My boyfriend and I recently moved into a new flat in the North End. At first we were over joyed with how friendly the majority of our neighbours are. Every one is constantly smiling, making small talk, and boasting about the neighbourhood. The only exception has been a damp blanket that resides in the flat directly connected to ours. Next door are a group of ladies, who seem to hate everything and everyone. Every time that my partner or I have seen them, we smile and say “hello”, with no smile or response back. They literally look at us with a scowl and turn the other way. We have done nothing to deserve this, we’re been as quiet as mice since we moved in. This happened again yesterday in the morning as I was getting on my bicycle to ride to work, and I have to say that it really makes me feel like crap. My partner has said that he’s not going to try any more, but I’ve decided that I’m only going to be friendlier. They’ve made me feel like crap, and I’m assuming they don’t want us to talk to them. So, if my smile and “hello” ruins their day, then so be it. —Consider this smile as a weapon
This article appears in Aug 1-7, 2013.
Well they could be deaf or just be left alone or don’t like people (or you) or whatever. There is nothing in the rules that says everyone had to be nice to you or even acknowledge you. Now ignore it and carry on.
Pretty much exactly what I was going to say. If someone says hello to me, I generally will say hi back and be pleasant but I don’t have any desire what-so-ever to engage in small talk with any of my neighbours.
Funny , I don’t even know my neighbours, much less talk to them.
Jesus. Not everyone has to be smiles and rainbows to appease the delicate hipsters. Maybe they’re afraid of your ear gauges.
KAREN: What difference does it make? Who cares if she doesn’t like you? Does everybody in the world have to like you?
GEORGE: Yes! Yes! Everybody has to like me. I must be liked!
OP You have the right attitude.Don’t allow them to make your new life in your new neighbourhood miserable.
Hey, OP, don’t waste your precious time – some people are just menopausal since birth.
T.T. how much do you want to bet that O.P. moved in next door to Wogblip and her stub-unit?
kindness and politeness should be appreciated, not taken for granted. You don’t know what’s going on in their life. Maybe the last person who smiled and said hi turned out to be an untrustworthy backstabber, maybe they just lost a friend or family member, maybe they are paranoid schizophrenics or maybe they’re just dicks but if I were you I’d leave them alone. They don’t owe you a smile.
That being said they probably are just snooty, I agree that their behavior is offputting but so is passive aggressively trying to make them talk to you, as you aluded to at the end of your post. I’m sure there are better things you could invest your mental energy in.
Heh-heh, Hoistie – good point.
I’m sure the news of a drunken Christian crone suckling 3 wharf rat babies would be big news in the North End. I heard that Stub Unit continues to inject cookies and eat insulin capsules.
First thing I thought after reading the ‘For Fucks Sake’ post was that Blimp Boomy Wagbag and her ol’ buddy, B.O. Plenty were up to their old tricks.
http://02varvara.files.wordpress.com/2011/…
“…Wogblip and her stub-unit?”
..Lol..”stub-unit”.Funny…lol!!
I agree wholeheartedly, WAC – good one, Hoisty.
good grief, what is the rest of your life going to be like if you get all bent out of shape because a neighbour doesn’t kiss your hand and give you a rose?
if everyone likes you, you’re an idiot.
I’m sure not everyone in Mr. Rogers’ neighbourhood liked him.
if you let some ones’ apathy toward you fukc you up its your fault .they dont owe you your self esteeme .ther are billion s of people on the world who dont care about you either .doesnt that bug you too you weakas s piece of cattledun g?
Take the high road. Their loss, not yours.
just wait til the next week-long power outage (and it’s nsp. it won’t be that long til it happens). i met all my neighbours during hurricane juan’s aftermath. all these years later, most of us still get along smashingly for the most part. potlucks, summer stooping, and invitations to holiday parties like xmas and halloween are the best spin-offs. the rest of the quieter neighbours all say hi at least to the others now.
there’s nothing like losing your access to electricity for 10 days (while your neighbours have lots) to make you friendly, AND help you see your neighbours for the frequently-very-cool people they usually are.
…..and Mr. Rogers was ALWAYS happy. lol
OP
Why hasn’t this caused you to not want to be friends with them. Some people just feel as if they already have enough friends; I wouldn’t take it personally.
Do these “ladies” resemble Daleks made of black burlap?
http://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/24dash-m…
Could explain the ‘tude.
…and, on the subject of neighbors, Ivan’s Rakin Rescue just liberated 3 from the Dumpster of Doom. This years litter seem to be a bunch of thickies. Usually they learn after the first time. Loyal little fellas, too. The first one out knocked over the box I put in, so his brothers couldn’t climb out. He stuck around for them. ♥
Zedman – is it true that the rakins in Fairview don’t have masks – “cuz ain’t nobody gonna co-operate wit da Five-Oh, anyhow!”
Ivan – methinks you’re right, perhaps if the newbies quit cooking bacon the Daleks would be on side, as if you could tell.
Jesus christ, OB, you need to get a much thicker skin. Don’t let this shit get ya down. When the fucks down the hall ignore us we just make fun of them and have a laugh about their snobbery.
“quit cooking bacon?” *shocked intake of breath*
Whatever clown first said “There was never any such thing as a good war or a bad peace” was clearly never asked to relinquish “The Smoked and Cured Rasher of Freedom”.
AN INTERNAL MORALITY PLAY, OR: IS VIRTUE ITS OWN REWARD?
“My partner has said that he’s not going to try any more, but I’ve decided that I’m only going to be friendlier.” Consider this smile as a weapon
This bitch is unique in the sense that it lacks the clear-cut triumph of virtue over vice which characterizes all the others on this site. The conflict all takes place in the mind of the virtuous bitcher. The fate of the neighbors who ordinarily would play the role of the vicious antagonists remains indeterminate. Nonetheless, the structure of the morality play remains intact. What is that structure?
The “hook” is obvious. Conflict arises since her neighbors only scowl in response to the virtuous bitcher’s friendly smile. We don’t know why they don’t smile, but it doesn’t matter. Like Hamlet, the drama all takes place in her mind. The only question is, to what principles does the virtuous bitcher appeal to justify her continued smiling.
Clearly, whether framed in terms of “manners” or “etiquette” the virtuous bitcher appeals to those principles which work to regulate ordinary social intercourse. (They might also work to regulate ordinary sexual intercourse as well, but we mustn’t be side-tracked.) Paramount among those principles is that of, “Do unto others as you would be done to.” So, on that basis one might argue that it would be incumbent upon the scowling neighbors to respond to the virtuous bitcher’s smile in a similar fashion, but there is no logical necessity which forces them to do so. They are free agents and can do as they please.
The bitcher realizes this and takes proactive action. She changes the implicit message of her smile. It is no longer friendly but, in her own words, becomes a “weapon.” She wants to “kill with kindness.” But, and this is crucial, in so doing has the virtuous bitcher abandoned her posture of moral rectitude? Has she, indeed, lost her virtue? Ordinarily, virtue is seen as self-validating. It requires no extrinsic reward to to be justified. But here we see that such virtue has been corrupted by vengeance. It is to be used as a weapon. The result is that while posturing as the virtuous protagonist, the bitcher has in fact become her own vicious antagonist. Virtue has become “virtue” and, in consequence, is not its own reward.
Be that as it may, the structure of the morality play has remained intact, albeit transferred to the stage of the bitcher’s mind and, as the old expression goes, “All the world’s a stage.”
A pleasure as always,
Cheerio!
Some people don’t like cheerful friendly people, they’re just downright unfriendly and anti-social themselves. At least that’s what I hear. I’ve never run into any of them down here in the beautiful Annapolis Valley.
Ahh, the beautiful Annapolis valley, almost had wild turkey surprise on the front of my bike last Saturday riding along Bay of Fundy, lol.
The Muzzies are at it again.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-23…
Ivan…
The raccoons in fairview still wear masks because they’re not just swiping things anymore…
http://www.hilarioustime.com/images/04/If-…
in all seriousness… the two under the house behind my place are closer to the size of a beaver than a fat cat. Fucking monstrous.
Ah the Annapolis Valley where they have inner family love. That’s why they’re so friendly.
Try telling them ‘fuck off’ instead of ‘hello’ next time. I’m sure you’ll get a reaction then.
You dick. These people clearly don’t want to be friends with you so back off and give them some space. You are not owed extroverted neighbours. This isn’t a sitcom all about you. They have their own lives, their own needs and for whatever reason, they don’t want to be your friends.
SO BACK OFF and stop smothering them.
I really hate people who think everybody should automatically like them. You sound like a passive-aggressive doucheweed.
Good Lord….are you that insecure that you can’t get through your day unless everyone in your building reacts to you in the way that you want? Perhaps the reason these people don’t respond to your greeting is because they recognize how bloody phony you are. Stop whining, ignore the people who choose to ignore you and save your energy for people who might actually give a shit about you.