Why Bother?

I was looking forward to the cold so as to weed out the weak bastards in the park that I'm now forced to go through and on the trail. I'm not sure what makes people not pay attention or stick to one straight path? For instance, someone will be walking in the middle of the path and as you approach you plan how to approach this. They start veering towards the left and you say, "Passing on your right!" They get startled and instictually jump to the right in front of you so you have to swerve on to the grass.

Or you yell, "PASSING ON YOUR LEFT!" And they don't hear until the third time when you're actually right behind them, and then you notice they've got earphones. I'm not against people wearing those things, but why would you wear them at too high of a volume so as not to be aware of what's going on around you? Of if you are, why not stay to the right so you'll be prepared?

The other thing (in my long list) is when they're walking anywhere, sometimes correctly on the far right. You approach and say, "Passing on your left!" They take it as, "Passing! Get on your left!"

My first riding on a path was as a kid. Not knowing the rules of paths I kept aware and alert. Next was in Los Angeles and I'd ride the beach path sometimes. I still had no clue as to path ettiquette, but as this is America, I stayed to the right. I first encounterd the, "Passing on your left!" phenomenon there and I understood it immediately. I'm not sure where this problem's coming from?