I spend a lot of my time outside. May it be riding my bicycle or walking around the city and I’ve been noticing angrier behavior around me. This is not the Toronto that I know.

A few days ago while having my morning double espresso my friend and barista Jonny from Jet-Fuel coffee told me that Parliament street has never been so bad with random window breaking and other violent acts. Jonny is my thermostat of what is going on in our neighborhood and his coffee shop has been around for thirty years. He has seen a thing or two on the street.

Two days ago I was shopping at my favorite vegetable store. They lured me in with the best prices for organic blueberries and I kept coming because of the excellent produce. As I was paying for my veggies a guy in his fifties cut the line ahead of a lady that was already there. There was a gap between her and the person ahead of her. At which point the lady told him that she is in the line and that he should move behind her. Most times an incident like this ends up with an apology and all move on, but not this time. The guy began arguing with her and then called her a Bitch. I thought that I didn’t hear well but the yelling that followed confirmed what I heard. What makes a person call a complete stranger in the right a bitch? how rude is that!

Today I was driving my car and I let a car from another lane in ahead of me. Behind him was another car that was trying to squeeze in as well but I was too far ahead to let him in. That caused him to start cursing me. My window was open and he was loud so there was no misunderstanding as to his anger.

I feel that people these days are less inclined to hold things inside and become verbally aggressive at a whim. Is it the men’s turn to be “Karen like”. Will things turn physical next?

I hope that we go back to being courteous with our fellow humans. I think that some of us have developed a sense of entitlement that the world owes us something and then get angry when what was never ours “is taken” away from us.

Has this started with our politicians or are they representing what we are turning in to?

Despite the being cursed at,

Much love,

Alon