When dealing with other people, from time to time, one gets to face requests or accusations of a varying degree of bizarreness; while some are just mildly irritating, others might go to an extreme of the sort.
Either way, today’s story from a vet was somewhere on the latter side, when she got yelled at by a driver in a parking lot for “cutting the line” with her mobility scooter and, to the amusement of others, she didn’t miss the chance to take her petty revenge.
More info: Reddit
A woman got her mobility scooter blocked by a Karen, so she didn't miss her chance for revenge
Image credits: Tima Miroshnichenko (not the actual photo)
The woman was in her scooter heading back to her car from the VA hospital pharmacy
Image credit: u/carlower1
Image credits: Richard Drdul (not the actual photo)
Image credit: u/carlower1
As she was heading past vehicles, Karen blocked her with her car and started yelling at her for trying to "cut the line"
Image credits: Andraz Lazic (not the actual photo)
A guy in another car was about to get out and help, but the woman backed her scooter and took another way
A woman shared her story of petty revenge against a Karen's bizarre behavior in a packed parking lot. The woman explained that she is a disabled vet and therefore uses a variety of mobility aids to get around.
That Monday morning the woman noticed she was out of some meds, so she ran to the VA hospital pharmacy to get some to tie her over. She was using her mobility scooter, as per usual, because there was no way she could physically navigate the parking lot and the labyrinth inside the building.
After getting what she needed, the woman was heading back to her car when one of the vehicles pulled slightly in front of her, blocking her ability to move forward. The driver rolled down her window and yelled at her for trying to “cut the line”. The guy in the next car was staring at Karen with an absolute WTH expression and was about to get out of his vehicle and help.
The woman shook her head and took another way, though as she was about to load up her scooter and leave, Karen noticed it and decided to take the spot. This is when the woman nodded to the guy who wanted to help and backed out, blocking the Karen and letting the man in.
The woman was loading her scooter when Karen decided to take her spot, so she backed out, blocking Karen and letting the guy in
Image credits: Lucas Hobbs (not the actual photo)
The woman made sure to use all five fingers when she smiled and waved at Karen when driving away
The woman shared she made sure to use all five fingers when she smiled and waved at Karen when driving away, and answered Redditors who added that one or two fingers would have been enough in this situation. The woman explained that waving nicely with a smile makes Karens’ brains short-circuit, while rude signs just give them reasons to justify in their head their earlier actions, and called her own strategy “killing them with kindness”.
There probably can be various interpretations of “killing them with kindness”; it is, however, one possible interpretation of this Redditor’s story. While she didn’t let Karen go “unrewarded” for her disrespectful and overall inappropriate behavior by blocking her access to the parking spot, the woman didn’t act rude and stayed polite, even cheerful when leaving.
She might have just been happy about her revenge, in addition to knowing it will probably make Karen’s mind "short-circuit”, but the fact stands that in her mind, at least, the woman didn’t let herself be caught up in negativity and resentment.
Allwomenstalk listed various reasons why incorporating “killing them with kindness” into one’s interactions with others is a technique worth considering. They explained that it is actually a way to become a better person, which is naturally a great incentive on its own, in addition to allowing one to feel better about themselves consequently. They added a similar point that while one sometimes expects to feel better after saying nasty things to others, it often leaves them feeling worse.
Another reason, as pointed out by Allwomenstalk, was spreading positivity, which they gave a twofold explanation to - first, by choosing to respond in a nicer way, one already brings more kindness into the world, and second, positivity (as well as negativity) is contagious - it spreads! People are likely to repeat behavior that was directed to them by others. This is not to succumb to the negative behavior of others but to avoid adding more negativity than necessary and not get caught up in the same mindset that gave rise to it in the first place.
Redditors shared their takes on the situation, suggesting one finger would have been enough
