This weekend I went shopping in Basingstoke, which in itself is not an unfamiliar event to anyone.  Why would I write about something so mundane you ask?  Let me start to explain in saying that I had a bizarre reaction to the swell of people converging on the shopping centre and noticed some altogether disgusting human behaviour.  Behaviour I would liken to that of animals in a zoo, where it not for the fact  that would denigrate the animals in the zoo.

It all started out reasonably well, and I was a little concerned that the car parks were filling up quickly as we arrived.  No problem though because we managed to find a space in the upper levels of festival place quite easily.

So we took the lift down and started going around the shops, but there were masses of people absolutely everywhere!  All these people were going about their business, and shopping as you’d expect. What disturbed me the most is that not a single one of them seemed to have any consideration for anyone else around them.  

Firstly we went to get some coffee from one of those quaint little shops that sells fresh ground coffee.  It was quite packed so I decided to take the kids outside.  In the doorway were two young women who blocked the route out, and so in a clear tone I politely said ”please excuse me”.  I was ignored, although I am quite sure the young woman heard me.  So I raised my voice ever so gently and said in a more irritated tone, “excuse me please!”, at which point she gave me a dirty look and let us pass.

As we continued around the mall I noticed that all the shops were all equally packed, and there was a large contingent of police patrolling it the mall.  I estimated there were between 6-10 police officers patrolling as we went around.  Perhaps to save us all from terrorists, or militant shoppers?

The next event occurred as I walked out of a book store following behind the kids, and a man with a large back pack barged his way in front of me, and then continued to walk slowly in front of me so that I could not catch up with my wife and children.   At this point I was starting to feel quite irritated and cross, with all these idiot people blocking doorways, stopping dead in front of me, and generally being a bloody nuisance.  Even as I recount the episode I feel a great swell of anger rising in me, perhaps some kind of conditioned response to people getting in my personal space.

The next event happened as Michael and I waited for Julie and Rachael. We were sitting on the seat in the mall and as we sat there patiently and talking a woman walked past and smacked me the back of my head with her bag.  I assumed she would stop, apologise, and check I was ok, but instead she turned and gave me a look of distain, as if to say ”How dare I touch her back with the back of my head”.   

The final straw came, when I stood outside waiting for Julie and a man quite deliberately walks to where I was standing with my two kids and lights up a cigarette.  It took all of my self control, to contain the onslaught of profanity that had accumulated during this trip. 

As Julie exited the store, she could obviously see how hard I was finding it, and I think my frequent use of the F word during trip was her first clue.  She said it was time to go home and didn’t argue.  As we got back to car I told her how sick I felt, an actual physical sickness had overcome me from going to the shops.

Driving back up the M3 to home I could feel the rage and anger leaving my body, and as a compromise I offered to drive Julie to the station for any future shopping trips.  I would not be coming.

So to the greedy, selfish people of Basingstoke, I say consider your behaviour in public and the impact it has on others around you, because I was stones throw from smacking someone up side the head.   As a pacifist I can count the few times I have felt true rage in my life, and I would like congratulate the people of Basingstoke for adding another to my list of memorable times.

Clearly this is an issue for me that I need to contemplate further.