December 23, 2003
Honking
I’ve come to believe that there’s a difference between being honked at and honked to. The one is a warning to get out of the way, the other, a possible greeting from a friend who only wants to say a passing “hello.”
Either one is a way of getting noticed, and when you think of it, that’s never so bad. It’s like when somebody calls out, “Hey, Frank!” in a crowd, everybody named Frank and even a few more not named Frank at all stops and turns around.
Now there’s a third possibility that’s come along over the past few years. Some might think it’s a sign of progress. It’s neither being honked at or honked to, but just being honked, and you don’t know which, if either. It happens whenever some showoff driver locks — or unlocks — a car by remote control. It’s not clear why the car has to honk — and sometimes blink its lights, too — when it gets the signal, unless it’s just trying to make the driver feel more secure.
I can’t just simply ignore it. Honking — either at or to — always makes me stop whatever I’m doing or wherever I’m going. It’s probably all vanity But when it’s only some car honking at its owner by remote control and rendering all the pleasure out of being noticed even its only by a robot on four wheels, it unnerves me. I would draw the line if I thought it would make any difference.
I’m pleased to learn, however, that New York City has drawn a line that may eventually help honking. I understand there’s going to be a new ordinance preventing those abominable car alarms that always go off and pollute the air for no apparent reason, least of all to announce a theft, which is what they are for in the first place. The police say they’re more a nuisance than a prevention, and that they have little effect on thievery.
It reminds me of a time when there was a big college campus demonstration about something planned one time, but when the press and the televisioners failed to show up, nothing at all got demonstrated. We’ve got more than our share of alarmism in the church these days that we’re maybe paying more attention to than is really necessary.