Adelaide road rager reveals weird side of our anger addiction | Amanda Blair

Getting called a s**t on a Wednesday trip to Adelaide Airport was not what I was expecting, writes Amanda Blair.

Last week I was called a s**t, had a middle finger stuck up at me and was told to f**k off”.

I didn’t expect this at 10.45am on a Wednesday morning, not did I expect the appearance of the “fingerer”, as I’ll call her.

She was probably in her 40s, well dressed and driving an expensive car. She was in the left hand lane on Marion Road just near the intersection of Sir Donald Bradman Drive.

My 21-year-old son was driving me to the airport in my boring white Mazda which had P plates on it from the night before when my other son drove it to Subway to “cop a feed”.

So, “fingerer” thought she was duelling with a P-plater.

Yes, it was a duel, a contest, a battle requiring an extremely aggressive response, name calling, fingering and potentially a small collision.

Putting on our indicator when in a stationary position so we could move into “her” left lane to avoid roadworks.

What were we thinking?

Clearly we were overstepping our mark and deserved everything we got right?

I know “cossie livs” is tough, eggs are hard to find and Donald Trump has put us all in a sour mood, but puh-lease can we just relax a little?

I’m not going to waste valuable column space by writing about how bad South Australian’s are at driving. It’s a fact widely acknowledged that we’re the WORST in the country.

SA Police were left hunding two men after this explosion scene on the roads at Gilberton in 2024. Picture:7 NEWS

We drive like we’re playing a video game, every other car is the enemy and the person merging in front of you is clearly an asshole.

If you let them in, they win, so you won’t let them. Nah nah-nee-nah-nah. It’s so embarrassing.

But I will write about the increased levels of anger I’ve seen recently. We’re so quick to inflame, to name call, to pile on in a social media meltdown or to use our fists. It’s really ugly.

I stopped writing columns for this newspaper and sharing my opinions on television back in 2015 after being victim to a particularly savage online attack. I’d said something on TV which was misinterpreted by a cohort of individuals and within hours my reputation was tarnished and my nerves in tatters.

I had threats of rape, abduction and torture of my children, a Facebook page was started to have my kids taken from me as I was “unfit” to mother, memes were floating around cyberspace with quotes that were grossly inaccurate and defamatory and I even had death threats.

It was horrendous and although as a former radio talk-show host I’m a tough cookie, this made the cookie crumble.

What followed was a period of retreat from the world, my friends my professional life and my usual self.

It took months of therapy to try and understand how people were capable of such vitriol, particularly towards somebody they didn’t know personally.

Hilariously my “inflammatory” words were also uttered on Channel Nine’s Today Show where I was being interviewed by Richard Wilkins.

Hardly controversial stuff, I think we’d been talking about Mariah Carey’s breasts moments before my life went pear-shaped.

Sadly, therapy held no answers as to why, only helped me deal with the effects.

I was tentative when I wrote again even suggesting the editor turn off the “comments” as I wasn’t sure I could handle them.

We’re a weird, increasingly angry mob and I think it’s time we addressed this beyond a Royal Commission into Family Violence.

We’re a bit wound up and need to actively calm down. Seriously. Let’s stop ignoring bad behaviour when we see it in others and ourselves.

Don’t post mean things online, if you wouldn’t say it to somebody face, don’t say it behind the anonymity of a keyboard.

I reckon if we recited The Golden Rule every morning like we did at primary school we’d be nicer people. It develops empathy, understanding and respect for others.

Then next time I wanted to change lanes in front of you you’d just politely let me in.

You might even just give me a little friendly wave and a smile. You’ll be amazed how good you feel.

Sure, you may still think I’m a sl*t but you’d know best to keep it to yourself.

Originally published as Adelaide road rager reveals weird side of our anger addiction | Amanda Blair