When Henry Ford's first automobile came off the assembly line, merge magnets had not yet been invented. In fact, nobody can really pinpoint the exact day they popped into existence.
What are merge magnets, you ask? Put simply, they are the invisible force field zones directly ahead of and directly behind any given car's path of travel which I have observed certain individuals are held hostage to. These pesky magnets seem to work even more efficiently in the left passing lane where bumpers rarely see the light of day. For those in the right hand travel lane, they easily assist drivers in the lane merging process as their vehicles abruptly slingshot from behind you, accelerating beside you while finally merging directly in front of you. Once firmly ensconced in your lane, they now own the road, eventually slowing down after being drawn to the allure of your front bumper.
I have observed that this magnet “collective” is strongest during rush hour as well as other times of roadway distress. Truckers seem to enjoy the most powerful of magnets as they faithfully attract drivers both in the rear and front. These 80 foot long, 40 ton capacity vehicles have the ability to unnerve even the most harmonious of drivers as their rear view mirror is filled with that familiar ominous front grill bearing down on them. Try as you may, you just can’t shake off some of these drivers. No doubt congested traffic merged with short tempers lubricated with tight schedules are to blame.
Of course, merge magnets are really just a metaphor for something else. Can you guess what it is?
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