Recursive

10 Comments

1. Gareth Kelly 2006-08-8, 12:47

   No wonder there is so much of a problem finding somewhere peaceful to live in this country with the number of snide, self-righteous, snitching trouble makers that contribute to this forum. Same sort of people as grassed up the jews down the road to the german authorities before WW2.

   To the person whose comment this reply is directed at, I can quite believe it’s way from the truth to say you’d ever wish to be invited to a party. Anti social creatures like you generally go out of their way to avoid socialisation. (look that last word up in a dictionary, maybe at ‘onelook’ - it doesn’t mean what you probably think it does)

2. jazzle 2006-08-8, 13:34

   You might find it odd that I approved the above comment, but I wanted to use it to make a point.

   If ‘Gareth’ had any idea what it’s actually been like living with this woman next door, I don’t believe he would have been so self-righteous to make it.
   If ‘Gareth’ had read my previous posts he would have found that I have tried communicating with her on several occasions, with zero headway.
   To compare me with people scared witless by soldiers is meaningless.

   Socialisation

   noun: the adoption of the behavior patterns of the surrounding culture.

   Precisely what my neighbour is not doing. My neighbour does not ’surround’ me.

   To suggest that I am anti-social also proves that ‘Gareth’ knows nothing of me, nor how I live, nor who with.

3. Hayden 2006-08-8, 15:05

   I love analogies, especially outrageously exaggerated ones about WW2 which also have the word ’snipe’ near them.

   Jazzle is evidently one of the rare breed who will not ignore anti-social behaviour. And why should he? Ignoring anti-social behaviour is what started WW2, leading to the death of millions.

   Gareth is therefore like one of the world politicians of the time who let a fundamentally evil dictator expand his borders for ‘living space’, killing millions.

   As i said, I love analogies, especially outrageously exaggerated ones about WW2.

4. Ste 2006-08-9, 21:53

   ‘Gareth’ - this is a blog - not a forum. Two completely different things.

   Another thing that is completely different is your perception of this post compared to its truth and the real-world situation.

   If someone is the victim of anti-social behaviour, i.e. Jazzle, then why should they suffer in silence?

   Why is it that you find someone constantly playing loud music late at night, smashing things to bits (also late at night), doing DIY (in the middle of the night), throwing eggs at their neightbours windows and returning home “sloshed” at 7am after a night out when they have a child at home who they should be spending the weekend with, acceptable?!

   Is this how you behave?

   Do you have an ASBO?

   It is no wonder that “there is so much of a problem finding somewhere peaceful to live in this country” when there are people like this woman, causing such problems.

   Maybe this woman should actually try her hand at “socialisation” as opposed to Jazzle, because then she would adapt into a normal, run-of-the-mill, peaceful, respectable and civilised community.

   If you want to live in a peaceful society then maybe you should take a leaf out of Jazzle’s book.

5. Gareth Kelly 2006-08-11, 00:26

   Yes, thank you, I know this is a ‘blog’ and I do know the distinction between that and a forum, though they can and do become blurred sometimes. No, I have never received an ‘asbo’.

   The reason I was moved to make a comment is that a year or so ago I shared a street with some party loving youngsters, every two or three weeks they’d have a loudish blowout, with much visible evidence of fun and games. Several of the other neighbours joined in and much fun was had by all. This was attemptedly ruined by one middle aged (as I hasten to add I also am) trouble maker who tried every trick in the book to incite the council into placing an ‘asbo’ on the party holders.

   An asbo is a seriously disgusting trick, it carryies a sentence of up to 5 years for disobeying whatever petty requirement is emplaced, and yet requires *no* ‘proof beyond reasonable doubt’ in the way that legitimate criminal proceedings absolutely should. Especially proceedings that carry penatlies as severe as five years in jail.

   The above attempt was quashed by a petition from over half the other occupants of the street, many of whom got on very well with the youngsters in question. The complainant was shown to be the anti-social, silence worshiping, fun-spoiler that she was. Any apparently similar behaviour on the part of other people automatically triggers my ire.

   I loath ASBOs on principle. They sneakily sidestep the very core of our justice system and are a disgusting perversion of what used to be a very fair methodology. If they required the same level of proof as true criminal proceedings then I would see them as a solution rather than yet another symptom of degeneration.

   Anyhow, that’s my background. I don’t want to continue this discussion as an argument though I will read any replies with interest. This could be a different situation. I genuinely apologise for my reflexive reaction if it was misplaced but I stand by the idea that criminal proceedings are the correct reaction. If crime is being committed then it should be proven and the offenders brought to (true) justice, not the sham that is a civil ASBO proceeding.

   Final reaction to the final line in the comment from ‘Ste’ - I like living in a peaceful society and I do get on very well with my neighbours, I have got on well with almost all so far, in various places over many years. I think it’s down to my attitude more than their behaviour. Yes, there are a few trouble makers around this place (I’m now in a council maisonette). Occasionally they are arrested, charged, and evicted, which is the way it should be.

   I hope this is approved, I’d like to make my true position plain rather than leaving it at the semi-automatic snipe that was my initial response.

   Oh, and to ‘Hayden’ - I asked for your comments I think. :-)

   Gareth

6. jazzle 2006-08-11, 13:44

   Thanks for your clarifications Gareth.

   Written communication, especially online, can so easily be misunderstood, but I think you can see how your first comment came across.

   I’m a 24 year old, the nusiance neighbour is about 35 and a mother.

   I was never trying, nor wanting, any criminal proceeding, but if someone is breaking the law (and a reasonable one at that) then that is their problem. I just wanted to be able to sleep at night, and not be concerned about me or my girlfriend (or my house) being verbally or physically attacked.

7. Hayden 2006-08-11, 14:05

   To lighten the mood somewhat I would like us all to consider a house being verbally attacked.

   Thank you.

8. jazzle 2006-08-11, 14:15

   No, thank you!
   I actually chuckled. (LOL in RL -> LiR)

9. Ste 2006-08-12, 10:02

   Refreshing to read about your community sticking together Gareth in backing up your student neighbours.

   I’m glad we’re all reading from the same hymn sheet!

10. Gareth Kelly 2006-08-14, 13:32

    Ste: said “Refreshing to read about your community sticking together Gareth in backing up your student neighbours.”

    It’s a shame there isn’t more of that attitude. The flipside is that when they *were* getting a bit excessive, another friend of mine (a little closer to them on the street) went and said so. They reduced it to a level about midway between what it was and what he’d have liked.. It did the trick though, a compromise was recognised and life went on.

    I feel there is too much automatic hostility and too little civil (even if perhaps a bit brusque) communication between neighbours these days, and too much of a (self fulfilling) assumption of hostility. It helped that I was there for five years, and most of the rest had been there even longer, so there was a community to welcome any newcomers.

    Something about city life seems to diminish the effectiveness of this mechanism and promote alienation and confrontation. I don’t know what that would be, but I know it’s not an implacable force. This population of this terrace of council maisonettes all know (and mostly trust) each other. I like to think I’ve been part of promoting that. (Attempting to give up smoking with the resulting resolution to only smoke outdoors helped me meet many local residents). Newcomers get met, found out about, discussed, and accepted. (Terribly gossipy I know, but it’s part of what makes it tick IMHO)

    Make no mistake, it’s no idyll, folk still get on each others nerves but, with one unfortunate exception so far, there is reasonable allowance made on both sides of any irritation. It seems to work :)

    Good luck to the originator of this ‘thread’ Hope you manage to convince your local idiot that it’s better to bend than to break. A community really does help.

    Bye all: might refresh a couple more times but I can’t think of much else to contribute unless directly questioned/contradicted.. I’m a bit of an idealist, but I figure it’s better to aim high and miss than to aim low and hit.