Mr. Magoo

There are days when I venture out into the wide world, I wonder if I should be like Mr. Magoo, classic cartoon character from the past. His wide-eyed optimism and “who gives a flip” innocence is so appealing when considering what happens in the world of today, it would also be helpful if everyone had a “Cholly” to save us from our own challenging situations.

I began thinking about Mr. Magoo when I was driving home this week to be confronted with a lady heading toward me on a one-way street. Long story short, we managed to avoid catastrophe, she went on her way and I mine, no harm, no foul. It could have ended far differently.

Also this week, I was driving into the local post office on a one-way street entrance when I had to wait for a lady pulling out of a parking space in the wrong direction and trying to exit the parking lot by going out the same direction that she had entered, which was a one-way street. I went on my way and paid no attention to how she finally exited the parking lot. It was doubly annoying since I had just waited through a very long traffic light behind a fellow who was so busy with his cell phone, he ignored the green light and a line of traffic behind him had to wait through two cycles for him to stop using his phone and pay attention to his driving. Yes, yes, at least the car was stopped while he was on his phone. He could have pulled into a parking lot rather than choosing a traffic light stop to use the phone.

Actually, I am beginning to feel more like the “Cholly” who has to patiently wait out the Mr. Magoo, clueless drivers of the world, and save them from their carefree approach to traffic laws or patterns.

I live near a very busy north/south highway that is divided in several areas and it seems to confuse some drivers. However, a left turn lane into a shopping mall should not be a mystery and when the light goes red, traffic is required to stop. I had to sit waiting under a green light waiting for five, yes five drivers, to continue in the left turn lane while ignoring the red light in the left turn lane. Oncoming three lanes of traffic had the green light, but the five drivers didn’t care. Cholly had to save all the Mr. Magoo drivers that day. Three lanes of traffic sat blowing their horns while five people continued to turn left into the mall.  “Blocking the Box” is being taken more seriously in some areas thankfully.

When the headlines scream “man shot in theater over texting argument”, I’m not surprised. Cell phone use in theaters have made it such an unpleasant experience that I have become a fan of Netflix. I watch movies in my own home rather than putting up with inconsiderate people acting like they are at home when they are in theaters. When among the public, we never know who is mentally ill, carrying guns, high on drugs, physically impaired, or just plain criminals looking for trouble. We have more people in the “Cholly” category in the population thankfully, and all we can do is try to work around the situations, while Mr. Magoo blows it off with “Oh, Magoo, you’ve done it again.”