Ignorance and immaturity all in one Around 1:30 in the morning I was working my way back home. I’d stopped at Monomrose, saw some friends, had a few drinks at one of the local bars, then circled back. I pulled into the gas station where a friend of mine works. We sat outside, talking about this and that. Three young men walked up, joking and laughing. Two went inside, one stayed out. My friend—the guy that works there—was going to go inside. As he went to put out his cigarette, the young man said, “Can I have that?” He wasn’t polite about it. My friend shook his head—cigarettes are expensive. I don’t smoke, so I had nothing to give. That should have been the end of it. Instead, the young man turned hostile. As I walked away, I could hear him yelling. I could hear him saying all kinds of things. Mostly I heard him say, “I wish old white people would die.” I started thinking, well, I resemble that remark… Besides the racism that’s obvious and blatant, I’ve had too many encounters with people under 30 who just cannot handle the word no. They’ll ask you something, and if you don’t give them the answer they want, they throw a fit. Stack that immaturity on top of the racism, and you’ve got a toxic mix. Either way—what a jerk. #RudeMan #RudeAdultBehavior #ignorance #racism