People are more self-centered and aggressive now, very "in your face" about, well, everything anymore. Our society has changed from when acting like an ass got you a punch in the mouth to someone getting their way. That mentality has been groomed and bred into at least a generation or two of people now. It goes hand in hand with general ignorant behavior that already existed. And while they're everywhere, honestly, there seems to be a high concentration of them here in this area.
I think the pandemic exacerbated that.
And I don't want to be around them anymore than I have to be. So I keep my socializing to private clubs and do my shopping at locations or times of day that there's generally less people out and about.