I got cussed out today by a big, angry biker. I was on my way to pick my son up from his job at Chik-Fil-A and there was road construction. Three lanes collapsed down to one for a short distance. There were several stop lights in a row because there’s an interstate exchange there. Being familiar with this stretch of road and the lane closures, I was in the left lane and prepared to let other cars over. As I pulled up to a red light with a couple other cars in front of me (already stopped at the light), I left enough room ahead of me for the car on my right to pull in front of me when the light would turn green. 

Now, I had my windows rolled up and I was listening to an audiobook when I heard a very loud and angry voice cussing somebody out behind me. So, I glanced in my mirror to see a rather red-faced, bearded, surly biker shouting in my direction. “Huh,” I muttered, as it occurred to me that this angry biker was cussing me out! Apparently, he was quite displeased with my attempt at courtesy (letting someone in front of me). I continued to watch him in my mirror as I contemplated the situation. Eventually, having exhausted his (I can only assume) rather limited vocabulary (given the repetition of a certain four-letter word that he sometimes stretched to six letters and attached to the end of another word), he paused his tirade. The light turned green and I let the car next to me go in front of me and then I moved forward, only to be stopped by another red light about fifty yards ahead. 

At the new red light, the irate biker pulled up next to and slightly ahead of me so he could resume his doctrinal defense of his thesis that I should get my bleepity blankin’ bleep out of his way because the good people of the road behind me would like to go, too. At this point, I rolled my window down enough to properly engage him in conversation, should I so choose, but not far enough that my face would be a target he could reach should he choose to raise the threat level of our little chat. I considered, briefly, several possible responses and dismissed them all in rapid succession. When a person is that angry, Ain’t no sense in reasoning with him ‘cause reason done left the building.

In retrospect, I really wish I had snapped a photo of him, but I didn’t think of it until later. A selfie with him really would have been spectacular, but the odds of it going the way I imagine are pretty slim. So, it’s probably best it worked out the way it did. I said, “God bless you, Sir! Have a nice day!” To which he replied with another string of expletives, including several iterations of his favorite word, as he drove away. 

What does this have to do with podcasting? Well, it’s a fun story and story-telling is a great way to connect with your listeners when you podcast. 

Also, did you notice what I didn’t do? I didn’t respond in kind to this Tasmanian devil. Don’t get me wrong. Part of me wanted to cuss him out (or worse), but it was strangely liberating to watch, in almost detached curiosity, as this person had a king-sized two-year-old hissy-fit on the road. As he cussed me out, everyone in the intersection could hear him. And, he wasn’t telling them anything about me. He was sure telling them a lot about himself, though. Again, what does this have to do with podcasting? Well, if you’re going to put your voice out there (through podcasting, blogging, or just posting on social media), eventually someone is going to hate you — actively hate you. They may even try to cancel you. But, you know what? You don’t have to care. You don’t have to engage them at all. You could even bless them in their crazy rant, or simply ignore them. Like a fire deprived of oxygen, they’ll eventually burn out and go away.