Brits Lonelier Than Ever With Fewer Friends Than 30 Years Ago

[ccc]

hahaha the "memos". Yeh we get memos left on the front door. The last one was asking people close the door more quietly. No idea who it was from.

I would hazard a guess the front door neares the communal door ?

[betterToDo]

I would hazard a guess the front door neares the communal door ?

Yeh sorry I mean the communal front door not actually our one, but I genuinely wouldn't be surprised....

Edited June 14, 2010 by Fraccy

[Oliver Sutton]

Oh I can relate. I have the misfortune to live in a block of flats with a communal car park. I've had numerous notes put on my car telling me to move it (never polite notes) because the "space is taken". I've even noticed minor damage appear on the car.

And the punchline?

The space in question is the allocated spot for my flat number! It's MY parking space.

Petrolheads are the most petty. After all they love to travel around in their own personal space.

[Darkman]

No idea who it was from but I can take a wild guess.

Well you make a good point there. They never put their friggin name on the notes do they? So we have no idea who's having a go at us. It makes you suspect everyone.

Here's the anonymous note I got the other day on my windscreen while parked in MY bay

[Henrik]

Well you make a good point there. They never put their friggin name on the notes do they? So we have no idea who's having a go at us. It makes you suspect everyone.

Here's the anonymous note I got the other day on my windscreen while parked in MY bay

Why don't you not park in it for a couple of days (if there's other parking around there) and see if someone parks there? If they do, stick the very same note on their windscreen

[ken_ichikawa]

Why don't you not park in it for a couple of days (if there's other parking around there) and see if someone parks there? If they do, stick the very same note on their windscreen

Amatuer! If you knew what you were doing you'd park across three bays!

[Colin]

Well you make a good point there. They never put their friggin name on the notes do they? So we have no idea who's having a go at us. It makes you suspect everyone.

Here's the anonymous note I got the other day on my windscreen while parked in MY bay

Why don't you get some paint and paint a notice;

PARKING FOR FLAT No.XX

UNAUTHORISED VEHICLES WILL BE CLAMPED

[Si1]

Why don't you not park in it for a couple of days (if there's other parking around there) and see if someone parks there? If they do, stick the very same note on their windscreen

how about finding out where their official delegated parking space is, borrowing a car off someone, and filling both your space and theirs?

[bigsmelly]

Perhaps it's the fact that so many are renting, that there is no inventive to get to learn the neigbours........

[the gardener]

Why don't you not park in it for a couple of days (if there's other parking around there) and see if someone parks there? If they do, stick the very same note on their windscreen

I think what is happening is that someone is putting this note on another car in another space. The owner of that car looks around and wonders who keeps putting a note on his car. He/she sees that there is only one car that always parks in the same space. He/she then slaps the note on the anally retentive f***er who always parks correctly.

Just take the note off your car and slap it on someone elses.

[Guest DissipatedYouthIsValuable]

How much of this is because grasping public sector workers have seized the parking near many homes? The charges and fines go towards their huge salaries and bloated pensions, but your friends can't drive round and visit.

Why, it's Billy Bile from the Daily Mail.

What core of self hatred is driving you today, Billy?

[dances with sheeple]

It wasn't the best first impression lol. I still always greet them on the rare occasion I see them, but they avoid us if they get half the chance and haven't ever got more than a raised eyebrow.

Thinking about it, there is no pattern to where they park either. I think maybe what it was really about was trying to exert some kind of control on the incomers. They've got a mortgage on their flat (ok I had a little snoop on the LR ), and must know that we "only" rent.

Maybe a severe case of homeowner disease ? They're always doing up their flat or adjusting the nasty concrete pots on their patio.

They secretly resent not being wealthy enough to have no neighbours if they choose, and they secretly resent you for not getting caught in the biggest ponzi scheme of all time. It is starting to become obvious that some of those who have a mortgage on their flat have in many cases been very very silly little sheeple. Wait til you move, send him an offer for his flat as a "sealed bid", 40k or something, and write "F*uck You" in chocolate sauce at the bottom. By this time he will probably have worked out who took a dump in his parking space

[huw]

Perhaps it's the fact that so many are renting, that there is no inventive to get to learn the neigbours........

That comes down to career transience and lack of secure tenure rather than rental itself IMO.

There's also a lack of "organically" shared space, i.e. communal space that you use as part of your everyday life. The community feeling in the mining town mentioned up-thread came partly from the fact that the kids did play on the street, meaning the mothers had a reason to sit outside their doors to keep an eye on those kids and/or to chat with the neighbours. Try doing that if your front door opens onto an apartment lobby, or a high rise "street in the sky", or a sterile close with "no ball games" signs everywhere.

Finally, people invariably seem to use wealth and technology to reduce their exposure to the hoi-polloi, then they complain about the result

[Minos]

Why, it's Billy Bile from the Daily Mail.

What core of self hatred is driving you today, Billy?

Ain't you got some ointment you can prescribe him for that?

[tomandlu]

How much of this is because grasping public sector workers have seized the parking near many homes? The charges and fines go towards their huge salaries and bloated pensions, but your friends can't drive round and visit.

Seriously? I mean if this is a parody of some of the more ps-bashing posts on this forum, then top marks, but if not, I'd suggest you up your meds... Also, I'm confused. Are you saying that ps-workers have parked in all the spots, or just that they fine anyone who does (thus preventing friends calling)?

[betterToDo]

They secretly resent not being wealthy enough to have no neighbours if they choose, and they secretly resent you for not getting caught in the biggest ponzi scheme of all time. It is starting to become obvious that some of those who have a mortgage on their flat have in many cases been very very silly little sheeple. Wait til you move, send him an offer for his flat as a "sealed bid", 40k or something, and write "F*uck You" in chocolate sauce at the bottom. By this time he will probably have worked out who took a dump in his parking space

haha you really are sick.

I like it.

[200p]

Don't talk to the pessants. Ignore them. Spit on them. They are not human.

bwahaha

[88Crash]

To complicate things, the last 13-odd years of Labour goverment have meant that some of the ex-council types have made serious money and are now mixing with the established middle-class and that messes up the old class order and 'middle England' feels threatened by this - so better all round to not speak to these new people, in case they're worth more than you are.

.

Agree on that point - Its a shame becasue there are so many things you can talk about that doesn't include quoting the price or worth of what you have compared to someone else, in fact if you knwo someone earns a lot less than you, i would consider it polite to stay off of the subject i..e talk about football, cricket, ruby or wahtever not just how much you paid for your latest gadget, car, holiday etc,

Its even more perverse when i hear Brits say they liked a person (after they have left the party) then I wonder if you liked them so much why did you spend the last few hours rubbing their noses into their lack of wealth compared to you?

Many too many people know the price of everything but the value of nothing?

[Wario]

Over-population - I really believe that lies at the core of so many issues.

Seconded.

And "Care" In The "Community", in cities.

And a tidal wave of druggies.

And transients and drifters with all sorts of freaky mental health/personality/hygiene/honesty problems living in the ocean of BTL that since the late '80's swallowed the area I lived in.

How it works is that as the inbreds and nutters and addicts and those whose face just doesn't fit fall through the various levels of so-called "help" and "services" from whichever fly-blown pimple of a village they were spawned in, it's "understood" that they'll be shunted on to progressively larger settlements, first to the rancid "schemes" on the outskirts of every little town, then LA flats in somewhere larger, then either Go Straight To Jail, Do Not Pass Go, or ... to the Evil City, to HMOs and a life on the burroo, or preferably onto a sheet of cardboard outside the shop round the corner from Mr Wario's gaff, where they can threaten his kids on the way to school for not handing over their lunch money (OK they're usually only grunting "Sparechange" but it's a scary as ****** for ten-year-olds every day, and you do get the odd one who'll kick off, it's the unpredictability, c.f. "Care in the Community", supra.).

I always got a malicious buzz from snarling "Get back ti Gala, you " (or D'line, depending on how bad they smelt).

Consternation, and occasionally "How did'ye ken?"

Very sad, but all those cute little villages are kept "nice", for the "nice", "friendly", "traditional", "local" folk.

Well done, Cooncillors! And the Golf Club! And the Lodge!

We'll have no wasters and dole-dossers here! Let the Townies pay for it!

Stolid rustics often remark "God, I was up there last weekend, I've got a flat I let out " (followed by a balls-aching description of exactly what area it's in. Took a couple of these bizarre, irrelevant fugues for me to twig they were none-too-subtly simultaneously boasting and trying to hunt out any local knowledge affecting the "value" of their property I might possess) " ... I couldn't stand living in The Toon, it's full of criminals, you don't know who you're living next to"

Often followed completely unselfconsciously by a none-too-polite rant about bloody incomers, effing townies, ("we are the countryside!!" was once squealed at Peach when she intervened as some particularly outrageous liberty was being taken by them)

Local shops, for local people.

Country paupers are fine, almost as good, friendly, if definitely not so honest and industrious, for understandable reasons, as normal working folk.

"Country" middle classes (including nearly all farmers) are unutterably vile, arrogant, and thick as pigshit.

Probably because, I am gradually discovering, they spent their entire childhoods in boarding school. And not in the country, like Wario the Townie did for a good part of his. Mind you there were next to no people around. It was shit.

[edit: spelly spelly]

Edited June 14, 2010 by Wario

[mightytharg]

Seriously? I mean if this is a parody of some of the more ps-bashing posts on this forum, then top marks, but if not, I'd suggest you up your meds... Also, I'm confused. Are you saying that ps-workers have parked in all the spots, or just that they fine anyone who does (thus preventing friends calling)?

I'm the last person to take an unnecessary pop at our public sector workers, but residents parking is a serious problem. Like the 18th century enclosures, our modern-day lords have seized our common property (the roadsides) for their own purposes. In the same way as the commoners could no longer meet on common land or make their living on it, nowadays I can't stop and visit a friend's house when I happen to be passing. Equally, repairmen and other tradesmen have lost their businesses because they can no longer travel from home to home to ply their trades. Places become less friendly and cities and towns become less successful and are often flooded.

Where's the anger? They didn't even drop the road tax when they stopped us from parking?

The public sector don't care about the harm they do to our communities as long as there is profit for them.

[Abstra]

For the record...

Neither I nor any member of my family have any desire whatsoever to move to Wales.

What does 'in vino veritas' mean?

[douggggy]

What does 'in vino veritas' mean?

Robert Kilroy-Silk is an alcoholic

[pl1]

I'm the last person to take an unnecessary pop at our public sector workers, but residents parking is a serious problem. Like the 18th century enclosures, our modern-day lords have seized our common property (the roadsides) for their own purposes. In the same way as the commoners could no longer meet on common land or make their living on it, nowadays I can't stop and visit a friend's house when I happen to be passing. Equally, repairmen and other tradesmen have lost their businesses because they can no longer travel from home to home to ply their trades. Places become less friendly and cities and towns become less successful and are often flooded.

Where's the anger? They didn't even drop the road tax when they stopped us from parking?

The public sector don't care about the harm they do to our communities as long as there is profit for them.

I agree with this in its entirety and was much better put than the original attempt, which just doled out ammunition.

To the person who got a note on his door about door slamming, I can see both points of view here. You think you are being reprimanded and resent this petty "policing" and intrusion on your space. The guy who left the note though probably deals with you and countless others who probably should have consideration for him.

Many points made in this post could be avoided if pepole showed consideration for others, seeing as we all have to live so close together.

But thats the whole point of consideration isn't it? You shouldn't need to leave a note. You shouldn't need to bang on your neighbours door and tell them to be quiet or to move their friggin' car from across your drive as you can't get out.

I see very little consideration anymore; anywhere.

[betterToDo]

Very sad, but all those cute little villages are kept "nice", for the "nice", "friendly", "traditional", "local" folk.

Well done, Cooncillors! And the Golf Club! And the Lodge!

We'll have no wasters and dole-dossers here! Let the Townies pay for it!

I don't agree. There are assholes and nice people any place (often the two are quite literally attached). The difference in behaviour in more dense populations is obvious. In a smaller population you are more noticeable, forcing more responsible social interaction, because you know you're going to see people again. As there is a less fragmented social network, there is a stronger feedback between actions and reputation. That is what I mean by over-population being a root issue. It is not anybody's fault that identity reduces in cities, nor does it make the entire urban population into assholes. You just can't acknowledge everyone in the street in cities or you'd never get anything done. It may be a sweeping generalisation, but anonymity has an undeniably negative effect.

Country paupers are fine, almost as good, friendly, if definitely not so honest and industrious, for understandable reasons, as normal working folk.

"Country" middle classes (including nearly all farmers) are unutterably vile, arrogant, and thick as pigshit.

Nice prejudices (didn't quote them all). I'm from the country originally and I'd probably be labeled middle class. I may even be a complete rustic tit I'll never know for sure, but I'd still offer to look after my neighbour's cat.

I'm far more vile and arrogant in posts [1] on this forum than in person, because there is no social comeback. So, by my own vileness and arrogance on HPC, I'm demonstrating my own point .

Footnotes

[1] - Screw you all!

[betterToDo]

To the person who got a note on his door about door slamming, I can see both points of view here. You think you are being reprimanded and resent this petty "policing" and intrusion on your space. The guy who left the note though probably deals with you and countless others who probably should have consideration for him.

Many points made in this post could be avoided if pepole showed consideration for others, seeing as we all have to live so close together.

But thats the whole point of consideration isn't it? You shouldn't need to leave a note. You shouldn't need to bang on your neighbours door and tell them to be quiet or to move their friggin' car from across your drive as you can't get out.

No, I don't resent the "policing". I resent the inability to treat me like a human being.

You've made a sweeping assumption that I'm not considerate (wee bit hard for me to prove, shall we at least agree its undecided?).

The issue isn't whats getting at them, the issue is the sad absence of even a basic human relationship in the first place that makes a memo seem like a good idea.