Keep it off the highways

This morning, as my husband and I were on a nice drive through the country, a car started to tailgate us. My husband commented that they needed to back off, and we were frustrated at how they were driving. It’s not like we could do anything on a two lane road with a car in front of us, but still the girl stayed right on our back bumper.

We turned; she turned. We stopped at a stop sign, then went when it was clear. She, however, cruised right through it behind us. We finally opened up to a four-lane and were glad she’d be passing. She didn’t get in any hurry to pass, though. We were slowing down to enter a parking lot when she finally cruised past.

That was when I saw it. Right there in the middle of her back window. A Longhorn sticker.

I have a Former Student sticker for Texas A&M on my back window.

*sigh*

This is not the first time I’ve had a Longhorn tailgate me (which is amusing considering that I’ve never been known to be “slow.”) I’ve had a Longhorn heckle me in bumper to bumper traffic through an open window. When in college, I even had someone try to run me off the road, flashing a horns symbol at me as I tried not to go into the ditch and hit a road sign.

At the heart of it all, these events scare me even more than they anger me.

Seriously, I am the first to say Texas is a good school. I respect the school and the education people get there. The rivalry, for me, generally exists on the field. And as I said in a previous entry, I’ve always viewed that particular rivalry as one that has an undertone of respect (unlike other rivalries).

Sadly, you do have those on both sides that fail to remember that, and therein lies my fear. Its to those people, I plead… no matter what, keep it off the highway. A school rivalry is NOT worth someone’s life — be it you, your rival or an innocent bystander. We all put stickers on our vehicles to personalize them, to show allegiance to our schools, organizations, businesses, politics, etc. They are not there to be used as a target. Don’t tailgate, heckle, cut-off, or try to sideswipe someone because of their school allegiance. That’s dangerous and has potential consequences that are bigger than any rivalry.

So to the young woman who chose to tailgate us on the way home… grow up. We’re not even in Texas. We’re not playing today. I have nothing against you personally. I actually respect your school (just not the actions of people like, well, you.) And, at the end of it all, my vehicle is over twice as big as yours. If you had rear ended us in a sudden stop situation, I would have gotten out of my truck and run over to see if you were okay.

Then (assuming you were) I’d slap you upside the head for hurting my truck. Because, really, that would piss me off. A lot. A lot more than any rivalry. Because seriously… this crap does not belong on the highway. Leave it on the football field. ‘Kay?

Kay.

Thanks.

6 thoughts on “Keep it off the highways”

  1. Just crazy. You could have been a nut carrying a gun, and she could have been tomorrow’s headline story on the news. People need to stop and think.

    1. Right! I’ve thought about that several times when people act that way… you don’t know the mental state of the person you’re “picking on.” There is a rampant lack of thinking about potential consequences. Its sad… and its how people get badly hurt (or worse).

  2. I know just what you mean. This happens to us being Florida Gator fans and alums, too. Even the comments people make, like, “All those annoying idiots that graduated from Florida” when we play their team, and I’m all, seriously? We all have college degrees. I’d wager all of us are perfectly functional and capable adults now, and made smart choices to get there, regardless of where we graduated from.

    Honestly, I just find it so terrifying that people take those rivalries that seriously.

    1. ME TOO!

      Oh you so nailed it. I had a guy one night actually go, “Oh I’m sorry.” when he found out I graduated from TAMU. Luckily I got called away by my boss before I could unleash a tirade saying, basically, everything you just said. I never will understand the need to be snotty and snooty to anyone who didn’t go to your school or who happens to be a “rival.” That’s not being competitive, its being rude and mean and its uncalled for.

Comments are closed.