Now as to why some people are like this I don’t really know. Why is it when their lives don’t have much meaning do they think they’ll get it from sticking their noses into other people’s business?
Trolls on the internet are the same way. I do know they are seeking attention since no one pays any attention to them or takes them seriously. I guess to them all attention is the same – good or bad. Maybe they think it gives them some control in their lives. Control and attention – “If they’re responding to me that’s attention! I’m having an effect! I have power and control!”
I’m sure this is a world-wide problem. These people are childish. They’ve never grown up and blame their hopeless lives on other people.
I once heard a comedian on the radio several years ago making a joke about people who peek though their drapes. "Why is that cat over here? I think he lives on the street behind us! What’s he doing? He must be looking to cause trouble! I'm calling the police!"
I've run across "drape-peekers" several times – and I’m sure I’m going to encounter them for the rest of my life. About 25 years ago when I owned a taxi I took a young woman home who happened to live in my hometown, so after I dropped her off it was such a pleasant spring evening I went for a walk. When I returned a cop car was there and the officer explained to me someone had called the police wanting to know why this out-of-state taxi was parked on their street! He sounded amused by the whole thing and then drove away (he just happened to be there when I walked up).
I've sometimes wondered how much of a police officer's time is taken up by such nonsense?
I've also encountered several dog haters and they are the worst. They have no sense of humor and people with no sense of humor are scary people. I've had more than one try to harass me about walking my dog down the alley (they tried it once but never again). They seemed to think the alley belonged to them because it was behind their house.
I have found without exception these people don’t have much of a life, so they try to harass innocent people so they can feel self-righteous (which means “I’m right and you’re wrong”). And if anyone is worse than a humorous-less, self-righteous person with no meaningful life…I don’t think I’ve met them.
Not surprisingly early American coins had "Mind Your Business" stamped on them. Obviously this problem has been around for, oh, at least thousands of years. And I'm sure a lot longer than that.
By the way, the original "dunking stool" was for gossipy women who didn't mind their business. It should be brought back for all of these people.
8 comments:
Totally agree. However, did you mean to say:
"And if anyone is worse than a humorless, self-righteous person with no meaningful life…I don’t think I’ve met them."
Good post.
Fixed.
"By the way, the original "dunking stool" was for gossipy women who didn't mind their business. It should be brought back for all of these people."
I can get behind that. I wouldn't confine to women.
We need to return to the concept of "the private citizen".
Society's become way too officious.
I'm reminded of a time in my youth when, after a 3 yr internment in the public education system, I was blessed with a return to a Catholic High School. The now older people I went to elementary school with made sure to make my life there over the next two years a hell storm of gossip and innuendo.
Oh yeah, and in reference to another post you made awhile back, they were the ugliest wenches in the school that started this crap. The pretty one's were indifferent or at least mildly pleasant.
That's really good, Bob. I think my late father's most frequent advice was to "mind your own business." One thing among many that I like about Trump is that he has no interest in controlling me and deciding what is best for me. It seems like nearly every politician these days thinks that they know what is in everyone else's best interest, and they need to be elected so that they can save people from themselves. I guess they are called "control freaks" and Washington DC is crawling with them.
"I've sometimes wondered how much of a police officer's time is taken up by such nonsense?"
I was playing cards with some cops last year when a call came in from a notorious old lady drape-peeker in the neighborhood. Two of the cops radioed in that they would handle the call, but first spent the next 15-20 minutes finishing several more hands with us. I'm going to wager that she wastes an awful lot of their time.
As a police officer, I would say that when I worked in the hood, most calls had some legitimacy to them. (As in, something was going on that the police ought to do something about, even if the something going maybe wasn't really a big deal.)
Now I work in a small Southern town, we get almost no calls for such nonsense, as most folks are at least somewhat friendly and are pretty self reliant for most stuff. Because they do not wear us out with stupid stuff, we love helping them on the remainder of the problems that do occur. They may not be police problems per se, but they are unusual situations and we can help them figure out what to do. (Snake in the house, raccoons in the air conditioner, elderly folks with minor home emergencies - cut the water off when a pipe bursts, etc.)
However, friends of mine who work in suburban areas get LOTS of these sorts of calls. Apparently, suburbanites feel that they are entitled to have a perfect life with no differences between yesterday and today, and any difference, harmful or not, is seen as a call to DO SOMETHING. This is where you get the neighbor disputes about dogs and cats crapping on lawns and people getting really worked up about it. Or kids playing ball in the street, or kids riding their bike without a helmet, or people playing their music slightly loud during the day. They are quick to call the cops, usually without attempting to resolve it themselves first.
The Drape Peekers Club is alive and well in the suburbs...
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