Have you ever wondered where you sit on the food chain of friendship? I have but then I realized I know my place just by where I sit in a car ride. First, there are some things you must keep in mind. Everyone rides different places while traveling with different people. So your status will be different for each situation. Secondly, each person will take turns in different seating positions while being in the same group. Superiority can change with a car ride. It lets you know where you stand (errr sit) in your group of friends.
Driver: This person is usually in control of the group’s destination. Where are they going? What will they be doing for the next hour? You call this person, they don’t call you. They determine the popularity in their car and those riding in it. The destination is decided between this person and the person-riding shotgun. Everyone else is along for the ride and to increase the status of the people sitting in front.
Shotgun: Usually the drivers right hand man. The one backing up the plan on what decision was made for the evening’s festivities. This person is be most likely to be a driver one day if the actual driver retires their popularity to the stressfree riding of switching to shotgun. Shotgun is also in charge of helping the driver create excitement for the evenings activities and with an ultimate goal of gaining backseat passengers to increase their self esteem.
Backseat: Backseat status means that your part of the group but your inter changeable with other backseaters. Your in the “in crowd”, your just not the one the guys want to date if it came down to you versus a front seat person. Your there to help broaden the groups social status and also talk to the other backseat people about one day becoming front seat people in your car. (i.e. starting your own group of cool) The only backseat position that negates this rule is the person riding in the middle. This person is the glue that holds the group together and is usually the one that everyone wants to be around because they are entertaining and are usually ok with riding anywhere in the car even in the uncomfortble middle seat that usually contains a cup holder or hidden spy consol. They could be considered the peacemaker if you will. They also have the best opportunity to become a front seat person one day because they can easily lean forward to converse as a front seat person whilst at the same time cutting off the backseat people to talk to one another about starting their own group of cool. The middle seat backseat person is a coveted status just because they fit anywhere and are on the rise to shotgun one day.
Trunk: This person is usually the uninvited person who found about that evenings function and is just glad to be along for the ride but really has no purpose but to build the status of the group overall by making it look like it’s the popular place to be. If you’re ever a “trunk person” I suggest finding a hobby. Maybe learning to climb out of a trunk or magic. Don’t let yourselves be used to help others succeed, you are better off learning to ride a motorcycle.
The driver who rides alone: This person is usually a prideful person who doesn’t want anyone control their destiny This person doesn’t like to be stereotyped by being forced into a backseat or trunk position when they feel they should be riding shotgun. They will usually drive alone before allowing their status to suffer because in their mind they are their own group of cool. Usually this person will pick up a shotgun rider of their own and branch off before playing nice with others. This person is in a state of loneliness and its not recommended in general.
Take the bus/ aka left behind: This is the worst status of all because no one wants to ride in the same car with you. You’re the person whose late in finding everything out because no one cared enough to let you know in the first place. For some reason you still keep hanging around hoping that one day you’ll graduate to trunk status. This is eminently worse then having “no status” because its pretty blatant that people don’t even want you around. Its probably better if you didn’t even have a travelers status, you wouldn’t have to adapt to disappointment.
You’ve probably figured out your status relating to different situations at this point. I can say my status changes all the time but I pretty much know where I fall on the food chain of friendship. Finding your status can be problematic but its part of the peripatetic circumstances. Don’t ask what peripatetic means because I’m not exactly sure.
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