There seems to be a correlation between having a luxury vehicle and obnoxious behavior. Try Googling “entitled people” and “fancy cars” to see what I mean, or you can read today’s story.
A man parked his brand-new Lexus in his neighbor’s driveway, thinking it was acceptable. He then had the nerve to threaten legal action against the homeowner for parking in front of his vehicle and blocking him in.
The homeowner is sharing their experience on the AITAH subreddit, wondering if they were in the wrong. You will find the entire text below.
Many people who drive luxury vehicles also have unpleasant personalities
Image credits: stefamerpik/Freepik (not the actual photo)
This person came home one day to find a car parked in their driveway
Image credits: Freepik (not the actual photo)
Drama ensued as the man who owned the fancy vehicle parked on his neighbor’s property threatened legal action
Image credits: F**kcarsnotliterally
The connection between driving a luxury car and offensive behavior is likely due to the abundance of resources
Image credits: may day.ua/Pexels (not the actual photo)
To follow up on what I mentioned in the intro, here are two studies that establish a connection between having a fancy vehicle and a sense of entitlement.
The first is a 2020 study published in the Journal of Transport & Health. It revealed that the more expensive a person’s vehicle is, the less likely they are to yield to a pedestrian on the street.
Specifically, every $1,000 increase in vehicle price showed the driver was 3% less likely to stop and give way.
Another 2020 study by the University of Helsinki found that luxury vehicle owners are likelier to ignore traffic rules and drive recklessly. Researchers found this tendency was most prevalent among Audi and BMW drivers.
According to the study’s author, Jan-Erik Lönnqvist, such behavior stems from the image these people want to portray of themselves and their attachment to “high quality.”
“All makes of car have a specific image, and by driving a reliable car, they are sending out the message that they themselves are reliable,” he stated.
Lönnqvist’s explanation connects with the findings of a 2012 study that found that the higher a person’s social class, the more likely they are to engage in unethical behavior.
Researchers concluded that a person’s increased resources and independence from others leads them to prioritize their self-interest over another person’s welfare. It then makes them more susceptible to unreasonable and uncouth behavior, like what the man with the Lexus in today’s story showed.
You can’t win against an entitled person set in their ways, even if you tried, so avoiding them is still the best way to go. As workplace psychologist and executive coach Stefan Falk tells CNBC, engaging with them only leads to negative outcomes.
However, the man was clearly out of line, and the homeowner was within their rights to take action. They could have escalated the matter with the Homeowners Association, which has more authority to dole out necessary sanctions.
Most commenters agreed that it was the man who was at fault
But the few who criticized the author called them out for being a “doormat”
