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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Lifestyle
Brigid Delaney

Is Australia getting ruder? How to be kinder to others in everyday life – and break the contagion of rage

A smiley face on a badge with sticky tape
Verbal abuse is becoming a normal part of the job for service workers – but customers don’t have to treat every minor inconvenience as a personal affront. Composite: Guardian Design

Think of a typical day in our angry world. You open social media and read abuse either directed at yourself or someone else, then you get in your car and find yourself aggressively overtaken while driving at the speed limit. You pull into a shopping mall car park, where another driver executes a fast three-point turn to take your park, and then shouts a stream of abuse when you honk.

You find another park but your car gets damaged by a rogue trolley rolling into it; its previous user couldn’t be bothered putting it away.

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