I sincerely doubt, however, that the woman who yelled at Hicks for riding his bike on the sidewalk and "weaving in and out of pedestrians" was doing so because of a March on Washington flashback.
Instead, it seems as if her actions stemmed from concerns not only for her own safety, but for all of the other people on the sidewalk that Hicks was using as a moving loom. I agree with Hicks, rudeness is pervasive in our society, but I see it more as a result of narrow self-interest than of '60s style protests.
We care about how others treat us and the people that we deem important. Unfortunately, it seems as if that latter category is growing smaller. Thus Hicks can feel outraged that an Abercrombie and Fitch salesperson uses his first name while completely ignoring how rude he is to others.
Rabia Belt '01-'02
Dec. 10, 1999
The writer is the editor of the Perspective.