35. The Most Infuriating of ALL Human Behavior: Line Cutting

This week on Wrong Way Forward, Katy and Justin absolutely lose their minds over one of society’s greatest crimes: cutting in line.

From airport chaos to airplane aisle vultures to people who think “community norms” don’t apply to them, the duo dives into why basic manners seem to be disappearing in real time — and why line-cutting somehow feels like a full-blown attack on democracy.

Then things spiral into celebrity bad behavior, including:
• Katy Perry’s increasingly chaotic reputation
• The billionaire takeover of the Met Gala
• Jeff Bezos backlash and Lauren Sánchez discourse
• Why nobody wants tech bros on the red carpet
• Whether space tourism is inspiring… or just rich people cosplay

Also discussed:
wheelchair line ethics, airport rage, Nicole Kidman never aging, “boob shelf” fashion, people standing up before the plane lands, and why Justin is apparently always one public inconvenience away from committing a felony.

As always, Wrong Way Forward asks the important question:
Are people getting ruder… or are we just finally noticing?

Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

Transcript

Orange Beach Banter And Setup

Speaker 0:00

She's Katy Montgomery. He's Justin Joseph. These best friends are serving subpoenas to bad advice weekly with Wrong Way Forward. Now, here's Katy and Justin.

Katy Montgomery 0:11

Hi, everyone, and welcome to the next episode of Wrong Way Forward. My name is Katy Montgomery, and I'm here with my best friend Justin Joseph. And we're here to take advice and tear it down a little bit. Um, today we're broadcasting from another location. Today, Justin, I'm in Orange Beach, Alabama. You've been here with me before. We did a few college trips down here.

Justin Joseph 0:32

Um, that's the place where I went out and laid on this beach. Remember, and when I got pictures back, I said, it looks like I'm wearing a skin suit.

unknown 0:39

Yeah.

Katy Montgomery 0:41

Well, that was your first mistake. That was the wrong way forward. You never let anyone take a picture of you in a swimsuit. You know, I mean, that's that's that's good advice.

Justin Joseph 0:49

God, that was a long time ago. That was that we were in college then.

Katy Montgomery 0:52

And we, y'all, we had a friend named we called him Pewkey. And we all had a mutual friend that lived in Pensacola. Pensacola's like an hour away. And Pewkey would just get in his car every day and just kind of go try to search for Pughie, remember? And Graper went with us, and Nikki and There's some good memories, because that's only a couple hours from New Orleans, right?

Justin Joseph 1:11

Like four minutes.

Katy Montgomery 1:12

Yeah, but I'm I'm not as technologically, you know, um strained here. I've got solid internet, I've got a desk, I'm set up, so we are planning to um have hopefully have no technical errors.

The Line Cutting Question Read Aloud

Katy Montgomery 1:27

But what we're gonna do today, Justin, is we're gonna jump in to something that really just drives me insane. And this is the concept of cutting line. Um, and so, you know, in America, in the UK, we have a very um, you know, particular way of cueing, respecting the line. And so kind of the question is, and this was on Cleveland.com, it's an ask yachty column, is is it okay to cut in line in front of others? So let me just read this to you. Um, is it okay to cut in line in front of others? Have you ever been somewhere that you had to stand in line and out of nowhere, someone just cuts in front of you? Am I invisible? Do you really not see me? I was at a function once standing in line, chatting with my friend when somebody behind me spotted somebody they knew and proceeded to have a conversation with them. Sure, I can deal with you talking around me, but then as their conversation continued, this person proceeded to get closer and closer until they were next to that person in front of me. Sometimes in these situations, they eventually look around and realize that they're with people who are waiting in line and they just got in front of. They are apologetic and get back to the spot in line they move from. Other times they either pretend that they didn't see you or just don't care. Is it okay to make them aware of what they did or should you just ignore them, shake your head, and continue to wait in line? The choice is up to you, but I have let people know, excuse me, the line starts back there. Or do you realize that you just cut in front of me? Nobody likes to wait a line, especially when the lines don't seem to move. Chatting with someone that you know really does make the weight more bearable, but don't assume that it's okay just to cut in line. Time is valuable to all of us, waiting is never fun, but be patient and you will eventually get to the front of the line. So,

When To Speak Up

Katy Montgomery 3:12

Justin, what is your reaction to people who cut in line?

Justin Joseph 3:16

Well, as you can imagine, if I've been there, um blood pressure's boiling, hearts racing, um, and the words are just forming together in my head. And so I'm right on the edge of being um ready to commit murder. So um, so it's I think it's A, it's it's the wrong way forward, but B, when it's happened to me, you can, as you can imagine, I always say something. And the question is, am I going to say something in a nice way or say something in a mean way? And it just depends on how angry I am.

Katy Montgomery 3:41

Well, I, you know, it's very interesting because I have lived in cultures, for example, China, that doesn't necessarily respect the the um sense of a line the way we do in America. It's just a different culture. So I remember they used to have these like um egg and bread sandwiches, and you know, and I would go get in line to get one in the morning, and everyone would just rush and it would become chaos. And I would start to lose my mind. Or I remember one time I was traveling um with some of our mutual friends in Greece, and we were in an airport, and there was like no sense of structure. So I always try to first be very aware of my own cultural upbringing and recognizing I'm in another culture where it's just not kind of part of the culture to respect or excuse me, to have kind of this sense of order in a line. But I can't stand a line cutter. And um, and I, you know, I'm clearly down in Birmingham, and so I fly on a small airplane. So this is the kind of airplane where you check your luggage,

Culture Shock And Airport Line Rage

Katy Montgomery 4:40

you know, right before you get on the airplane. And when you get off the airplane, they give you your suitcase. I don't know if you've ever been on that small of an airplane.

Justin Joseph 4:47

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Katy Montgomery 4:48

But I got upgraded because I always fly on American, and so I got to sit in first class. I was the first person off the airplane. So the concept is you stand in line, and then as people come off the plane, they get further in line. And so if you're at the back of the plane, you're gonna be at the back of the line and it's gonna take you a while to get your bag because you just physically can't see it. So this man got off the plane and immediately stood right next to me. First of all, in the area you're not supposed to stay in. And also a big line at this point, yes, and not respecting the line. And I said, I just want to let you know someone just got in trouble for standing there because it's it's uh it's where they're unloading the bags, and so it's I think it's a safety precaution. But I think what I've noticed about myself is the sense of entitlement triggers me. And the fact that you think that you don't have to follow the community standards and norms and that the order does not apply to you, that's what gets my blood a boiling. It's I mean, I'm I'm logical enough to say, okay, he's gonna get his bag two seconds before me, but it's the fact that you asshole, you think you don't have to operate under these community standards? Go to hell. It really gets me. Yeah.

Justin Joseph 5:59

Now let me ask you this. So he was cutting you or he was cutting the person be behind you?

Katy Montgomery 6:03

He was cutting me and basically the entire line.

Justin Joseph 6:05

I mean, he's would you have said something if he just kind of snuck in behind you and it wasn't?

Katy Montgomery 6:10

Yeah. I mean, I I don't know if I would have said something. I think for me, it's just, you know, what energy do I have and who is it? You know, if it's an elderly person, I'm kind of like, okay, you know, I mean, you're old, get away with it, right? But but I would say I might say something. Or I mean, I can give a pretty dirty look. Um, but I would say I'm probably maybe five, six times out of ten, I could say, oh, the line started over there. Because I do think sometimes people make innocent mistakes.

Justin Joseph 6:35

Yeah, and that's totally understandable. I did the other day, in fact, well, no, I uh I did ask. I I said, Is this is this the line? And they said, No, it's back there. Because I think I I forget what the circumstances were, but I got I went to someplace and I couldn't figure it out. And I did say, Is this light? And they said, No, it starts back there. And you know.

Katy Montgomery 6:50

Yeah. But even the example that like Yachty gave, if like you were in line, if you and Josh were in line and I showed up, you know, and I was talking to y'all, I would literally, before anyone could even accuse me or even kind of assign a motive to me, I would say, I'm not cutting in line, y'all. I'm just chatting with them and I'll go get in line. Like I would even just cut that off before that even kind of entered the discussion.

Justin Joseph 7:10

Or just, or you could ask them and say, These are my friends, is it okay if I stand here? And I if I'm in that situation, nine times out of ten, I'm saying no problem.

Katy Montgomery 7:18

Yes, yes. And I mean, you know, I I think people who have been consistently listening to us, I also think the age of manners and civility and community norms is going to hell in a handbasket. I I do not think that it is the same as it once was. I think, I mean, I I think some of our leaders aren't uh, you know, are aren't demonstrating, you know, good manners and good community norms. And so I think it's it's becoming more and more of a problem.

Justin Joseph 7:46

What like the corbs out the window is what you're saying.

Katy Montgomery 7:49

Yes. And what I get nervous about is, you know, we've heard of these horrible things about somebody getting cut off in traffic and then somebody chasing them down with a gun. Rode. Right.

Justin Joseph 7:59

I'm watching this show called on Netflix called Beef. Have you heard of the show?

Katy Montgomery 8:02

Well, I loved season one, and so I'm having to kind of get myself ready because I was so attached to the characters in season one. So I'm not ready yet for the season two. How is it?

Justin Joseph 8:14

Oh well, I I just started the show, but that's the the whole premise of season one is that there was she bad behavior in a car and she wouldn't move, and then that's for those of you who have not seen the show, it's called Beef, and it's about a bad interaction that starts at the beginning of the show, which in essentially involves something about line cutting. They're each in their cars, and how he then how they then just go after each other the rest of the the show and how it uh snowballs, etc.

Katy Montgomery 8:38

But I mean, I could see this happening, you know, in a line at a at a concert, at an event, and it just really escalating. So I think that's a piece of advice and just kind of like a lens to put on it is like people are whacked and people are getting to this certain point of tension. I think you got to really read the room before you say something, because you never know how someone's gonna react in this day and age.

Justin Joseph 9:03

100%. What about and we've talked about this before, like when I got cut in line by someone who was in a wheelchair? What about if that are the are those situations okay?

When Cutting Might Be Okay

Katy Montgomery 9:12

Well, I think it's interesting because I really thought to myself, is it ever okay to cut in line? And you know, and I would think life or death, definitely, you know, you can cut in line. Um, I it really doesn't bother me. Like the other day, um, I was at this great restaurant in Birmingham called Botega, and I went to go to the bathroom, and a woman and her daughter got there before me, and there was only one stall, and she looked at me and she goes, We take forever. Please go ahead. You know, she had a small child. I love that too. I love it like when I'm in line and somebody just has one item. I'm like, please go ahead, right? Right. But I think you need to wait for like the introduction. Um, I think if you're holding a spot for someone, holding a spot makes me very anxious. I I don't like doing that. I don't like telling people no. I don't that doesn't make me feel comfortable. But I think if you are holding a spot, that's fair too.

Justin Joseph 10:04

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, on the other side of the break, we're gonna talk about when cutting line is okay. There are some situations we started kind of getting into it here. We'll talk about the other side. We'll be right back with wrong way forward.

Katy Montgomery 10:15

You've been listening to Wrong Way Forward, where bad advice goes to die, and then gets resurrected just so we can roast it again.

Justin Joseph 10:22

If you're enjoying the chaos, hit like and subscribe and come back every Thursday for new episodes.

Katy Montgomery 10:27

Have a new topic or some disastrously bad advice you want to dissect, email wrongwayforwardpodcast at gmail.com. Include your contact info.

Speaker 10:37

Now back to Wrong Way Forward. Roasting the worst advice ever. Welcome back to the Katy and Justin Podcast.

Justin Joseph 10:43

Hi, everybody. Welcome back to this week's episode of Wrong Way Forward, where we're talking about the age-old problem of cutting in line. Uh, when we left off, we were talking about there really are aren't a lot of situations where it's okay to do that. I brought up the question, and this has happened to me before, where someone came up in a wheelchair or um was handicapped. And um, the question is, is that okay when though when they cut in line? And Katy, what was your response to that? Do you that bother you? Do you think they get special privileges?

Katy Montgomery 11:10

I mean, I think again, I would make assumptions if I was the person, you know, in the wheelchair. I probably would have said, Do you mind if I go ahead? Is that okay? But I just don't think that that would be a battle that I would decide to pick. I think I would just be like, go ahead. I mean, it's a lot of times, I think I also, without them asking, I volunteer. So if I see like a woman with multiple children, you know, trying to get on an airplane, I'm like, please go ahead. You know, like that's the other thing that drives me crazy is, you know, now we have boarding groups, and I know people are more um obsessed than ever because they want to get their luggage on the flight because people don't want to pay to check. But I am like, we are all going to the same place. And if you want to trigger me, get up out of your seat when the plane lands and then start walking, and again, not respecting the line to get off the plane. I mean, that literally makes my blood boil. And someone will always look and be like, I'm trying to catch a connecting flight. And I'm like, you literally save three seconds. Yeah. Because what you've done now is pissed everybody off, and they're gonna put their big ass right in front of you to to particularly not allow you to get through.

Justin Joseph 12:20

Yeah, and there's situations where when a plane's land we're in there really late and they'll say, If we're gonna let some people who are trying to make connections go first, please stay seated. I've been in those planes before, and I think that's fine, you know.

Katy Montgomery 12:32

I do too, but guess what? People don't stay seated.

Justin Joseph 12:34

Yeah, exactly.

Katy Montgomery 12:35

I mean, this is what's it's it's it's kind of like it's not all about you. It's like, and I think that's the thing about cutting in line is it's like be aware and cognizant of other people, their time, their energy, you know, their effort. And so it, you know, it it goes both ways. Standing up when you don't have a connecting flight and not letting that person get through, or cutting line, you know, to you know, and trying to kind of um you know get ahead. It's it's just a real sense of entitlement. I think it's the complete wrong way forward. And I wonder what gets a person to that point in life. Is that because they were raised with a silver spoon in their mouth? Is that because their parents doted on them? Is that because they never were given any boundaries? Is that because they're narcissists? Like, who acts like that? And how do you get to that point? Because I find it just so crazy that I'm like, how do you get to be that type of person?

Justin Joseph 13:32

Yeah, exactly. And like you said, I feel like it's happening more and more just because people feel so disempowered that this is one of the areas where they can feel some level of power. So I agree, we're seeing it more and more out there.

Katy Montgomery 13:43

Yeah,

Met Gala Looks And Who Belongs

Katy Montgomery 13:44

yeah.

Justin Joseph 13:44

So changing gears a little bit, let's talk about the Mad Gala happening the other night. What did you see some of the outfits? What did you think?

Katy Montgomery 13:50

I have to tell you, I thought this was one of the ugliest Met Gallas of all time. I I I really did. I there was I to me, I did not, and I understand the theme, I understand fashion, understand pushing, I understand avant-garde. I just there was nothing that I necessarily fell in love with. I thought the Zach Posen dress for Gap was um beautiful. I thought some pieces.

Justin Joseph 14:12

Um I but Nicole Kidman, did you see Nicole Kidman? That woman does not age, she looked just stunning.

Katy Montgomery 14:19

Well, and I think she also, I mean, she it's so funny. My sister and I are watching this show on Apple called Margot's Got Money Problems.

Justin Joseph 14:26

Oh, yeah, yeah.

Katy Montgomery 14:27

She also works her ass off. I mean, she must be on a set 300 days a year.

Justin Joseph 14:31

100%.

Katy Montgomery 14:32

But you know, here's the thing. I don't want to see Jeff Bezos' wife, I don't want to see Sergey or Sergey from She had the boob shelf again.

Justin Joseph 14:42

Did you see?

Katy Montgomery 14:42

Of course she had the boob shelf. She can't go anywhere without a boob shelf. But I don't I don't want to see Mark Zuckerberg. I don't want to see, you know, Sergei. Yes, he was there with Priscilla, his wife. I, you know, give me the famous people, give me the designers, give me the people who are creating art and culture and fashion. I don't want to see, you know, the head of Google, you know, in a in his suit was heinous. I'm like, get those people. I am so sick of the tech billionaires. It's like, go make your money, you know, make AI, you know, make my, you know, internet work in a basement. You know what? Get the hell off my red carpet.

Bezos Money And Arts Sponsorship Backlash

Justin Joseph 15:26

What do you think about all the controversy over Jeff Bezos, like basically buying the Mad Gala that evening? I mean, he they made big donation. There was protesters. There was word on the street that Anna Wentura, who, for people who may or may not know who she is, she's the one who organizes the Mad Gala, called an emergency crisis meeting because she did not expect the pushback on that.

Katy Montgomery 15:44

Um, that is crazy that she did not expect the pushback.

Justin Joseph 15:48

He's really a hated man. I mean, people hate him. That's it.

Katy Montgomery 15:51

Well, I mean, he's killed the Washington Post, right? You know, if you're an environmentalist, if you think about giving back, you know, if you think about it depending on your politics, what he's done to pay off, to kind of be in good standing, you know, with the current administration, some people find that very distasteful. Um, so you know, I'm a little torn on this, right? You know, it's fair process, it's due process. It's like, you know, hear the sponsorships if you can pay. I think if they have very explicit rules, you know, about who can and who cannot, kind of like when you have a morals clause, you know, when you're, you know, a celebrity or an anchor on the news. You know, but I think you've got to be very clear up front, very transparent about what your rules are. The other thing is, you know, would the conversation around this change if it said, look, the Met was going under, the Met was gonna no longer be able to provide, you know, this um couture fashion for, you know, everyday citizens to go see without the funding. Would we then take the funding, right? You know, and so I do think it's important for people to be sponsors of the arts. But it used to be, again, let's talk about what it used to look like. It used to be quieter, you know, like yes, people put their names on um buildings, but they didn't go front and center and walk, you know, the the carpet. They didn't, they didn't donate to per se to have like their wife front and center in a boob shelf. You know, what do you think?

Justin Joseph 17:22

Well, I totally agree. I mean that it was interesting because you know, it at the beginning, Anna Wentoured, um, Lauren Sanchez, Jeff Bezos' wife, and Nicole Kidman, who the last two are the chairs, were kind of hanging out. And it looked to me, you could just tell in looking at Lauren Sanchez how uncomfortable she was, because even though she's married to the most wealthy man alive, she's still out of her element. You know, she's with people who are creatives, who have accomplished something besides marrying well. Um, and you could tell she was uncomfortable with the whole thing. And I I I think that's pretty much how she lives her life because she's running in those circles, but the only thing she's contributing is the fact that she's married a man with a lot of money.

Katy Montgomery 17:58

Yeah. But you know, some people are starting to think, you know, what's going to be interesting is, you know, if we see a backlash on something like the Met Gala, you know, like if the administration were to change or, you know, um we were to go back to kind of like because if you look at the mayor of New York City, he did not attend. Um, and you know, and he is, you know, a populist, a socialist, however you want to kind of define him. And I think he ended up spending time with garment workers. Um, and I think he was trying to make a statement of like, you know, yes, art, you know, fashion, you know, that's important, that's an important industry, but you know, we're celebrating, you know, multimillionaires, billionaires wearing outfits that are, you know, you know, the cost of a car or the cost of a down payment for a home. And I think he was trying to make a statement. It's gonna be interesting to see will the Met Gala maintain its kind of you know cachet long term. Have you ever interesting that?

Justin Joseph 19:00

Have you ever actually been to the Costume Institute?

Katy Montgomery 19:03

Um, you know what? I'm embarrassed to say I don't think I have. We should do that.

Justin Joseph 19:07

We should do. I know. I would like to see. I mean, I think if you there's some really good documentaries on the guy, um, the famous designer Brown, what's his name? Tom Brown.

Katy Montgomery 19:14

Tom Brown.

Justin Joseph 19:15

His husband is the one that runs. Yes, I've seen that. And so, I mean, just looking at the artistic, I think museums are just fascinating when they're set up and all of that. Anyway, we'll be right back on the other side. We'll talk more about celebrity bad behavior. We'll be right back on Wrong Way Forward. Thanks for streaming Wrong Way Forward, the weekly reminder that advice is usually free for a reason. We call out bad advice wherever it hides, boardrooms, break rooms, and even book clubs.

Katy Montgomery 19:40

Enjoying this dumpster fire, like, subscribe, and check back every Thursday for new episodes. Want us to roast your favorite piece of nonsense? Email us at wrongwayforwardpodcast at gmail.com. Be sure to include your contact info. We're not psychic, just judgmental. And now back to Wrong Way Forward.

Speaker 19:59

Roasting the worst advice ever. Welcome back to the Katy

Katy Perry Stories And Space Trip Side Eye

Speaker 20:02

and Justin.

Katy Montgomery 20:02

And we're back, and we're just gonna keep talking a little bit about celebrity bad behavior. So we've been talking about cutting in line. What is the kind of celebrity version of cutting in line? Um, so we're now broad, we're now airing, excuse me, we're taping this to later air and broadcast, so it might not be as relevant. But Justin, what do you think about Katy Perry? Um, you know, she kissed a girl and she liked it. You know, we're hearing about Ruby Rose and Anna Kendrick. I mean, that sounds like some wrong way forward. It might not be good behavior.

Justin Joseph 20:34

I I agree. It sounds like she's right on the edge of being me too out. I mean, all these stories, you know, I always think when there's smoke, there's fire, and you're starting to hear these stories. Like Katy Perry said that she um let me see I can say this tastefully, that she went to a party and Katy Perry finger finger banged her her cleavage. That's the word she used. Um, and that sounds cute and fun, and Kate Anna Kendrick was laughing about it, but it's bad behavior. And then that came out the other day that she was she had kept smacking Justin Bieber's rear end when he was younger. I mean, there's just all these stories that she's over sexualized, and it sounds like Me Too-ish behavior.

Katy Montgomery 21:11

Well, and I'm I I should have probably looked this up. Didn't she come from a fairly conservative religious upbringing? So, I mean, that shows you, you know, if you go to too much of an extreme, you're just gonna the pendulum's just gonna swing the other way, right?

Justin Joseph 21:26

Right. And she's actually being sued, right? By you, I think you mentioned Amber, what's her name? Amber Rose or Ruby Rose. Ruby Rose.

Katy Montgomery 21:33

Yes, I think she's an all-threading. Yeah. So, but you know, she's she's posting those pictures with, you know, Justin Trudeau, and she's, you know, all over the space. But um, yeah, I you know what? Here's the thing. I liked her music. I mean, I never bought it, but you know, I liked it. It was catchy. But then when she went up in SpaceX and she just was such an asshole, I was kind of like, I that's when she turned me off.

Justin Joseph 21:59

Did that ruin? For you for all those women who went up there in that?

Katy Montgomery 22:02

Well, yeah, I still like um what what is Gail Gail King? I still like Gail King, but I mean it's just like Katy Perry, first of all, the outfits. I just thought it was so gross. Again, talk about sexualizing science and and and space. But I mean, like, but she got down and kissed the ground, and yeah, I just kind of was like, it, you know, there are some people who work their whole life and they study and they they practice and they do this, and then you're just kind of, you know, being entitled. It's just like kind of wanting use of it. And so I just I think that's bad behavior.

Justin Joseph 22:36

100%. Um, I thought it was interesting. They got a lot of push uh pushback on that, and I think the criticism was what was it like a two billion dollar trip to go up and basically float around for a few minutes, and then I think the pushback was, or I think that what they said in response to pushback was, well, this is furthering science or something, but uh you know, there's a lot of uh that's there's I don't know if you did you watch all the NASA stuff when they just went up to the moon recently.

Katy Montgomery 23:00

So here's the thing, I feel bad because I just really didn't. Um, but I was listening the New York Times daily. Um, it was really cute. They they put a call out for what questions do your kids have for the four astronauts who went up and have come back. And it was really cute. And they said they got like thousands of call-ins and then they kind of cherry-picked the questions. So I love the idea of it. I love that it's coming back. I love that kids are super engaged in it. I love that people are enthralled in it. I just happen to not be one of them.

Justin Joseph 23:32

Yeah, I couldn't leave the TV. I was so fascinated by it. And I guess my biggest thought is that's real science and people who are really accomplishing something, and so it kind of makes the blue orchard stuff look silly.

Where To Find Us

Justin Joseph 23:43

Well, that's this week's episode of Wrong Way Forward. Um, thank you all for watching. Katy, give out our handles.

Katy Montgomery 23:48

Well, we would love to hear from you. Our email is wrongwayforwardpodcast at gmail.com. You can also find us on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram. We hope to hear from you soon.

Justin Joseph 23:59

All right, that's a wrap on this week's episode of Wrong Way Forward. Remember, the only thing worse than taking bad advice is giving it.

Katy Montgomery 24:06

If you've liked what you've heard, like, subscribe, or follow us wherever you stream podcasts. And if you've got a topic or need some advice, we'll probably regret giving, email us at wrongwayforwardpodcast at gmail.com.

Justin Joseph 24:20

Thanks for listening to this week's episode of Wrong Way Forward.