A Patience Story

We had an episode occur Saturday in Wiesbaden which spoke a good bit about patience or the lack of patience.

For years in Wiesbaden, we generally averaged maybe four or five protests or demonstrations a year.  It was typically (say 90-percent of the time) always labor or union demonstrations. 

In the last five years?  It's warped-up and there's probably near forty to fifty protests or demonstrations a year now.  The Kurds, the right-wing, the left-wing, the labor folks, the environmentalists, the Greta-kids, and so on. 

Well....on Saturday, near the underground parking of the Casino....we had this episode develop.

An older German lady (75 years old) was finished with her business in the Casino building (it might have been coffee or lunch with a friend), and desired to leave/exit.  The problem?  Well....another protest action was taking place on Wilhelmstrasse.  Some bicyclist (a guy in his 30s) blocked this exit point onto the main street.

It appears (at least by the way journalists tell the story), the old lady tried to get out and humbly ask the guy to move and let her pass.  He apparently didn't see her need to exit onto the street.  So after a couple of attempts on niceness....she got back into the car, and eased the car onto the bike....knocking the guy over.....then driving off.

The bike guy says he was injured, and the bike itself was damaged.

Cops?  Well....they have the tag number and are pursuing an investigation.  Charges are probably going to occur.  But I'm guessing the older gal will have an attorney and he will pursue some minor charge on the bicyclist for illegally blocking traffic. 

The sad thing is that all of this will go to some courtroom, and involve a judge for an hour.  The old gal might lose her license (harming a person with a car is an issue).  The judge will ask the bicyclist why he didn't move, and he won't have a clear answer.  Illegally blocking traffic is a point on the driver's program. 

So, you stand and admire this landscape, and the fact that as more protests and demonstrations occur.....drivers in the city are losing an 'ounce' or two of patience with its demonstration.  You get blocked off for 30 to 60 minutes.  You miss an appointment because of this action.  You have to plan around your day with projected protests as part of the weekly agenda in the city.  All of this will lead to people having the judgement of the old lady in this case.....pushing the protester out of the way. 

2020?  Oh I'd take a guess that we will go well beyond sixty protests or demonstrations for the year.  Eventually, we'll even have protests against the protests.