Oh yes, I’m all too familiar with being shouted at from vans as well by obnoxious workmen. My guess is they choose to shout horrid things at passers-by just to show off in front of their friends or work colleagues – it makes them appear tough and cool (when it clearly doesn’t). They’re probably cowards themselves, they think they can shout mean things at people and then they are able to drive off with a swift getaway. I doubt they would say mean things outside the van – they wouldn’t have the guts to say those things when you would be standing next to them or if they were on their own. I just tell myself they are a bunch of fully-grown men who still act and behave like childish school bullies, and quite frankly it’s tragic. They probably have a lot of insecurities about themselves and they can only feel better when they are intimidating passers-by.

I don’t think those kinds of people are doing it personally – with the egg-throwing episode which happened almost last Christmas, I don’t think those stupid lads decided to get in their car that day, buy a carton of eggs from Farmfoods or wherever and go out of their way to find me and throw eggs. My dad told me something similar happened to him before in the same area I was nearly egg-ambushed. They don’t know me, I was just unfortunate enough to be there when they drove past me in their Ford Fiesta. Some people just haven’t got anything better to do with their time besides throwing things at unsuspecting pedestrians.

My sister has had bad experiences with similar kinds of people as well – usually lads who honk their horns as they drive past and wolf-whistle (despite the fact I am walking with her as well, wasn’t best pleased about that!) She also had the rubbish collectors wolf-whistle at her while she was on her way to the train station – my sister isn’t the kind of person to put up with that kind of nonsense so she stuck her fingers up at the men, they started swearing at her and shouting all kinds of disgusting, degrading things at her. We phoned the local council to complain about them, and even after the complaint was made they still insist on shouting horrid things at her so we have had to complain about them again. It makes me wonder though, these men think it’s okay to behave so disgusting towards girls yet they probably wouldn’t be happy if other people were to say disgusting things about their wives, daughters, sisters or mothers.

The point I’m trying to make here is, these creeps didn’t go out of their way to launch a personal attack on somebody that day, they are just low-life who are desperate to show off in front of their co-workers. They think they are funny and tough but they are not, they are really pathetic. They are probably so bored with their own lives they have to get cheap thrills by being rude to people. It doesn’t matter who you are, anybody in their line of sight gets shouted at or pelted with eggs. But next time an obnoxious van-driver decides to shout at you again, see if the company’s phone number is printed on the side of the van and report them.

And I wish you the best of luck with the volunteering side of things 🙂