Hi I'm Chase Patrick Murphy and I take pictures of bad parking jobs.
I not only take these pictures, but I share them with the world via social media. Friends of mine take these pictures too and send them to me. Some people tag me in these photos or post them on my wall. I'm a bad parking picture collecting addict and my friends and acquaintances are enablers.
Ok it's not that bad, but it's pretty close.
I used to have a boss who preferred to play a round of golf with someone before hiring them. He felt that you could tell a lot about a person by the way they conducted themselves on a golf course. I don't necessarily agree with that. I was already working there when he was hired and I don't recall us ever playing golf together. I'm not a great golfer and I have never taken a lesson. I have a converted baseball swing-turned golf swing. I swear loudly, drink and smoke cigars and I don't keep the best score. As a matter if fact, I cheat. Not because I want to win, but because I refuse to count after 8 strokes. I've made some amazing shots on the golf course, but I've also drowned dozens of balls in the drink that I never scored. Yet, despite how much of a hack I am on the course, I've managed to turn out to be a solid and successful manager of radio stations. I have friends. I'm likable and my wife and kids are fans. So what exactly could you learn about me from my backswing or wicked slice?
Not everyone has taken golf lessons, but all of us that drive and park (legally) have taken driving lessons.
Maybe how you park might be a better indication of what kind of person you are or how you conduct yourself in public?
Creative people are encouraged and encourage others to color outside of the lines and to think differently. Parking outside of the lines tells a different story. There are certain aspects of our daily lives that should be coupled with conformity. Poor parking jobs can serve as a glimpse into the lives of others. Your ability to keep it between the lines shows your concern for doing the right thing. It shows you care about your fellow parking lot neighbors and that the world doesn't revolve around you. Yes, you are a member of the conformist tribe, but it's for all the right reasons. Parking, no matter how well you do it, isn't a form of art.
Those who park like jerks aren't creative artists. They are jerks.
A slight crossing of the line with a bit of your tire going over the barriers shows that you are willing to go far enough to get it kind of close. Some just stop right there and assume that this effort was good enough. It will suffice. It shows you care a little. Backing out and trying it again shows you are willing to take the extra time to make it right. It shows you give a shit. Chances are, if you are a person that re-parks, you care about others. Yet, taking 3 stabs at it shows you either A) can't park at all B) you are a little on the OCD side.
My taking pictures of bad parking jobs goes beyond sizing people up. People that know me cringe when they park poorly. Many believe that they will be the latest victim of my Facebook #Tryharder jeering. They worry about it, even if I am nowhere near them. They will even go as far as to tell me that I made them park again. Even when we are miles and sometimes states apart. This means I have effectively planted the seed of change.
Altering behavior in people and getting them to think and act a certain way is an amazing thing. I'm not talking about Jedi mind control stuff. I'm talking about planting the seed of behavior modification and getting others to think about how their actions affect others. To care, just a little, about the other guy. Taking up two spots at a busy steakhouse on a Saturday night,causing others to change their dinner plans and go somewhere else, is a d-bag thing to do. We've all experienced the receiving end of this event; as we are forced to go to our backup dinner destination. Taking the time to park correctly is the same as, and as meaningful as, holding the door of an elevator for someone who is making a dash to get on.
In short, my little hobby of taking pictures of bad parking jobs has started a small wave of kindness. It could be considered a "pay it forward" moment. Just as anonymous as buying coffee for a stranger, but maybe not as rewarding as the gratification that comes along with the gesture that accompanies a purchase of some kind.
If you have been affected by my picture postings, whether you are altered by the moment I caught you or the fear of me catching you, know that I am in your head. This started out as something I just did and I didn't plant this seed on purpose, but I am humbled by the potential fruit it bears.
Oh yeah, and stop parking like a dick.
