Moments from the lawless cities

More of these, I guess

I drive at night, generally. I consult during the day, I'm not a morning person, I like to run when its cooler and quieter out. But this also means I see stuff which, if you piece them together, just create a narrative of society falling apart. Such as:

> An impassioned screed for Alex Jones on a Wawa bathroom wall, answered by diametrically opposed profanity. The next day, it's aggressively bleached.

> Pulling up to a light with a clear no turn on red sign, no hours limitations. Stopping. Driver behind me swerves to the middle lane and drives through the red.

> More or less routine pot smell for passengers, especially the ones that make me wait to get in the car.

> Pulling up to a yellow light turning red. Braking to stop. Driver behind me swerves to middle, runs the red.

> Dirt bike riders without headlights or helmets, driving in packs, disregarding all traffic laws, on sidewalks and everywhere else.

> Male passenger enters the car without wearing a shirt, dictates directions counter to the address or GPS directions, and insists that I pass a stopped police car, rather than consider another route or waiting a minute to make sure we're safe to pass.

> Going to a truck stop bathroom, only to have the guy in the next stall decide it's the time and place to watch his TikTok feed without headphones.

> Routinely getting passed on residential highways posted for 55 and 65 miles per hour by people doing 1.5 to 2X that speed

There's a lot of theories going around as to why this kind of bad behavior is on the rise. Income inequality becoming more strained due to the pandemic and inflation. Climate change stress giving way to a form of nihilism. Police and courts doing less due to the pandemic, body cam footage, or just the simple knowledge that the Uwalde footage showed, which is that cops prioritize going home at the end of the shift over anything else. Racism and classism piggy-backing on any weed odor. And so on.

All that I can tell you from the front lines is that you can tell any story you like. 

But that the negative one always seems to be an easier one to start.