Damaging Other Peoples' Property

[was]

...I washed the car then went grocery shopping today. While shopping, someone put a decent - sized scratch in one of the doors on my car. I drove to the dealer and got some paint to touch it up. Even with the touch-up, it looks lousy.
...I don't know if I was more upset about the scratch itself or that the person didn't apologize for doing it. Is it really realistic anymore to expect people to take responsibilty for damaging others' property? Or is it just me showing my age?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

It IS a realistic expectation, but it does show your age.

I'm old enough to have gone through several "car ding" events in my life, and owned up to my responsibility- if any- to all but one. Likewise, almost every ding delivered to a car has been apologized for.

Most people are civil enough to take that responsibility, IME. Fewer today than 20 years ago, but still the majority, I think.

 

[Morrus]

Yeah. It's happened several times to me.

Problem is, at least over here, the blame culture has spread to the extent where you're conditioned not to own up.

I remember when it would have involved an apology and perhaps a few quid exchanged. Now it involves insurance companies and forms and claims and losing no claims bonuses and - ultimately - bad feeling as two people spend several months of precious time trying to game a system with half truths to avoid ridiculous long term insurance costs.

 

[trancejeremy]

Eh. My elderly great uncle would do this all the time. He drove a huge car and would just fling his door open, almost always slamming into the car next to him. I don't think it's anything new.

This is why people with nice cars often park far away from the entrance to stores, hoping no one will park next to them.

 

[was]

This is why people with nice cars often park far away from the entrance to stores, hoping no one will park next to them.

...I was parked pretty far out of the way, "in the back 40" as we say here, so I was surprised to get dinged. Now the touchup paint won't set cause the temps too cold. At least I get to game tomorrow.

 

[miniaturehoarder]

This is why people with nice cars often park far away from the entrance to stores, hoping no one will park next to them.

Nowadays they take two or more parking spots. http://parkinglotdouchebags.tumblr.com/

 

[Umbran]

Is it really realistic anymore to expect people to take responsibilty for damaging others' property? Or is it just me showing my age?

I don't know that it was ever actually realistic to expect it. The past was not some golden place where everyone, or even many, apologized for things they did wrong.

 

[GMMichael]

XP for the thread title.

And I'll refer you to this interesting experiment involving having too many peers around:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_B._Calhoun#Mouse_experiments

 

[Umbran]

XP for the thread title.

And I'll refer you to this interesting experiment involving having too many peers around:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_B._Calhoun#Mouse_experiments

Interesting, but I have a *major* question about it.

Note that the gestation period for mice is a whopping 20 days, on average. By day 600, we are talking something on the order of 30 generations, starting from four breeding pairs.

How much of the result was due to population pressure and filled social roles, and how much due to inbreeding?

This does, however, illustrate where the "Secret of NIMH" came from.

 

[Ryujin]

Sociopathy and narcissism seem to be rather rampant these days. I've actually been sitting in my car and had people throw their car doors open into mine, then get angry at me for calling them on it.