Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for March 31, 2014

I’m guessing he made a different gesture afterwards.

Have you noticed that you never see Rat and Larry David together at one time?

No hand wave…or even “the nod”?

A real gentleman of the road.

A pack of bikers once failed to give me the hand wave, which wasn’t a big deal.

But then one of them flipped me off and, well…

Here in India, the norm is to speed up if you see someone trying to cross! The crossing on city streets reminds me of the wildebeest during the great migration, crossing a croc-filled river – someone is pushed into the stream and the rest follow!!

I always give the hand wave, if it is truly deserved. But Rat seems like the creepy type—the car creeps up on you, then stops, then creeps some more, then stops again, and so on. For that Rat, I have another version of the hand wave….

No way I cross in front of a car. They’re bigger than I am! I can wait a moment.

I rarely give the hand wave. Especially not to a guy who clearly has the right of way at a four-way stop and who waves me through—usually by hand and through tinted glass, without using his lights. I didn’t ask for his freakin “favor” and I don’t want it. There, I’m ready for my commute now.

I’ll be sure to give the hand wave the next time that I’m in that situation……hey you never know, the driver may have seen this strip.

I wonder what the Ratmobile looks like.

Do not cross Rats warpath. (Without giving the hand wave)

but my arm was in a sling!

I never thought I’d agree with rat. Always give ‘the wave’.

Now you’re going to get the universal hand gesture acknowledgement that you just ran over their toes.

I always wave and say thank you when someone flips me the bird.The Handwave a classic Seinfeld Episode

My husband and I joke that if you let a car merge in front of you in traffic and they don’t give the little wave, you get to hit them.

I don’t normally side with rat, but this time I would give him points for accuracy, ( only the toes )

I always give the wave…just in case someone like rat is behind the wheel

There’s no reason Not to be at least polite!

“Who cares?” “He does.”

Classic.

Crosswalks are completely meaningless. Pedestrians can legally cross a road anyplace it’s safe.

When I’m out walking I don’t expect or even WANT anyone to stop for me to cross unless they have a stop sign. I can take care of myself.

Geez, Rat!

I do the hand wave every time.

xxx

I solve the problem by never ever being a pedestrian

Too much use of the word “so” in those first two panels.

That sounds like State Highway 4 in New Mexico. [Insert favorite obscenity here]

Give thanks or taste revenge, that’s the California way.

Actually, it’s the universal sign “Thanks for not running me over and for stopping so I an actually cross.” How many cross walks actually have the lights for crossing? I go downtown in my city and, not counting the side streets, there’s like six cross walks without crossing lights and only three with along main street and the major streets coming off main street. Side streets add another six or eight crosswalks without crossing lights, but you can usually cross those without worrying as much about cars running you down. Crossing main street and the major streets off it are where the heavy traffic flow is and where you really have to wait for someone to stop ad let you cross. Always seems less like your saying thanks when you wave to them for stopping and more like “Hey, I’m still here and gonna try and get across quickly. If I wave maybe you’ll see me better. Please don’t run me over.”

I think the guy was too busy trying not to feel too awkward having to halt Rat’s day for a bit while he crossed. I feel like that every time a car lets me cross.

Thousands of years of natural selection, yet you still see people in Portland who will walk in the street without watching for traffic, as if “right fo way” could protect them.