In the US, car horns are the best way to incite instant attention and confusion to all who are in earshot. Where I live, there's a car that comes around very late at night and lays on the horn for about a minute or so. Usually when this happens I am asleep. Quickly my slumber dissipates into acute confusion and then focused anger, but by the time I get to my window and prepare to yell out of it (ala undergrad dorm days) the car has become silent, the passenger it had requested has arrived or the drug deal its proud tenor had called for has been made.
I dont use my car horn. I think its sound is meek and ineffective, like a teenager with its voice changing. It presents no authority, no "hey you can't drive so listen to this horn sound and be afraid" attitude. If I were to honk at a car in anger, I would think that the offending car would be able to out-honk me with a quick retort. I would only be able to respond to this with the same milquetoast sound: "beep." Nothing that would be able to convey my astonishment at their crass response or to reinforce my original announcement of their driving inabilities.
In other countries, honks are omnipresent. Cars talk to each other. "It's ok, there's room here, you can change lanes." "Hey, I'm right behind you, watch out." "Hello pretty lady!" "Thanks for letting me get over here."
1 comment:
awesome! anytime i want to honk my horn i think about it too much and then it's too late.
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