So I Reported My Neighbour To The Police...

[Flick James]

One incident I can recall years back in my hometown:

The local homeowners, consisting mostly of excessively snobby retired folk, decided THEY didn't want locals cutting through THEIR street to get to a local show that was going on.

So, after a heated town council metting, they were told by the police that it was a public street and that as long as they were orderly, the kids could walk through.  

And here's the kicker..the kids did as they asked, caused no trouble, and yet the homeowners deliberately stood in front of their houses and on the edges of their properties and began harassing the kids as they walked through.

Double standards are great ain't they?  

Ultimately the kids were orderly and caused no trouble and I think that's what p**sed the old buzzards off.  At least the kids kept their promises.

I live in a tourist town and I have to say the worst people to deal with are the young and the old. Adults in their 40's and 50's cause few problems. Several years ago we had an older couple that was telling kids (kids that LIVE in this town) to get off the bike-path with their bikes. Seems the old folks decided it was only for walking. I approached them and set them straight, only to find that the man was retired military, apparently an officer, and a fairly high ranking one at that. Seems he forgot his authority didn't exist here, therefor he got cussed out. THEN he went on on the ever predictable 'disrespect' angle, which of course led to me pointing out that there is little more disrespectful than coming to someone else's town and making up rules on your own. What I always love is that these types always finish with the threat of going somewhere else for vacation in the future, which is just fine with me.

People who are in their 20's and early 30's and visit here don't seem to understand that not everyone here is on vacation.

Good point, ghouck. I've never subscribed to the notion of respecting elders unconditionally. Respect, in my opinion, is ALWAYS conditional. I hold a basic human respect born out of simple common decency for everybody I meet, young and old, and it's up to each individual to either earn my greater respect or lose it entirely. Oh, and I also don't share many of my fellow veterans' attitudes that I somehow deserve more respect because of my military service. If somebody appreciates my service, I'm delighted, but I didn't enlist for pats on the back, and I don't feel my service earned anybody's unconditional respect. Don't get me wrong, I DO respect my fellow veterans for their service, largely becase I have served and understand the sacrifice, but I didn't understand it before I served and I don't expect anybody else to.

[Sleepyskull]

One incident I can recall years back in my hometown:

The local homeowners, consisting mostly of excessively snobby retired folk, decided THEY didn't want locals cutting through THEIR street to get to a local show that was going on.

So, after a heated town council metting, they were told by the police that it was a public street and that as long as they were orderly, the kids could walk through. 

And here's the kicker..the kids did as they asked, caused no trouble, and yet the homeowners deliberately stood in front of their houses and on the edges of their properties and began harassing the kids as they walked through.

Double standards are great ain't they? 

Ultimately the kids were orderly and caused no trouble and I think that's what p**sed the old buzzards off.  At least the kids kept their promises.

I live in a tourist town and I have to say the worst people to deal with are the young and the old. Adults in their 40's and 50's cause few problems. Several years ago we had an older couple that was telling kids (kids that LIVE in this town) to get off the bike-path with their bikes. Seems the old folks decided it was only for walking. I approached them and set them straight, only to find that the man was retired military, apparently an officer, and a fairly high ranking one at that. Seems he forgot his authority didn't exist here, therefor he got cussed out. THEN he went on on the ever predictable 'disrespect' angle, which of course led to me pointing out that there is little more disrespectful than coming to someone else's town and making up rules on your own. What I always love is that these types always finish with the threat of going somewhere else for vacation in the future, which is just fine with me.

People who are in their 20's and early 30's and visit here don't seem to understand that not everyone here is on vacation.

Good point, ghouck. I've never subscribed to the notion of respecting elders unconditionally. Respect, in my opinion, is ALWAYS conditional. I hold a basic human respect born out of simple common decency for everybody I meet, young and old, and it's up to each individual to either earn my greater respect or lose it entirely. Oh, and I also don't share many of my fellow veterans' attitudes that I somehow deserve more respect because of my military service. If somebody appreciates my service, I'm delighted, but I didn't enlist for pats on the back, and I don't feel my service earned anybody's unconditional respect. Don't get me wrong, I DO respect my fellow veterans for their service, largely becase I have served and understand the sacrifice, but I didn't understand it before I served and I don't expect anybody else to.

Flick James - I agree. Simple as that. If I've never met somebody before, I treat them kindly and respectfully until they give me a reason to do otherwise.

Ghouck - At the 7-11 where I work, the worst customers are in general: kids, teens, young adults, and the elderly. The age range that tends to tick me off the least are 25-55 years old. Of course there are exceptions to all of this, but it works as a general rule.

[Trevor]

The age range that tends to tick me off the least are 25-55 years old. Of course there are exceptions to all of this, but it works as a general rule.

I fall in that age bracket, SS: I'll drop by your 7-11 someday. 

[Flick James]

The age range that tends to tick me off the least are 25-55 years old. Of course there are exceptions to all of this, but it works as a general rule.

I suspect this is because people in that age range have to play by all the societal rules and norms in order to get anything done. If they don't, there are consequences. The young and the old seem to operate under an assumption that these rules don't apply to them. Perhaps when I get to be an old man something uncontrollable will happen to me to cause this phenomenon, but I'm going to do my best to avoid it.

[AndyC]

That is a good point about adults in their 30s and 40s. I've seen it too. I think those are the years when people have settled down, but have not yet become intolerant of those who haven't. Also the years when people have the wisdom and experience not to challenge everyone and everything, but have not yet become inflexible and fearful of change.

[Mr. DS]

One incident I can recall years back in my hometown:

The local homeowners, consisting mostly of excessively snobby retired folk, decided THEY didn't want locals cutting through THEIR street to get to a local show that was going on.

So, after a heated town council metting, they were told by the police that it was a public street and that as long as they were orderly, the kids could walk through.  

And here's the kicker..the kids did as they asked, caused no trouble, and yet the homeowners deliberately stood in front of their houses and on the edges of their properties and began harassing the kids as they walked through.

Double standards are great ain't they?  

Ultimately the kids were orderly and caused no trouble and I think that's what p**sed the old buzzards off.  At least the kids kept their promises.

Cutting through a public street is fine so those kids (as long as they were orderly) shouldn't have been harassed.

However this story reminds me of another thing we had to deal with in my neighborhood. We had issues with morons cutting through my yard once.  Punk @ss teens mostly.  They'd literally walk by my window and look in.  Then don't even get me started on the fact my kid's room was right along where they'd walk.  Thus they'd wake up my napping children with their chatter.

Oh the hell I rained down upon them was epic.  The minute someone set toe (screw "foot") on my property the cops were called.  Now people avoid our yard like the plague.  

I really like the rule in certain areas that allows you to shoot people legally on your property.  Would I shoot to kill someone legally if I could who is tresspassing...call me a sadist but yes I most certainly would.  Don't worry, I'd at least give them to the count of 5.  Sadly in my area the legal thing to do is call the cops......and wait an hour for their arrival.  You know, after the tresspassers are safely a mile or two away.

[Psycho Circus]

UPDATE: The demon b***h from hell has been badmouthing me to everyone in the post office this morning according to my ex's mother. Saying that I'm a terrible neighbour, a nasty person (spoke to this woman about 3-4 times and I was very polite) and that she's going to report me!

I'm so glad I struck first! What an idiot! She makes me so mad I want to go and stab her in the face!

[Criswell]

Wow isn't she a smart mature person . Badmouthing someone in a post office.

[AndyC]

Fortunately, people who obsessively badmouth someone else seldom have much credibility. They sound nuts, and listening to them gets tiresome. Especially if it's some obnoxious b***h who probably gets under everyone's skin.

[Psycho Circus]

I'm away at the weekend, so I'm going to leave things and when I get back if there's anything else I hear or that happens, then I'm phoning the cops again. They said they are more than happy to go and have words with her. I will not be spoken badly about in front of my own home to strangers and passers by. She's doing it every chance she gets.

[Cthulhu]

I'm so glad I struck first! What an idiot! She makes me so mad I want to go and stab her in the face!

I know it's tempting, but please don't. She probably isn't going to be around for too long. The landlord will take care of her.
Besides, punching is less lethal. Just sayin'.