"You Drive a Small Car Because You're Poor? Jealousy and Mockery in Response to 'Bad Parking' Criticism"

"Park properly," resident says
Mocked with, "Do you drive a small car because you're poor?"

A car owner who has repeatedly engaged in "bad parking" by encroaching on parking lines in an apartment complex has sparked controversy online after it was revealed that he mocked a resident who pointed out his behavior, saying, "You must not have any trouble parking because you drive a small car due to being poor."

A vehicle encroaching on the parking line (left) and a mocking comment left by a resident presumed to be the owner in response to a critical post. Screenshot from an online community.

On December 10, a post titled "When I pointed out habitual bad parking in the apartment underground parking lot, the car owner suddenly started making 'poverty jokes'" was uploaded to an online community. According to the post, a recent message in an apartment residents' online forum included a photo showing a car parked far outside the parking lines, along with the complaint, "Please park properly. If you keep parking like this, no one can use the adjacent spot." The author, identified as A, commented, "Wouldn't others also want to park more widely if they could?" and added, "No one can ever park next to this car." The vehicle in question was reported to be a corporate Range Rover.

Then, a resident presumed to be the car owner, identified as B, appeared and left a mocking comment aimed at A. B wrote, "You must not have any trouble parking because you drive a small car due to being poor. I'm jealous," and added, "Or maybe you just have absolutely nothing to do on a Saturday afternoon." Other residents who saw the comment expressed their discomfort, saying, "That comment is really something. Are you the bad-mannered car owner?" and "Such a lack of manners. How could you say something like that?"

However, B's harsh remarks did not stop there. He posted photos of other vehicles in the apartment complex, arguing, "Other cars are taking up four parking lines, so why are you staying silent? Is this selective elitism?" and continued to mock the complainant by saying, "You seem to have plenty of time to post in the community, so why don't you report those cars?"

As the post spread, criticism intensified online. Netizens commented, "People who truly have money don't look down on others for having less," "Calling someone poor when you live in the same apartment is just insulting yourself," "What kind of life must he have lived?" and "What's the point of driving an expensive car?"