# When old people attack: What would you do? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 16, 2003, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-old-people-attack-what-would-you-do/201861 "2003-09-16T01:17:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-old-people-attack-what-would-you-do/201861/21 "2003-09-16T19:52:05Z")
I am going to completely disagree with **Astro** and **December**. I’m in agreement with **CanvasShoes** , I take the first spot I see. People who wait for people to walk out of the store, get in their car, and leave, all the while blocking the aisle, just to save ten feet of walking, get hit with my hood mounted hellfire missles. People who smirk, for whatever reason, get hit with the gattling gun. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-old-people-attack-what-would-you-do/201861/22 "2003-09-16T19:52:23Z")
If it were my car I would file a police report. If it were my relative I would report them to the proper authorities, anonymously if i deemed it necessary. I really don’t see any ethical alternative. ---
**Author:** ![InTheField](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@InTheField](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InTheField)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-old-people-attack-what-would-you-do/201861/23 "2003-09-16T20:11:37Z")
**Qadgop the Mercotan** said: > [@](#): > > It’s a relative of Mrs. Mercotan. She was appalled by the story. Told to her by said relative, in his explanation as to why he preferred to buy cars with metal doors as opposed to plastic ones: “because they’re easier to repair of someone does that to you”. I guess if you dish it out, you expect to get it back. > > I have no idea if said incident took place last week or 4 years ago. And there’s no history of acting out like that, but such action comes as no great surprise given the opinions held and expressed loudly by said relative. I betcha that it happened a while ago, and this is what really happened: 1. Driver steals grampa’s parking spot, smirks and goes away. 2. Grampa fumes and things “why I otta… wreck his car or somethin” 3. Grampa does nothing. 4. Grampa fumes about it some more 5. Grampa thinks about it so much he convinces himself that he really did something. ---
**Author:** ![Mikemike2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikemike2/32/305_2.png) [@Mikemike2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikemike2)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-old-people-attack-what-would-you-do/201861/24 "2003-09-16T20:17:21Z")
I think that someone in his 70’s weighing 300 lbs. and probably having a type “A” personality has a rage problem that is statistically self-correcting. i.e. I’m suprised he made it to his 70s. ---
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-old-people-attack-what-would-you-do/201861/25 "2003-09-16T20:18:06Z")
The vandalized car owner got what he deserved. It’s not about turning into a road-rage monster behind the wheel as some have asserted. It’s about violating the social contract as B&I posted. I’m glad the old guy did it. I’m glad he boasted about it. I’m glad the smirking moron will have to pay dearly at the repair shop or on his insurance and maybe lose a day’s work in the process. Wonder if he’ll be smirking then, the idiot. ---
**Author:** ![seal\_cleaner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-old-people-attack-what-would-you-do/201861/26 "2003-09-16T20:24:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mikemike2 \* > \*\*I think that someone in his 70’s weighing 300 lbs. and probably having a type “A” personality has a rage problem that is statistically self-correcting. i.e. I’m suprised he made it to his 70s. \*\* I’ve seen a guy like that…walmart parking lot…REAL red complexion, too. Must have a heart like a donkey engine. When the stroke finally hits, they’ll have to beat his heart to death with a wooden mallet to free him of this mortal coil. Let him have the space. See what’s in store for him? ---
**Author:** ![elfbabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b782af/32.png) [@elfbabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfbabe)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-old-people-attack-what-would-you-do/201861/27 "2003-09-16T20:51:50Z")
There are always so many considerations involved in this sort of issue, things that we, hearing this filtered through many sources, can’t really make a definite evaluation on. For instance, this particular relative has great disdain for the concept of the turn signal. Was he using his this time, or just sitting there with his intentions unclear? WHERE was he waiting? How near the spot was he? And as for the smirk - was it really a smirk? And was it actually inspired by the taking of the parking space? It could have been an, “Oops, I stole your spot, my mistake” sort of rueful grin, misinterpreted at a distance. It could have been an “I mock your values, NRA member!” sort of smirk. It could have been a “Hello, strange old man who is giving me a look of DEATH, please don’t hurt me” sort of smile. I just hope whatever makes him act like this isn’t hereditary. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-old-people-attack-what-would-you-do/201861/28 "2003-09-16T22:14:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Blown & Injected \* > \*\*It is a violation of social norms. We lock people up and even kill people for certain violations. Of course taking the law into your own hands may be illegal but not looked at as badly as the initial violation. Somebody that is such an ass in the parking lot probably needs discipline. \*\* It’s a _parking space_ fercryinoutloud! We’re not talking about the last life jacket on a sinking ship or the last sliver of food when you’re lost in a blizzard. It’s a few square feet of asphalt. A parking space… ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-old-people-attack-what-would-you-do/201861/29 "2003-09-17T01:36:16Z")
BTW, he’s 6’ 2". 300+ pounds, really big-boned (I kid you not) and can still lift up the front end of a car without a jack if it’s really necessary. But he prefers not to. Thanks for all the feedback. Basically I agree there’s too many variables to really come up with a specific strategy for response other than **Don’t poke the bear, dad!** (whatever happened to him, by the way?). When all is said and done, I’m not going to do an intervention on him unless the behavior becomes a disruptive problem for family or a clear and present danger to himself or others. However I don’t think a violent response to a parking problem is _ever_ justified. And **Elfbabe** , heredity is not destiny, you know. Look what Grandpa Mercotan had to overcome, when you look at his siblings! Heck, just consider me as your paradigm of hope… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-old-people-attack-what-would-you-do/201861/30 "2003-09-17T03:04:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NurseCarmen \* > \*\*I am going to completely disagree with **Astro** and **December**. > > \*\* Is somebody channeling December? Oh, hell. ---
**Author:** ![heresiarch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/278dde/32.png) [@heresiarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heresiarch)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-old-people-attack-what-would-you-do/201861/31 "2003-09-17T04:13:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Blown & Injected \* > \*\*If the spot was stolen: > > It is a violation of social norms. We lock people up and even kill people for certain violations. Of course taking the law into your own hands may be illegal but not looked at as badly as the initial violation. Somebody that is such an ass in the parking lot probably needs discipline. \*\* Wow. I’ve got to say that I think the retribution is over the top. If I lose a parking space I have to take about 2 minutes to find another space and maybe walk an extra 50 yards to the store. If someone dents four doors of my car, it’ll cost several hundred dollars to get them repaired. That’s not justice. And in some cases it might not be possible to determine whether the spot was stolen or not. The scenario in the OP just says that someone “strongly felt he was entitled to it.” They could have both pulled up to it at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-old-people-attack-what-would-you-do/201861/32 "2003-09-17T04:19:46Z")
You could help him remember that woman in Illinois(?) who beat her kid in the safety of the parking lot that was caught on tape and broadcast across the nation for days and days until she surrendered. Surveillance camera’s are _everywhere_. Paranoia can be a powerful ally. ---
**Author:** ![Blown\_Injected](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@Blown\_Injected](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blown_Injected)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-old-people-attack-what-would-you-do/201861/33 "2003-09-17T14:21:45Z")
Read carefully: I did not say a parking space stealer should be jailed or killed! Just that The act is a violation. Maybe we should bring back the stockade. Make them loose a day of work and have them, with wrists and neck secured, stand in their own neighborhood with a sign STOLE PARKING SPACE FROM OLD MAN. That would be good for lots of violations like driving slow in the left lane! ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-old-people-attack-what-would-you-do/201861/34 "2003-09-17T15:27:46Z")
Pfft. This old man in the OP can **lift the front end of a car**. It’s not like some guy forced his car into the only close spot when some fragile, creaking codger with a walker desperately needed to get into a hospital or something, and outraged bystanders beat in the doors in vengeance. A guy that tough can walk an extra 50 feet, BFD. Parking space stealing is “bad”, but in this case we don’t even know what set the guy in the OP off - maybe they’d been approaching it from equal distances away and he thought he should have been allowed to take it because he’s got a few decades on the “offender.” ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-old-people-attack-what-would-you-do/201861/35 "2003-09-17T15:49:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Qadgop the Mercotan \* > **I’m not going to do an intervention on him unless the behavior becomes a disruptive problem for family or a clear and present danger to himself or others.** OTOH, it does sound like it’s getting to be time to start thinking about a home. Or say “screw the will,” pack him off to Florida, and change your phone number. ---
**Author:** ![groo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecd19e/32.png) [@groo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groo)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-old-people-attack-what-would-you-do/201861/36 "2003-09-17T17:10:56Z")
Two days ago, someone stole a parking spot from me. I drove another fifteen yards and parked my car. Then I went into the store and _went on with my life_. Didn’t even remember it until I read this thread. Strictly speaking, ‘stealing’ a parking space isn’t breaking the law, whereas vandalism is illegal. However, just because something’s illegal, doesn’t mean that it isn’t going to happen, as noted in the OP. I’d say, Walk Away, and start doing what **CanvasShoes** and I do. Exact your revenge by parking far away, walking quickly, keeping your heart a smidge healthier, and getting to the cash register first. ---
**Author:** ![Svt4Him](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@Svt4Him](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svt4Him)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-old-people-attack-what-would-you-do/201861/37 "2003-09-17T17:35:20Z")
Steal the denter’s dentures, then turn yourself around, cause that’s what it’s all about, hey! Seriously, what can you do? Go break his knees? Is this a typical situation? Nope. What you are saying is the old person drove around, found a space, came back to your car and beat it hard enough to leave dents, no one saw, but was bragging to the people who were putting their food in their car, which you heard, just doesn’t seem likely. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-old-people-attack-what-would-you-do/201861/38 "2003-09-17T18:01:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Svt4Him \* > What you are saying is the old person drove around, found a space, came back to your car and beat it hard enough to leave dents, no one saw, but was bragging to the people who were putting their food in their car, which you heard, just doesn’t seem likely. No, in a later post in the thread, he’s saying that his wife heard it from a relative of hers, who was the old guy mentioned in the OP. He’s wondering what you do if a relative of yours is some tough old guy who bashes car doors in for nothing more than a “stolen” parking space. Do you confront him about his being a jerk, or just shut up and avoid him? ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-old-people-attack-what-would-you-do/201861/39 "2003-09-17T18:04:18Z")
And because I’m an idiot, I didn’t clarify that it wasn’t **QtM** ’s car that got bashed in, but some other person’s. ---
**Author:** ![Tir\_Tinuviel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@Tir\_Tinuviel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tir_Tinuviel)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-old-people-attack-what-would-you-do/201861/40 "2003-09-17T18:18:44Z")
Do you know how the doors were dented? If he hit it with his own car there should have been paint flecks from his car which can be matched using a paint sample anaylsis, also he’ll have some paint samples from your wifes relatives car on his. If he did it with a metal (or otherwise heavy and hard) object, the same thing applies, there should be paint flecks from your car on his crowbar. If he kicked it you might be able to find a dent that would give an idea of the type of foot/shoe that did it, but that’s less likely as it would depend how many times the doors were kicked and the way the metal bent. Whichever way, it requires you to be able to check his car, the contents, or his shoes. ☹ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-old-people-attack-what-would-you-do/201861.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-old-people-attack-what-would-you-do/201861.md?page=3)