I should note that my definition of “wrong” here is selecting the route I would NOT take to this destination. Mine would have gotten us there in record time and ease, though he foolishly disagrees. Our conversation pretty much went like this:
“Why are you going this way?”
“Because this is the way to get there.”
“But I never go this way.”
“I always go this way. See, how quick and speedy it is?”
“No, it's not. We would already be seated if we’d gone my way.”
Then I threatened to buy him a GPS system because it would choose the best route (which of course is MINE). “I don’t need a GPS, I never go anywhere,” protested the man who works from home.
“Well, you’re going somewhere now and you're going the wrong way,” I replied.
The discussion continued to deteriorate. When we finally reached the restaurant, I asked the couples waiting for us: When you drive, do you take the same routes that your spouse would? I bet you can figure out the answer -- none of them do. Why is that?
Is it because men and women think differently? Although that's a good explanation for many things, I don't think it explains driving patterns. Just yesterday, for example, my own mother asked me more than once “why are you going THIS way?” while I was in the driver's seat.
I suspect there are many factors that impact our route preferences, like whether we want to get somewhere fast or just enjoy the s
cenery. Or maybe we want to avoid traffic lights, or a certain bridge, intersection or traffic bottleneck. It's also possible that we pick routes based on habit. But why did Husband No. 1 develop such bad habits when I did not? (I'm still talking about driving here.)One of the men at today's breakfast says the reason people make different choices is "this is America."
But after doing a little Internet research, I discovered this phenomenon intrigues folks in other countries, too. I found a study done in Korea. Although the translation to English was a little rough, I believe I found the best answer for why people make different driving route choices:
Fuzzy logic. Yep, they blamed a mathematical technique, one that's used to deal with imprecise data and problems that have many solutions rather than one.
Fuzzy logic. I like it. And it might help explain a few more things about Husband No. 1, as well.
So, does it also drive you crazy when others can't see that your routes are the best?
2 comments:
What drives me crazy is when someone is giving me a ride to a place that person goes regularly, and asks me which is the best way to go, for example, "Should I go 95 or Rte 1?"
Since I always go Rte 1 from Ipswich to Amesbury, that's what I say. And then I have to direct her to the various side roads that I consider the right way. On the way home, she just goes the way she apparently always does: 95! So, one wonders, why did she ask? We could also wonder why I didn't say, "Oh go the way you prefer" or something like that.
Husband #1 used to pull this maneuver all the time and then criticize me for my opinion. That's one of the many reasons he's no longer husband # Anything for me!
That is so funny, Edith. I have had that happen, too -- they ask for the route and then return another way.
I really thought more people would be commenting on this post -- maybe the issue only bugs some of us!
Post a Comment