Is the atmosphere in Dublin more aggressive and mean-spirited lately?

Tatankbull

Waiting at a bus stop this morning a broken down car with a family inside rolled up and a man who I presumed was the dad asked me to help him give it a push-start. After a good bit of effort we finally got it going and while he was jumping into it he shouted back “now **** off!!” The fact that he and the female driver/ mother were in their 50’s, and were laughing along with the kids in the back was a bit shocking! This was after me spending at least about 10 minutes helping them and patiently hanging around for them to do things to get the car going.

It got me thinking about how the atmosphere in Dublin feels a lot more tense, rude, everyone just seems have a chip on their shoulder these days. I’ve plenty of stories, and my mates do too, of being verbally abused, insulted, etc, and more fights and trouble on the Luas and buses these past three years than I’ve heard in the past ten.

What do people think, is it me and I’m just more biased and looking out for these things, or is the recession really letting certain people get away with having massive attitudes.

gugleguy

This newsagent now opens on a Sunday where it used not to. Also, it has put up a sign "Support your local Newsagent" .
The staff are still abrupt and brief with me in particular. So I don't patronise the newsagent.

carlmango11

Would have been hilarious if they broke down again as soon as he said that.

Tbh though that was just some arsehole thinking he was hilarious. Can't say I've noticed any difference in the atmosphere in Dublin - you probably just had a coincedental series of unpleasant encounters

athtrasna

A friend posted on Facebook today that a parcel courier came to her house today and that when he saw she was on crutches after surgery he offered to go to the shop for bread and milk for her. She didn't need anything but felt the need to share the story because there are still good people, like the OP, out there.

Yellowblackbird

That guy will always have that approach and that attitude. Sometimes he'll get away with it(like with you) sometimes he'll be caught out.
If you don't get disillusioned and always have your way of doing things, sometimes you'll meet a prick like him but mostly you'll be acknowledged for making a positive contribution to the world around you.

goz83

Don't let ar$e holes like that discourage you from being the helpful person you obviously are. If that's what they think is funny, they obviously lead very poor lives and karma constantly bites them. It's no wonder their car broke down in the first place.

FensterDJ

no

Wishbone Ash

gugleguy wrote: »

This newsagent now opens on a Sunday where it used not to. Also, it has put up a sign "Support your local Newsagent" .
The staff are still abrupt and brief with me in particular. So I don't patronise the newsagent.

Most of the rudeness I experience is from shop assistants - particularly younger ones.

Tatankbull

athtrasna wrote: »

A friend posted on Facebook today that a parcel courier came to her house today and that when he saw she was on crutches after surgery he offered to go to the shop for bread and milk for her. She didn't need anything but felt the need to share the story because there are still good people, like the OP, out there.

That's a lovely story and it's probably just what I need to do, focus on all the decent people out there rather than the idiots. I'll put it down to observer bias and from now on try to remember the good stories and forget the crappy ones!

athtrasna

Tatankbull wrote: »

That's a lovely story and it's probably just what I need to do, focus on all the decent people out there rather than the idiots. I'll put it down to observer bias and from now on try to remember the good stories and forget the crappy ones!

Well she certainly intends to pay it forward as will many of her friends.

liffeylite

Well done that man! My friends from the uk always comment on how friendly dublin is. Manners are worth their weight in gold.and worth even more to the person in receipt of them.

Merkin

I think you just met a wanker and his wanker family today, don't let it put you off doing good deeds.I think Dublin on the grand scheme of things is friendly enough, sure you get bad attitude and aggression but I'd prefer to think of that as a general % of society as a whole rather than specific to Dublin.

John_Rambo

Tatankbull wrote: »

Waiting at a bus stop this morning a broken down car with a family inside rolled up and a man who I presumed was the dad asked me to help him give it a push-start

Very unusual for a car to run out of battery mid-run. One would normally realise the battery is dead when the car won't start, the alternator pumps power in to the battery once the engine is running.

Quiet unusual that the female was driving the family with the male as a passenger, particularly for the 50 something age group.

Very unusual for a family to react the way they did to a good samaritan. (again, particularly that age group)

Takankbull, where did this happen? I'd love to see where exactly the chip on the shoulder occurred.

Tatankbull

John_Rambo wrote: »

Very unusual for a car to run out of battery mid-run. One would normally realise the battery is dead when the car won't start, the alternator pumps power in to the battery once the engine is running.

Quiet unusual that the female was driving the family with the male as a passenger, particularly for the 50 something age group.

Very unusual for a family to react the way they did to a good samaritan. (again, particularly that age group)

Takankbull, where did this happen? I'd love to see where exactly the chip on the shoulder occurred.

Wow! What a comment...

Firstly, I don't know much about cars but as I said, the car was rolled up past the bus stop I was at. I don't know how else to describe the scene to you. I don't know much about them but I know it's not that unusual.

Secondly, the fact that the woman probably in her 50's (the man pushing the car definitely was around that) was driving a car that he was pushing... how is that at all unusual?? I can't even begin to see where you're coming from about this point. Do you think a woman of that age driving a car while her husband/ partner/ male companion is in the passenger seat is particularly noteworthy?

I'm trying to stay within the spirit of this thread, respect and all that (!!) but those first two points you made are a bit silly. About the man's reaction to me being a good Samaritan, it's definitely hard to believe! It's why I used the word 'shocked' and spent time creating this thread about it. I was so pissed off but more shocked than anything.

HellFireClub

athtrasna wrote: »

A friend posted on Facebook today that a parcel courier came to her house today and that when he saw she was on crutches after surgery he offered to go to the shop for bread and milk for her. She didn't need anything but felt the need to share the story because there are still good people, like the OP, out there.

He was probably hoping he'd end up in her knickers...

starviewadams

John_Rambo wrote: »

Very unusual for a car to run out of battery mid-run. One would normally realise the battery is dead when the car won't start, the alternator pumps power in to the battery once the engine is running.

Quiet unusual that the female was driving the family with the male as a passenger, particularly for the 50 something age group.

Very unusual for a family to react the way they did to a good samaritan. (again, particularly that age group)

Takankbull, where did this happen? I'd love to see where exactly the chip on the shoulder occurred.

John_Rambo

Tatankbull wrote: »

it's definitely hard to believe

Where did this happen?

@ starviewadams Dya mind if I smoke?

anncoates

Capital city in Some Citizens Are C*nts shocker.

bobin fudge

if they are "scum" woman is driving as the husband has a drink drive ban or just too thick to drive himself

these "scum" dont understand how cars work so probably drove being jump started every 100 yards since they left the house

telling you to **** off will be told all around the labour exchange, clinic or whereever they were going for years to come to whoever will listen

arybvtcw0eolkf

John_Rambo wrote: »

Very unusual for a car to run out of battery mid-run. One would normally realise the battery is dead when the car won't start, the alternator pumps power in to the battery once the engine is running.

Quiet unusual that the female was driving the family with the male as a passenger, particularly for the 50 something age group.

Very unusual for a family to react the way they did to a good samaritan. (again, particularly that age group)

Takankbull, where did this happen? I'd love to see where exactly the chip on the shoulder occurred.

Yea I didn't believe it either.

Jay D

Boards member experiences something negative, dramatisation comes on here again with an innovative question like asked in the OP, it's as simple as that to be perfectly honest. Nothing more.

bobin fudge

it may not have been mid run, if a battery is very flat it can cut at a junction or anything where it requires the car to be stopped, what the OP described I have seen countless times - typically a fat scruffy family with the fat man in the passenger seat as well jammed in a small banger of a car

The Scientician

Ha I was just commenting to my colleague the other day how polite everyone is anymore. I don't get teenagers coming in acting the bolleaux anymore. They're polite, friendly. It's like Ireland slipped into the Twilight Zone sometime in the last 5 years.