@house_cat wrote:
The original point I was trying to make is that there are some things that are not inherently harmful, but we have rules for a reason.
Sure, having your cute little dog on the plane doesn't harm anyone, but what if everyone on the plane had a dog with them?
Pulling up to the door of Costco to load your bags isn't harmful, she didn't run anyone down or cause harm to the store, but what if everyone there decided to do that?
When we first moved to the town home I'm living in, my younger son came back to live with us for a few months. We have two assigned parking spots (1 garage and 1 car port) and we have two cars. He would often park his car in the guest parking overnight, because the alternative was to park three blocks away. I told him that was unacceptable and of course he said, "What's the big deal? The spots are empty everynight." I reminded him that they are empty every night because people obey the rules. We have approximately 25 guest spots and 70 homes. What if everyone decided they needed an extra spot? He was 20 years old at the time, a bit self-centered and immature. He has since grown to be a very conscientious man.
However, there are people who seem to never get past the idea that we give up certain "rights" so that as a community, we can all enjoy peace and safety. What makes some people believe that the rules don't apply to them?
There are reasons for rules like no dogs on planes and no pulling up a car right in front of Costco. For example, you're right - Nothing happened when your friend pulled her car up right in front. But if there had been a fire, medical, or other emergency, she and her car would have been in the way. Every second counts in emergency situations, and keeping the area in front of Costco (and other public places) clear is very important. My local library recently moved their book drop boxes away from the front of the building because they were ordered to do so by the Fire Department for exactly that reason. Emergency vehicles need to have easy, completely unobstructed access at all times. They should be able to assume that the area will be clear, and they should not have to take precious seconds to navigate around a selfish, entitled woman who thinks the laws don't apply to her.
Dogs on planes CAN harm someone. People are allergic, for one thing. And animals in a closed and crowded environment can in fact be dangerous & hazardous.
So I disagree that these things don't harm anyone. The potential for them harming someone is very real, and that's why laws should be respected and common sense should be used. Not to mention common decency and consideration for others.
Why do some people think the rules don't apply to them? Probably because somewhere along the way they were told they were more special than everyone else. And because there's never been a significant enough consequence for acting so selfish and for having so little regard for others.
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