It’s all about them

See, Las Vegas? This is why we can’t have nice things.

The Department of Motor Vehicles has disabled the remote access feature of the “Dash Pass” system, because too many people were signing up but never showing up. (Dash Pass allowed customers to get in line electronically, and then receive texts telling them when it was their turn at the front of the line.)

Imagine that: Flakes in Las Vegas?

Las Vegas is a town where people never RSVP, but still show up, provided they haven’t received a better offer.

But at the DMV, 20 percent of the people who said they would be there weren’t. So people who actually did show up had to wait for inconsiderate ghosts who didn’t realize, or more likely didn’t care, that they were inconveniencing others.

Las Vegas is unfortunately full of these kind of folk, whose actions run from the merely annoying to the truly dangerous. They cut you off on streets, on freeways, even the drive-through at In-N-Out. They’re able-bodied, but they park in handicap spaces. They chat and text on their phones, in business meetings, behind the wheel, even while crossing the street. And, of course, at the movies.

Last week, I showed up for an appointment at a local lab. In the middle of my conversation with the clerk, an older man walked up and began talking to him, demanding to know how long it would be before his wife would be seen. They did not have an appointment, but he’d been there for 30 whole minutes already, and they had somewhere to be by 9.

Sure, why not interrupt the people who made an appointment, then?

We dislike these people because of their arrogance. What they’re really saying is that their time is worth more than yours. Their need to get where they are going is far more important than your need to get where you’re going. And if they have to drive recklessly and put everybody in danger, so be it.

It’s their world, and instead of sharing space on this planet with other people, cooperating to get along, they’re pushing themselves to the front of the line whenever they can.

It’s not just one or two people, either: The DMV reported that when it temporarily suspended the remote access feature for Dash Pass at just two locations, the number of no-shows fell by 175 people per day. That’s nearly 200 people who’s rudeness was thwarted. That’s 200 other Las Vegans who didn’t have to suffer the arrogance of their fellow citizens.

What’s the big deal, you ask? Aren’t there rude, self-absorbed people everywhere? Absolutely, but they seem to be drawn to Las Vegas, as if the city’s glimmering lights were a beacon to the selfish.

And it’s not just minor inconveniences: The cumulative actions of these people corrode civilization, like a weak acid pooling on a concrete floor. Eventually, it wears away. Eventually, we all start thinking that the red light means five more cars can get through the intersection. Or that it’s perfectly OK to jump into traffic, even if the next guy has to stand on his brakes to avoid a rear-end collision.

And the priceless look of astonishment when these people are confronted with their perfidy tells the entire story. What’s your problem? they ask. I wasn’t doing anything wrong.

No, of course not. Those people waiting at the DMV? The poor guy at the lab counter? The 1,000 cars behind you on the freeway? Who cares about those chumps? It’s not like they’re people or anything.

See Las Vegas? This is why we can’t have nice things.

Steve Sebelius is a Review-Journal political columnist. Follow him on Twitter (@SteveSebelius) or reach him at 702-387-5276 or SSebelius@reviewjournal.com.