We're just gonna check it out.The Mist · 2007 — Chapter 2 of 11 · 8'43" · B2
David Argues With His Neighbor, Explained: sense of proportion
The argument looks like a status fight — college versus no college — but it is really about panic. One man is sneered at as a "big shot artist with connections in New York and Hollywood," while the other insists he won't be "talked down to or called stupid." Under the insults, both are afraid.
What happens
Trapped in a small-town supermarket after a strange mist rolls in, the survivors are growing restless. David Drayton, a commercial artist, finds himself the target of another man's resentment — mocked for his education and his big shot connections. Voices rise as fear turns into blame, and cooler heads try to keep the group from losing all sense of proportion.
Listen for
in my booksense of proportionbig shotjitters
00:00 / 08:43Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Tap a line to replay it
Phrase of the scene
sense of proportion
the ability to judge what matters most
有人分析，超市里的人因为害怕，已经失去了分寸，才会为发电机拼命。
Panic made them lose all sense of proportion.
Also in this scene
- in my book
according to my judgment or standards
- big shot
an important or self-important person
- jitters
a nervous, shaky feeling
Everything marked in this scene
38 notes across 133 lines
liaison
We're just gonna check it out.It was backing up.Back there in the dark.Did you hear it before the lights went out, or after?elliptical before/or after
Did you hear it before the lights went out, or after?Nobody's calling you a liar.You had a scare, no doubt.It's pretty rank in here.Holy crow, don't that stink?Plugged up from the outside.It's an electric door, right?Or you're trying real hard not to.an important or self-important person
Now, I know, I know you're a big shot artist with connections in New York and Hollywood and all that.according to my judgment or standards
But that don't make you better than anybody else, not in my book.Nor do I like being talked down to or called stupid by a guy who went to college.inversion after nor
Nor do I like being talked down to or called stupid by a guy who went to college.Just 'cause he's got the jitters.You guys are gonna let this kid risk his life over a generator that doesn't even matter?Would you just shut the fuck up already?The next time you got something to say, you count your teeth.Because I'm sick to death of your bullshit.Leave 'em be.the ability to judge what matters most
Listen, they've lost their sense of proportion.Let's rock.Pussy.Hold up.liaison
Hold up.So, any boogeyman?Get this friggin thing off me!Hang on.liaison
Hang on.Hold him still!what-clause as object
But how the hell was I supposed to know what you meant? You said you heard something.Did you get a good look at it, huh?And you too. It doesn't solve anything.That's the first thing.We oughta get outta here.David Argues With His Neighbor, explained
What's really going on
Nobody in this argument is really talking about college or art. The mist has sealed these people indoors with no answers, and fear needs a target — so the man with the fanciest job becomes the one to knock down a peg. The clash is about pride and the need to feel equal when everything else is out of control: "Nor do I like being talked down to or called stupid by a guy who went to college." The comeback is that none of it makes anyone better than anybody else, "But that don't make you better than anybody else, not in my book." Rank and money mean nothing once the rules of the world stop applying. And when the room loses its sense of proportion, the danger inside grows as fast as whatever waits outside.
Theme
ClassCollege versus no college, big shot versus ordinary man: status becomes the weapon when nothing else is certain.
SurvivalFear in a sealed room turns neighbors on each other before the monsters outside ever get a chance.
What you'll learn
- Notice how "check it out" changes the exchange.
- Listen for the attitude carried by "check it out".
- Try the phrase in a comparable conversation.
Listen for
- check it out — liaison
- Hold up — liaison
- Hang on — liaison
but that don t make you better than anybody else not in my bookGoing to college or having fancy connections doesn't make a person superior; that is the speaker's own standard, his private "book" of rules.
Nor do I like being talked down to or called stupid by a guy who went to collegeHe resents being condescended to and insulted by an educated man — a complaint about class and respect, not about the mist.
Listen they ve lost their sense of proportionThe group has stopped seeing what matters and what does not; panic has replaced judgment.
in here there s a problem they can solveInside the store the survivors can actually act and fix something, unlike the helpless crowd fixating on the unseen threat.
Questions about this scene
Why does the argument turn into a fight about college?
Because the man hurling the insults has run out of ways to feel in control. Attacking someone's education and connections is a way to drag him down to everyone else's level.
Is the big shot really to blame for the tension?
No. The mist is. He happens to be the easiest target in a room full of people with no answers, and being called a big shot says more about the accuser's insecurity than about him.
What does "not in my book" mean here?
It means "not by my standards." The speaker is saying status, money, and college do not earn his respect — that is a judgment he makes himself.
Why do the people inside lose their sense of proportion?
The threat is invisible and the wait is unbearable. With nothing to fight, they start fighting each other, and small slights feel like matters of life and death.
The Mist · 11 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 3at stakeDavid Argues the Mist Is Real
Chapter 1the end of daysThe Mist Reaches the Store
Watching · Chapter 2sense of proportionDavid Argues With His Neighbor
Chapter 3at stakeDavid Argues the Mist Is Real
Chapter 4meet one's makerMrs. Carmody Preaches the End
Chapter 5tightly woundThe Group Debates Seeking Rescue
Chapter 6for the bestAftermath at the Grocery Store
Chapter 7cut and runThe Crowd Turns on David
Chapter 8leave well enough aloneCarmody Blocks the Pharmacy Run
Chapter 9at bayDavid Plans His Escape
Chapter 10point the fingerThe Arrowhead Project Revealed
Chapter 11wait and seeDavid Promises Billy He'll Never LeaveChapter 2 of 11 · about 51 min to go