Seinfeld, Fried Green Tomatoes Collide in Park Cities
Like most of Dallas, I was Partners Card shopping last Saturday. I was going north on Preston, headed to Orvis to buy a Christmas present for my brother, and spotted a parallel parking space right in front. I pulled over, put the car in reverse and proceeded to park.
Then, in my rear-view camera, I spy a white Porsche (heading south on Preston) that had crossed over three lanes of traffic pulling into my space. I sat there stunned and watched her try to maneuver her car into my space. As luck would have it, I pulled forward and found a better space. As more luck would have it, she was headed into Orvis too. She had to face me.
She looked at me and said (with a high-pitched, whiny voice), “Sorry, I thought there were two spaces.” Really? There was a fire hydrant. I responded with a big smile and simply said, “OK.”
My question — why do some people think they are so entitled? Is it the Porsche? Is it their age (she was probably mid-30s to mid-40s)? Is it money? Or is it just that they were raised wrong?
Tell me — what has happened to manners?
Raised wrong. Some of the wealthiest people I know are also some of the most thoughtful.
Dorothy, You should read this. You’ll appreciate it. http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/whitewater-flash-pass-12403562
Bad Manners. It’s not her age, her wealth, her car, her parents or her gender. Rude comes in all forms. Your response to her was good. Better would have been: “No problem dear. I’m just so grateful you didn’t get hurt driving so erratically. You must be in a terrible hurry!”
Kind words and daggers for eyes are often effective to make your point.
What does having a Porsche have to do with it? Would your reaction have been different if it had been a Prius? How about if it had been a Hispanic in a beat up Toyota? What does her age and the pitch of her voice have to do with anything? What if it had been a young Black man with a deep voice using whatever current vernacular he uses?
The answer to your question, which I suspect was rhetorical by how your tipped the nature of your social viewpoint, is that they where just raised wrong. No doubt that was very bad behavior, but people’s sense of entitlement comes in all colors, sexes, ages, and economic circumstances. My observation is that one’s reaction to entitlements depends on if one is on the paying end or the receiving end.
I wouldn’t quibble for a minute that civility seems to have become a lost art, but I’d suggest this isn’t at all unique to rich middle aged women. A cynical reader could conclude that it applies equally to a biased journalist making a generalization that the profile of her readership is ill-mannered and self-entitled.
@CW if I gave the impression that I was criticizing my readership then I gave the wrong impression. If I criticize my readership then I criticize myself. I grew up here, the Park Cities is my home.
Have you seen Fried Green Tomatoes? Let me set the scene. Kathy Bates is looking for a parking space in a crowded parking lot, finds one and someone else takes it.
Kathy Bates: Hey! I was waiting for that spot!
Girl #1: Face it, lady, we’re younger and faster!
[Kathy Bates rear-ends the other car six times]
Girl #1: What are you *doing*?
Girl #2: Are you *crazy*?
Kathy Bates: Face it, girls, I’m older and I have more insurance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lx0z9FjxP-Y.
It would not have mattered if the driver had been male or female, black, white, green or blue. I would not have cared if she had driven an Infiniti, an El Camino or a split pea green/yellow Datsun B210. This could have taken place in Atlanta, Portland, Red Oak or Plano.
What she did was wrong, not to mention illegal. And I just wondered what makes people think they can act this way and get away with it by simply saying so……rry.
Go Dorothy!!! Love that spunk, post more often!
I had my flasher on, waiting for a lady to put her bags in her trunk, so that I could have her space. She backed up and left and as I was moving forward a lady swerved around me and took the space. I parked behind her and went to her window and told her, politely of course, that I had been waiting for that space. She said she didn’t see me, riiiiiiiight. She backed up and let me have it. Couldn’t believe it!