Friday, February 5, 2010

Walk walk fashion baby push it...


Talking about "rules of the road" - in Russia, from a foreigner's point of view - quickly devolves into - frankly - racist comments about how "Russians never smile," or "Russians always shove me out of the way," and the ilk.

I'm not sure how to answer the first claim. I don't think that people in other major metropolitan areas are going to smile at me, either, though. As for the second - I definitely know that if a person is walking too slowly down a crowded New York or even Boston sidewalk, they're going to get pushed out of the way.

But for all of those "rules" over which we can ruminate when we're not being back-seat walkers to ourselves, there are laws that act on an intrinsic level. Laws the likes of which we'd never consider if we didn't come upon a violation of one. For example
Do not walk at the same pace as the stranger next to you.
I think it was equally awkward for both of us this morning, Mr. Walking-Away-From-Tverskaya-Guy.

Somehow it's even creepier than thinking someone walking behind you is following you.

1 comment:

Stacey said...

Yikes. I naturally assumed that was a friend of yours, walking along with you. Awkward . . .