Let's take a walk through the Framingham State University campus. You're a student, it's cold and raining. After sitting through back to back two-hour lectures, you cannot wait to get in your warm, dry car and drive home. You're imagining yourself in your favorite sweatpants, with a cup of piping hot chocolate and settling down to get your dreaded homework done. As the mental image brings a shimmer of light on a long, cold, rainy day, you turn the corner into Maynard Lot and see that some entitled-feeling person has blocked you in by making their own parking space.
It's no secret that parking on campus is a constant struggle for commuter students. Especially in bad weather, as students don't want to park in Maple Lot. However, there are a select few commuters on campus that feel they are above the "law" of parking, and make their own spaces. Some people seem to believe they're exempt from needing to park in regular spaces simply because it is an inconvenience to find one that's vacant. This is moderately irritating, as I have personally driven around campus for thirty minutes looking for a parking space, not occurring me to make my own space - either on the grass or on the end of other rows - as that's a pretty jerkish move. It takes a special kind of individual to not only make their own space, but to park is a way which blocks other students in, and we have too many of those special individuals on our college campus.
Chances are that they know the dirty looks their car gets as onlookers walk by, on the way to their own appropriately parked cars. I hope they are aware of the profanity filled comments people make when they are being blocked in by these horribly parked cars. However, we can whine and become frustrated with the inconsiderate nature of other students, but that isn't going to change their behavior. For the most part, as we, the law abiding parkers, become frustrated with the jerkish parkers, we are silent about it, or grumble only to ourselves. They know this, so our frustration isn't enough to motivate them to park respectfully. So with this, I present a challenge. Be LOUD! Let these students know that the ramifications for their actions are going to be far greater than finding a florescent orange violation sticker on their car.
Talk about it. Say out loud how frustrating and disrespectful it is. Call the campus police. They probably aren't doing much else, and would love to come down to Maynard to ticket and tow the offensively parked vehicle. I feel confident that towing vehicles gives them great satisfaction. The more we talk about it, the more we have these cars towed, the less they will be blocking our own cars in, keeping us from our cozy PJ's and hot chocolate on that cold, rainy day.
I'm confused. Is it a social norm for your generation of college students to quietly accept the bad behavior you've described?
ReplyDeleteIf I am parked legally, and someone blocks me in by parking illegally, of *course* I'm going to call the police to get them towed. That's what the parking regulations are for; that's what the police are for.
I agree with your position that there is not much point in verbally confronting them when they return. And I would recommend against vigilante action like keying their car, puncturing the rim of their tire, or putting sugar in their gas tank.
The best way to teach rude and inconsiderate people is not to lecture them. It is to force them to undergo the consequences of their bad behavior -- in this case, by making them pay money and go to a lot of time and effort to get their car back.
Okay, so what exactly are you confused about? You seem to be agreeing with me, for the most part. The blog post was referring specifically to Framingham State University's most used commuter parking lot. I cannot speak for all college students in my generation, but it is a significant problem for commuters on my college campus.
ReplyDeleteI know which parking lot you're talking about. I grew up on Adams Road and used to play kickball in what is now the Maynard faculty lot.
ReplyDeleteI am confused about two things:
1. Bad parking behavior
I was not aware that illegally blocking in other people's cars was a "significant problem for commuters", but I'll take your word for it. I guess this is just another sign of rising rudeness in society.
2. Acceptance of bad parking behavior
Since your blog post is a clarion call for action, I drew the conclusion that your fellow students would quietly accept being blocked in, and stand around waiting until the person who parked illegally returned to their car and left, and that they would not say anything to the perpetrator.
I agree with you that bad behavior should not be passively ignored, and agree with getting their car towed. Where I disagree is in your call to verbally confrontation them. I have found selfish people cannot be reasoned with. It won't change their entitled mindset and instead risks causing a violent outburst on their part.