The A to Z English Podcast | Am I the jerk for taking a parking space?

Situation: You're running late for an important meeting and are desperately searching for a parking spot. As you turn into a crowded parking lot, you spot an available space. However, another driver is also eyeing the same spot and begins to approach it from a different direction. You speed up and manage to get into the spot just before the other driver can. Now, you're left wondering if you might be perceived as the jerk in this situation. What's your take on it? Transcript: 00:00:00 Jack You're listening to the A-Z English podcast. 00:00:13 Jack Welcome to the A-Z English podcast. My name is Jack and today I have another episode that I like to call. Am I the jerk? 00:00:24 Jack So here is the situation. 00:00:27 Jack You're running late for an important meeting. 00:00:30 Jack And are desperately searching for a parking spot. 00:00:34 Jack As you turn into a crowded parking lot, you spot an available space. 00:00:43 Jack Another driver is also eyeing the same spot and begins to approach it from a different direction. 00:00:51 Jack You speed up and manage to get into the spot just before the other driver. 00:00:58 Jack Now you're left wondering if you might be perceived as the jerk in this situation. 00:01:05 Jack What's your take on it? 00:01:09 Jack Well, here's my take. 00:01:12 Jack In my opinion. 00:01:16 Jack A parking lot. 00:01:18 Jack Is a jungle. 00:01:24 Jack That means it's the rules of the jungle. 00:01:28 Jack Whoever gets there first gets the spot. 00:01:33 Jack That's how I feel about it. 00:01:37 Jack In English we say. 00:01:39 Jack By hook or by crook. 00:01:44 Jack You get the spot. 00:01:45 Jack OK, now there are a couple of. 00:01:48 Jack What we call. 00:01:49 Jack In English caveats, OK, exceptions to the rules. 00:01:55 Jack One exception would be did you do something illegal? 00:02:00 Jack In order to get the spot, for example, did you drive the opposite direction down a one way lane? 00:02:10 Jack OK, so if you if you went in the opposite direction of a one way lane where you broke the law. 00:02:19 Jack In order to grab that space then I would say yes, you are a jerk. But if you followed the rules and you got there faster. 00:02:33 Jack OK. 00:02:35 Jack Then it's your spot. 00:02:38 Jack It doesn't matter if someone else eyed it first. If you get there first, it is yours. 00:02:47 Jack The rules of the jungle apply. 00:02:52 Jack Now here's another exception I would say. 00:02:56 Jack If the other car. 00:02:59 Jack Was just waiting for a car to pull out. 00:03:05 Jack And so that car stopped. 00:03:09 Jack Put put the blinker on. 00:03:12 Jack And was just waiting for another car, the car to pull out so that he or she could take that spot. And then you zoomed in and took it away, stole it. Then yes. You are a jerk in that situation because the other car was there first. 00:03:34 Jack I consider whoever is there first. 00:03:37 Jack It's their spot, OK? 00:03:41 Jack Those are the rules of the parking lot. It's a jungle out there, especially in a in a busy city like where I live. 00:03:49 Jack You have to. You have to be quick. You have to be smart. You have to be ruthless. OK, ruthless. 00:04:00 Jack Which means sometimes almost cruel. 00:04:03 Jack In order to get a spot. 00:04:07 Jack Another expression we use in English is nice guys finish last. 00:04:14 Jack OK. Nice guys, finish last. 00:04:18 Jack If you let everybody that's looking for an open spot go first, you will never find a spot. So if you get there 1st and you can fit your car in there. 00:04:32 Jack It is your spot, even if the other person saw it first. Doesn't matter because your car got there first. OK, if you got there first. 00:04:45 Jack In my rule book, it is your spot and no matter what the other person says. 00:04:52 Jack It doesn't matter. You followed the rules, the rules of the jungle and you got there first. You were the Wildcat and the other driver was your prey. 00:05:04 Jack OK, OK. And so you win and sometimes