I just don't get some people!

[Joel_BC]

One part of my family feels very funny about following rules. You see rules are to keep other people in check, but they don't apply if you are one of the special people. If you offend one of those special people there will be consequences, but they can do whatever they want, including break the rules and its Okay because they are, who they are.

Well, I think that both the case that Deb opened this thread with and the one I described show that people don't like being "herded". For some people, the insistence that they follow directives (even if for reasons of safety or ecological wellbeing) switches on a defiance response. The expressions from "the authorities" are perceived symbolically - it seems a challenge to the individual that flips the "thwart-it" switch. Listening to reason about the specific situation doesn't seem like much of an option.