Yay! I am not alone.

If you want to spend some time in an interesting way, read the attached article on why the Seattle Freeze exists, and especially the comments.  And add to them!  I promise you'll find it all thought-provoking.

And then let's get this discussion started so we can begin to change the chilly culture that is Seattle.  

http://blog.nwjobs.com/careercenterblog/2012/08/5-theories-behind-seattles-chilly-networking-reputation.html

Are Seattle men pussies?

I have a small car, a 5-speed, I know how to drive and maneuver, and sometimes I take the quickest if not always the by-the-rules route.  This evening I did so without realizing it, but it was cool and not a big deal.  This evening a guy about 35 years old was driving his Subaru through a parking lot and had plenty of room to pass me (even tho I was going the "wrong" way which I didn't realize when I entered, but I was moving quickly, and it's my neighborhood; I know it pretty well).  So with plenty of room to pass me me in the parking lot, he saw me coming and decided to sit there as if he were helpless and waited for me to back up.  I wasn't going to back up.  There was no need to back up because there was more than plenty of room for him to pass by me, but no.  He sat there whining and looking pained and put out, not because he couldn't move, but because I was going the wrong way and he didn't like it.

I run into this a lot in Seattle, probably because of the way I drive, decisively and I pay good attention.  The way I drive is not the point.  The point is that when too often, when somebody isn't playing exactly by the rules, even though it inconveniences no one, just because it's against the rules that sends some people into an emotional panic. They act as if they've been personally and egregiously harmed.

So I sat there and waited a few seconds, and then with hand signals instructed the guy to just go around.  "Go around" I mouthed as I indicated to my left.  He sat there with his hands up, again, helpless.  I gestured more obviously.  "GO AROUND.  RIGHT HERE.  See right there?  Go there.  There's plenty of room."  And I smiled to let him know it's okay.  Still nothing, so I sat there and looked at him.

When he finally realized I wasn't going to move, he moved forward to go easily around me.  As he approached me with a pained and then angry look on his face, I rolled down my window and said "You couldn't figure that out, how to get around me?!?" and waited for his answer.

"Stop being to passive-aggressive" he said and drove on and I drove on shaking my head at the needless disagreeableness.  I did not say what I was thinking which was "You obviously don't know what passive-aggressive means!" or "Why are Seattle men such pussies!?"  I didn't say that, but I've wondered it many times.  I'm not a bad looking woman, and my hair looked nice tonight, and even on that basic man/woman level, all this guy could think to do was first whine and act helpless and then complain when he didn't get his way.

Seattleites are quite noticeably passive-aggressive, and for him to call me such might be a safe bet since 99 times out of 100 that's true of people here, but it wasn't in this case.  I was impatient, granted, but still inconveniencing no one, and I get stubborn when somebody else gets unreasonable for self-involved.

Here's my policy.  If someone is breaking a rule and it's harmless and costs me or anybody else no money, inconvenience, or harm to any of my senses, have at it, big fucking deal, and mind your own business.  It's no skin off my or your nose.  Don't be passive-aggressive.

It's no wonder there are so many single people in this humor-forsaken city.

Here's how Seattle sucks. Let me count the ways.

Of the ten newest best restaurants in the U.S., how many do you suppose are located in Seattle?  I'll give you two guesses or you can read it in the attached article in "GQ."


http://www.gq.com/food-travel/restaurants-and-bars/201203/best-new-restaurants-in-america-alan-richman