Thursday July 30 2020
Notice that the median age in Ohio’s COVID chart (bottom of this post) is slowing dropping. On May 1 the median age was 51 and here we are, just about to begin August, and the number is at 42.
If anyone is self-quarantining now, it’s not apparent. My daily commute is back to where it was in the pre-pandemic days, with heavy traffic on US 35. I’ve encountered some aggressive drivers this week and it’s been enough of a change to make me notice. And you know how it goes when you notice something; you begin to see it all the time. You look for it to happen.
Defensive driving is the only way to get places safely with these idiots who flip through multiple lane changes at thirty miles over the speed limit or tailgate for the intimidation factor. The temptation is to react in some way, to let the other driver know that you’re disappointed in their life choices, but something has shifted in our society. There’s a new level of anger out there. And it’s being justified by the masses with the protests and such.
There was a shooting on I-75 on Monday, near the Austin Landing exit that’s south of Dayton. Details are sketchy, but a 64-year-old man is dead. Witnesses say shots were fired from one car into another, while both are tooling down the highway among other cars. The man’s funeral was today and his family understandably is asking for answers. Despite multiple witnesses, nobody has been charged with the crime as yet.
What do we hope with this? That it was random, maybe road rage? Or the people involved knew each other and somebody got pushed too far? A drug deal gone bad?
My fear, besides being shot while minding my own business, is that this kind of thing gets normalized. That we are exposed enough times to aggressive and violent behavior by others that we take a defensive posture as a matter of getting through the day.
Donnatopia 