Just speaking up about my own opinion: The OP’s asshole behavior was far, far less assholish IMNSHO than the Escalade driver’s. Why, when the parking situation was basically the same, except that the OP was visibly there to thwart the Escalade driver?
Simply because the behavior that brought the Escalade driver to the attention of the OP wasn’t the parking mess - it was the dangerous, clueless, then outright aggressive manner in which he was driving his multi-ton death machine down the highway. A behavior that put the OP’s life at risk.
The OP, however, did nothing that would put anyone at risk. Sorry, I see your point about increasing the negativity in the world - but it’ll take a lot before the OP can be said to have been the greater asshole.
Unless you saw all the cars park, you don’t know who parked close to whom. I’ve parked and then had people squeeze in so close to me that they can’t open their driver’s side doors before. And there have often been times when one person starts a chain reaction of bad parking, forcing all of the other cars too close to the borders of a parking space.
I see your point. A measured response isn’t always easy to judge but I think the OP did a good job.
If someone steals from me I won’t steal from them to get even or because I think it’s justified by their actions. It’s still stealing and it’s wrong. I get the feeling the OP might react that way to, but in this case there was an opportunity to show someone how it felt without doing any damage to anyone or anything.
I used to live in a apartment where we had to shovel our own parking spaces in the winter. Sometimes visitors would park in the spot I worked hard to shovel. I left a note on one car explaining the situation.
“I worked hard to shovel this spot so please don’t park here”
A few days later same car in my spot. My neighbor said the same car had parked in the spot he shoveled. So… We went and got our shovels and buried the car. We didn’t damage it or slash tires. We just made the owner work the same way we had worked so they’d get the point after ignoring the polite note.
In another location people would park in clearly numbered parking spots that belonged to the apartment instead of the clearly marked visitors spots that were a little further away. Several times I came home to find someone in my spot. Other apartment owners should be telling their visitors where to park. Finally I parked behind a car in my spot so they couldn’t get out without coming to my door and asking me to move. I tried to tell her politely why she shouldn’t park in the numbered spots and she didn’t care. Rather than apologize she said.
“Hurry up I have to get back to work”
She couldn’t show me any consideration but now she wanted some from me. I got my keys but at a deliberately slow walk.
For me a measured response means don’t overreact and do something really mean out of spite but reacting in a way that makes a valid point to someone while feeling okay about not being a doormat for their bad behavior.
You may be right. It’s not turning the other cheek. I wouldn’t let a situation escalate out of control and I think the OP did that also by carefully judging Mr Escalade’s reaction. That’s why I like it.
Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. My husband and I have had long discussions in the past over what to do about thoughtless assholes; there doesn’t seem to be any right answer. Play their game, and you’re an asshole, too. Don’t play their game, and assholes get away with everything.