Special Guest Post: An Interesting Scenario/Question is Posed By A Reader

So here’s one for the “if the music is too loud, you’re too old” category:
I went to see a show at Rock and Roll Hotel…braving the late start (didn’t get in line until after 10:30), late night…as sad as that is to admit…but it was a Friday and it seemed about time.

So, once inside it was time to grab a couple of beers and settle in for the show. Over the course of the evening a few things stick out as unnecessarily annoying. And so, as I sit here post-concert unwinding with a tall glass of scotch and replaying the evening in my head, I thought I’d seek some insight and understanding on a few things.

Most importantly, overall, the night worked out well for a last-minute, live music fix. Rock and Roll Hotel is an awesome small venue and the band was downright enjoyable with a good sound. However, there were a few annoying encounters with other concert-goers that were just downright rude, and pointlessly so. And as I ponder it, I have to wonder whether there’s been a loss common decency in our interactions with others, am I getting too old and thus too sensitive to this or was it just an anomaly, a couple of off-moments in an otherwise good show? [Story continues after the jump]

In order to put this in context and give my ramblings a bit more of a concrete nature, I will provide three examples:

(1) Just after arriving, I move to the bar to buy the first round of drinks and stand behind a young lady that is just finishing up. As she moves away from the bar with her drinks I politely step aside to give her room to move. As I do that, some nose-ring wearing troll cuts right under my arm and takes up residence at the bar…in the very spot that I had been waiting for; not an acknowledgement of the jackass move, nor even an attempt to excuse herself.

(2) A little bit later watching one of the opening acts finish up their set and just standing watching the show, when out of nowhere this platinum blond just plants herself right in front of my friend…giving no indication that she understands that she has inserted herself about 6 inches in front of him and the unnecessarily uncomfortable position she has now put both of them in…not even a simple “excuse me”…
(3) I’m standing in the crowd enjoying the show when I get an extremely rude shot straight into the shoulder blade…out of the blue, not a fist or a finger, no tap on the shoulder, mind you, but some form of finger-poking-grip into my shoulder blades. I turn with a “what the fuh..” on my mind to come eye to eye with some half-corked, meathead dude pushing his companion through. I look at the guy and say “all you gotta do is say excuse me” as he continues to push through. At which point he responds — through rather pungent, onion-and-beer laced breath and a slightly slurred, pug-like voice — “I’m just helping her through here” and he sort of plows on through with that sort of ignorant arrogance or lack of basic recognition of the existence of others and one’s own pointlessly rude behavior.

Now I’m not the type to go looking for a fight…but after that one I have to admit feeling a significant urge to throw a punch or two. And as I said that, I began to wonder if I was experiencing a recent trend of rude behavior amongst the somewhat younger…is it the result of a spoiled, obnoxious kind of entitled arrogance…or whether I was just getting too old to be where I was.
Am I getting too old for the “scene” and am just over-reacting?

I’m curious, have others found themselves a bit taken back by their interactions with those even just a few years younger? Are we seeing a passing of the ability to just politely exist next to others?
That is all…just curious if others have been in similar situations.

Pliny.