Main Character Syndrome

A few months ago I did a blog titled "Social Etiquette" where I took a look at a few occurrences of behavior over the past week that were pretty poor behavior. I found a new word for it of "main character syndrome" and I've never felt a word that more validated what you see day to day.

The one action that bugs me to no end is talking on speaker phone in a public place. I'm not sure when it changed that loudly having a conversation where we can hear the other party is at all normal. Whether its at a restaurant listening to some Uber Eats driver picking up food while chatting or some one in a line at a sandwich shop I just can't fathom the process going on in their head. Never have I thought to talk on speaker phone as I wander around a public place. I don't even understand how the party on the other end of the phone is alright listening to presumably a loud busy caller with the background noise that speaker phone may pick up. Once I build up the courage I'll just join the conversation to curb this behavior as the individual must be intending the public to join their call with broadcasting it to us.

They are a main character in their own story and no one else matters in their brain and this becomes especially relevant on the road. The amount of times I'm getting on the highway and some car drives all the way to the end of the merge lane to cut in at the last section is insane. They might have passed 20-40 cars and caused a few seconds of braking for that entire lane as they stop to let that aggressive car in.

Some cars are not about letting that individual in to combat the behavior which turns a turn based zipper merge into an aggressive stop and go traffic jam. It just becomes exhausting to consistently watch traffic degrade because of the actions of a few, because when you play simulations of common traffic patterns - it works. What every simulation doesn't account for is the main character energy that some folks exhibit.

At times I wonder if I'm confusing just obliviousness with this form of main character. Since take a situation where I'm waiting in line at Publix for a sandwich. There are little markers to guide you to the start of the line vs the end. On multiple occasions I've seen someone just walk through the end part of the line and just stand there to interrupt the deli worker for a question suited for the catering area or try to order! Thankfully in most cases the employee directs them on their way, but I'm just so blown away in the moment.

Is this person intentionally doing this because they don't want to wait like everyone else? Are they obliviousness and its an honest mistake? You can kinda tell based on their response to the situation when they are challenged - combative and it was probably intentional, confusion and it was probably an honest mistake.

Every day I try and have a bit of empathy, but I'll more than likely run into a main character or two.