Believe me, I’d have liked to. I also had a few other ideas as to how to screw with this guy. But in the end, this is real life, where people do unexpected things. Given how he acted on the road, I wasnt going to push him too far - everything had some level of plausible deniability as to my intent…
Thanks for everyone’s kind words. I guess I finally got to use my ability to annoy the hell out of people, for good. There’s a lot to make up for.
As your post title intimates, all you’ve done is return assholery with assholery.
I think you should have said something to him about his earlier behavior. That way you not only annoy him (to be clear, annoying him was a worthy endeavor in itself,) but alos either:
Exactly what I was thinking. Some buddies of mine decided to do this to me in high school. So, of course I moved their outside mirrors (without damaging them, natch), crawled through the rear hatch of my Jeep and went home.
I had to explain it to them slowly the next day. I win.
This morning I had a beautiful experience. I was on a two lane road, in the right hand lane. I saw a sign saying that a lane was closed ahead. I signalled to get over to my left, and this guy just floors it, going way over the speed limit, so he can get ahead of me - looked me right in the eye as he was doing it, too. Fine, whatever. Then, he turns into that jerk who just lays on their horn despite the fact that there’s nothing anyone can do to make the road miraculously clear up. We come up to an intersection. He is so close to the truck in front of him that he can’t see that it is a red light. He lays on the horn some more, then slowly maneuvers his car around the truck, blowing through the red light.
Unfortunately for him their was a cop standing in the intersection, helping direct traffic. The guy pulled over, and as he was sitting there waiting for his ticket, I drove ever so slowly past him, looked him right in the eye, stuck out my tongue, flipped him the bird and laughed in his face. All he could do was sit there looking sheepish.
I’m not going to jump on the asshole-congratulating bandwagon. You increased the negativity in the world, and that is not a commendable thing. Just my opinion, of course. (I’m not too sure about the karma thing, either.)
I strongly disagree with your assessment that the OP was an asshole. If someone needs an empty space next to their car in order to get in because they can’t park it between the lines, that’s their own problem. The OP did exactly the right thing.
I don’t believe it’s negativity to demonstrate to someone how their lack of consideration affects others.
I’m usually a verbal guy and want to tell somebody what I think. 2/3 of the time they react defensively. A few times in a moment of inspiration I’ve simply let them experience being on the receiving end of same kind of attitude they are displaying. No discussion necessary. I think if done in a measured way it’s a much more effective way to teach by example.
I think the next time Mr Escalade gets out of his car and sees he’s parked too close to someone he’s more likely to recall this incident than he would someone verbally addressing his actions. I think the anonymous way it was done makes it even more effective than if Mr Escalade had been told. For all appearances it’s someone acting exactly how he has acted , oblivious to those around him.
The fact that the OP got had a little fun with it is just a bonus.
In a world where people get into fist fights over such silliness I think the OP was right on the money. I salute you!!
cosmosdan, I don’t completely disagree with you. I think people who act like entitled assholes without ever giving a thought for anyone around them should have some consequences for their actions. Maybe getting parked in like this is the appropriate action. I think that entitled assholes don’t know better, and that’s how they manage to live the clueless lives they live. Isosleepydoes know better, and he did it anyway. That’s what makes what he did worse than the entitled asshole. Or not. I’m not sure what the right thing to do in these situations is - someone acts like an asshole, so it’s right for me to act like a worse asshole?