Well, CTA, You Win.

You win the Rudeness Awards.
I am so disappointed in humanity today. It's so sad.

This morning, everyone on the CTA wins the Rudeness Award.
To the bus driver who called a passenger an idiot:
You, sir, win the Rudeness Award for Rude and Inappropriate Responses While on the Job.
(poor man must have pulled the emergency stop handle or something-I didn't quite see-which, is dangerous and you are not supposed to do, but it sounded like he didn't quite understand you are supposed to pull the cord by the window not the red handle above the door. He was very confused and stammered an apology before getting off the bus after the driver yelled "WHY DID YOU DO THAT, YOU IDIOT?" First of all, it is NEVER, EVER ok to call anyone a name, especially in public, and even though we seem to think in our culture that we are entitled to raise our voices anytime we please, it is selfish and rude). So congratulations bus driver. You are horrible.

To the four men directly facing a pregnant woman while seated:
You with the Rudeness Award for Didn't Your Mother Raise You Better Than That?
She had two large bags with her and was clearly pregnant. Not in the "if I offer her a seat will she be offended because she thinks I'm calling her fat?" way, but in the "if you're not pregnant, then you are hiding a basketball under your dress" way. Gentlemen, offer your seats. Guess what, even if she wasn't pregnant, it is still polite to offer your seat to a lady, especially if she has luggage with her. Your kindness would not go unnoticed and anyone who would be offended by that politeness should be disregarded and it be understood that they are not the norm. It is simply polite. And you four were looking straight at her. There is no way you couldn't have seen that she needed a seat. Come on men, step up.

To the two very tall men who felt it necessary to stretch their legs out across the aisle on the purple line:
You two win the Rudeness Award for This Is Not Your Living Room.
I know you are tall. I know you have long legs. But you need to move them so that people can properly board and exit the train.

To the exit blockers:
You win the Rudeness Award for Refusing To Be Aware of Your Surroundings.
You cause people to push and shove and raise their voices so they can get off the train thus perpetuating the trend of rudeness and the need for Rudeness Awards, just because you have forgotten to take a quick look around to see if anyone might need to get past you when you are STANDING IN FRONT OF THE DOORS.

To the truck that blew the stop sign while I was in the crosswalk:
You win the Rudeness Award for Failing to Follow the Traffic Laws.
Do they not apply to you? Do you feel it is ok to speed up when you see a pedestrian?

This year's Rudeness Award Ceremony will be conducted at Clark and Lake, as we all stand on the escalators and block the turn styles while gobs and gobs of people try to make it onto the Blue Line. I find it only fitting.