How to Deal with Some Neighbor Gripes?

[notebook.fix]

Put a Dog poop Cam on him and post the footage on youtube

 

[Stantucker]

Depends on the person, some people only respond to returned aggression. Unfortunately being nice and composed doesn't work for everyone and is seen as a sign of weakness. This is true for people with low intelligence like the one op is talking about. I have a friend who had to threaten to blow a neighbours stereo up with a gun to get a good end result.

We have a downstairs neighbor whose hearing is not good and everytime construction was being done above us, she would call and ask why we were making so much noise. After the quarantine started last last year, she called twice to complain about all the noise our two cats were making, when, in fact, they were asleep on the
bed. She called a third time and before I could say anything she said that if the noise continued, she was going to report us to the police,and then hung up. A short while later I saw her in the lobby with the encargado and I blew up and let her have it. When I reminded her that she had threatened to report us to the police, she said she had done no such thing and I told her she was a liar. That was the end of the conversation. The encargado told me later that he understood why I had reacted as I had. I told an Argentine friend about the episode and he said unless you "mostrar los dientes" some people will continue to abuse you. I definitely believe in turning the other cheek, which we had been doing for quite a while, but there are times when you have your people in their place as Jesus did with the money changers in the temple or the problem will persists and you're not doing anyone, including the victimizer, a favor. And you know what, since then we haven't heard peep from from her about the cats or anything and she is friendly to us in passing.

 

[Somewhereinba]

Respectfully disagree. Ghandi accomplished a lot with his approach.

Of course you try being nice and respectful but what do you propose when the person throws it back in your face. You either fold or change your strategy.

 

[Somewhereinba]

We have a downstairs neighbor whose hearing is not good and everytime construction was being done above us, she would call and ask why we were making so much noise. After the quarantine started last last year, she called twice to complain about all the noise our two cats were making, when, in fact, they were asleep on the
bed. She called a third time and before I could say anything she said that if the noise continued, she was going to report us to the police,and then hung up. A short while later I saw her in the lobby with the encargado and I blew up and let her have it. When I reminded her that she had threatened to report us to the police, she said she had done no such thing and I told her she was a liar. That was the end of the conversation. The encargado told me later that he understood why I had reacted as I had. I told an Argentine friend about the episode and he said unless you "mostrar los dientes" some people will continue to abuse you. I definitely believe in turning the other cheek, which we had been doing for quite a while, but there are times when you have your people in their place as Jesus did with the money changers in the temple or the problem will persists and you're not doing anyone, including the victimizer, a favor. And you know what, since then we haven't heard peep from from her about the cats or anything and she us friendly to us in passing.

Exactly, unfortunately in Argentina things work different and being the nice guy only gets you so far with some people. Of course you try being nice first but when that fails then you must change your approach so they know you are not fucking around

 

[Alpinista]

Respectfully disagree. Ghandi accomplished a lot with his approach.

Well, at the end he was being shot by one of his own, if i am not mistaken

 

[Ceviche]

I suffered a lot from neighbors, the noise, the contruction, the nosy porteros, the admin rules, hearing neighbors having sex, their dogs barking whole Day etc etc.

until, I took a grand/bold decision one day and since then life has been nothing more but peace.

 

[Somewhereinba]

I suffered a lot from neighbors, the noise, the contruction, the nosy porteros, the admin rules, hearing neighbors having sex, their dogs barking whole Day etc etc.

until, I took a grand/bold decision one day and since then life has been nothing more but peace.

Cut your ears off?

 

[camel]

I have devised a plan to solve the dog crap problem. Publish a "scientific" research paper, showing that COVID is spread through dog feces, and the only solution is to start picking it up.

 

[Redpossum]

Respectfully disagree. Ghandi accomplished a lot with his approach.

It was an eye opener to me, but some of my students in India regard Gandhi as a traitor. My point being that while you and most of the West regard him well for his passive resistance, some in his home country despise him for exactly that same peaceful approach. Remember if you will that he was assassinated by a fellow Hindu, and passive resistance did nothing to stop the bullets.

The things you learn teaching English online.

 

[¡Sencillamente yo!]

We have a downstairs neighbor whose hearing is not good and everytime construction was being done above us, she would call and ask why we were making so much noise. After the quarantine started last last year, she called twice to complain about all the noise our two cats were making, when, in fact, they were asleep on the
bed. She called a third time and before I could say anything she said that if the noise continued, she was going to report us to the police,and then hung up. A short while later I saw her in the lobby with the encargado and I blew up and let her have it. When I reminded her that she had threatened to report us to the police, she said she had done no such thing and I told her she was a liar. That was the end of the conversation. The encargado told me later that he understood why I had reacted as I had. I told an Argentine friend about the episode and he said unless you "mostrar los dientes" some people will continue to abuse you. I definitely believe in turning the other cheek, which we had been doing for quite a while, but there are times when you have your people in their place as Jesus did with the money changers in the temple or the problem will persists and you're not doing anyone, including the victimizer, a favor. And you know what, since then we haven't heard peep from from her about the cats or anything and she is friendly to us in passing.

Stan,

I do see your point. There is validity there. (It's a shame you had to go that far though.)