Don't be a d**k: Sam Armytage's blunt appeal after copping abuse from strangers
Samantha Armytage has asked Australians to show more tolerance and “try really hard to not be a d**k” after copping abuse from strangers.
Writing for Stellar Magazine, the Sunrise host spoke about a dew recent incidents while out and about in Sydney.
The first run-in saw Armytage sworn at by a driver at the traffic lights after he abruptly swerved into her lane while she drove her ill parents home from hospital.
“We were driving along, minding our own business in the centre lane of traffic, when a bloke pulled out of a side street,” she penned.
“He swung dangerously into my lane, almost T-boning us.”
“I’m not ashamed to tell you, he gave me a fright. And he terrified my country-parent passengers. So, yes, I beeped him, and yes, he bloody deserved it,” she added.
“Now, I can hold my own. You don’t survive a career in TV and an all-girls boarding school and be faint of heart.”
“But the abuse this guy dished out to me at the traffic lights would have made a sheepdog blush.”
“There were some words in there even I hadn’t heard, and I pride myself on my potty mouth. And it was TOTALLY HIS FAULT. It was full-on, even by Sydney-traffic standards.”
Another time, Armytage said she was scolded at a local park after she ran out of plastic bags to pick up her dog Banjo’s poo.
“I won’t go into too much detail about Banjo’s bowel movements that day, but let’s just say we had a two-poo situation and I only had one bag,” she wrote.
“So, at the point of the second turd, I stopped and waited patiently (as any good parent would) for another lovely, kind dog owner to walk past with a spare plastic bag. It’s called karma and I’m a big believer in it.”
“Well, old mate from the traffic must have had a twin brother walking in the park. Because another abusive fellow walked past and started shouting some more four-letter words at me about picking up the poo.”
“It was ridiculous, unnecessary and just plain dickery.”
“At this stage I considered picking up the poo in my bare hands and pegging it at that idiot.”
“But this wasn’t the Serengeti, even though people were behaving like animals, so I ignored him.”
Samantha concluded by saying while it’s normal to feel stressed and anxious during these uncertain times, she believes it’s important that we continue to respect each other.
“We’ve all been socially isolated for so long; it could just happen. So be a bit tolerant. And just try really, really hard not to be a d**k,” she said.