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I See Rude People Eb (2009)

by Amy Alkon(Favorite Author)

3.36 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0071600221 (ISBN13: 9780071600224)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

McGraw-Hill

review 1: This is a well-researched, funny, and thought provoking book. Amy tells how she has battled rude people through the years including hunting down the man who stole her car and badgering him until he returned it and taking on Bank of America when she suffered from identity theft due to their errors. In many ways, Amy herself sounds rather rude, but, objectively, what she says and does, makes sense and from the photo on the cover on the book she does NOT look like a tranny. You will have to read the book to see what that refers to. I found it interesting that research shows that our brains are wired to function well in a community of up to 150 people without needing any policing, but when there are more people than that, we need laws, rules, and law enforcers. Her thoughts... more on poor parenting, and the fact that all adults participate in telling children how to behave in France, are quite interesting. Her stories of how she fines and sues telephone solicitors for wasting her time, and hunts down criminals who are misguided enough to mess with her are very funny and while I won't do those things myself, it is satisfying to know that someone does and that at least some annoying telemarketers, spammers and criminals are getting back some of what they dish out.
review 2: Amy Alkon has balls. She takes pictures of rude drivers. She tracks down bigwigs of companies that telemarket, and calls them at home. She traces IP addresses of people who leave bullying comments on message boards. She single-handedly traced someone who stole her car, and called him until she got her car back and damages paid.Alkon is the person we shy people cheer for, the one who shushes the loud cell-phone user, or asks the jerky kid to stop kicking her seat on a plane. She is a champion of manners, and isn't afraid to take on the challenge of confrontation.She explains why we can afford to be rude in modern society using examples from evolutionary psychology. She is the ONLY journalist I've ever read who does the field justice, and uses the studies and findings in the spirit in which they were intended. For this alone she should be commended - she did her homework.I agree that you don't have to be a parent to know how to parent well, but you do have to be the parent of your particular child to know how to parent that child. It varies wildly. She proudly describes a friend who wouldn't eat out with her child until he was four years old -maybe her child didn't do well out, but some children do well 90% of the time. Should they stay home on the off chance they'll act out? Once I was at a bakery with my (then) two-year old, and I pinched his belly when I strapped him in the chair. He screamed, and a girl next to me slammed her laptop closed and started yelling at me to stick a pacifier in him. She completely misread what was happening. Should you stay home if your kid is ready for a nap? Yes, if you just feel like a latté. No, if you're keeping a lunch date with an aunt you haven't seen in 20 years. My point is, you don't know the circumstances. Sometimes with children they're not as obvious as, say, yelling on your cell phone while waiting at a doctor's office. For some rudeness there's no excuse, but in parenting, there are more shades of gray than I ever imagined.Alkon says, "Don't inflict yourself on other people." This is fabulous advice. I hope we all become a little bolder on taking rude people to task, but in the meantime I'm glad she goes above and beyond to exact consequences for rude actions. less

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