Image via Leon Kuenzler/YouTube
Back in the day, the hit TV show Malcom in the Middle did and exceptional job using an SN95 Mustang versus a Ford Tempo to illustrate the ridiculousness of road rage. And yet somehow even with this comedic portrayal from years ago, the road rage epidemic has become even worse. Maybe everyone needs to watch this scene again.
Ford’s CEO says the company is developing a super off-roader.
In it, we see Lois Wilkerson, the mom in the show, sitting in her Ford Tempo in a grocery store parking lot when another woman who’s parked next to her opens the door to her SN95 Mustang. But the other woman hits Lois’ car with her door and that’s where things pop off.
Just like in real life road rage situations, these exchanges often begin with something small, maybe even inconsequential. Things escalate after Lois calls the woman out and the request for an apology is denied.
After Lois gets revenge by hitting the pony car with her door repeatedly, the other woman does the nonsensical, damaging her Mustang to also damage the older and crappy Tempo.
This is the irony of road rage: usually people are upset someone else does something they deem as putting them in danger. So they retaliate in a way that puts themselves and the other person in danger, only even more than the original act.
But the scene keeps going with the two women engaging in a style of demolition derby as onlookers stand in amazement. After all, who destroys their car over a simple disagreement? Sadly, too many people do in road rage incidents and they look just as ridiculous as the two women in this scene.
Ultimately, they try hitting each other head-on, but both cars are just done, crawling towards each other as their owners, fully in lizard brain, don’t even realize their rides are both ruined. We guess they get revenge of each other and get an insurance nightmare after the fact.
“I don’t know what happened, I just lost control,” Lois says at the very end. That’s exactly what happened. Road rage is ridiculous.
Images via Leon Kuenzler/YouTube
