hateful calls and e-mails from random users who read the sites.
Other instigators find video or pictures of themselves (usually in the act of) committing the misdeeds spread on sites like YouTube or Flickr. Arguably, consequences like these may outweigh the severity of the offense, but forcing rude people to be accountable for their actions may be the first step in increasing self-awareness and responsibility in this country.
It’s nice to know that there is a place to go to fight back against those who rarely receive any reprimand for their poor behavior. It is safer to retaliate against people online (forget the road rage, log on to the internet instead) but keep these sites in mind next time you decide to change lanes quickly during rush hour or make a personal call while sitting at the crowded DMV. The people around you don’t appreciate it, and now they just might fight back.