Usually, the front passenger seat (fps) is given to the most senior member of the entourage.
Imagine driving to a wedding and the family dutifully lines up on the back seat - the fps is left vacant for mum or dad.
It’s all very simple. Authority is clearly defined; we know who the senior figure is and where he/she should be sitting.
Sometimes riding shotgun is contested. It’s a kind of sibling rivalry. You now see a bit of anarchy as authority cannot be clearly differentiated.
This is when you see dance in full affect.
Everyone wants the fps whether it’s for comfort or prestige but no-one wants to take the bold step of declaring themselves with great rights.
Everyone runs the pretence of offering everyone else the opportunity whilst secretly wishing someone would put their name in the ring. I have observed a particularly vigorous form of dance performed by those fresh from the subcontinent.
“Akbar you sit yaar”, “No, no Rehmaat you take it yaar”.
“Come on yaar, it’s for you”, “Its only a seat yaar”… Sometimes when feeling frivolous and judging the potential for crisis I do fan the flames of confusion.
I stand by the door and offer everyone else the seat but position myself just so to ensure the other person feels quite uncomfortable in taking up the offer.
I find a millimetre here and there can cuase great confusion.
Other times I plonk myself on the fps but make a knowingly redundant offer to vacate it for anyone more deserving.
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