What is your responsibility?

[jackfaire]

Sorry if I am posting too much but I have some discussions I wanted to start.

This one what is your responsibility as a neighbor?

For example it's 10 PM your going to sleep because your shift starts at 4 in the morning and a neighbor knocks on your door asking you to drive him to the store because your one of the few neighbors who drives. Is this your responsibilty?

If not what is if anything. Curious how various people feel about this.

[kiwi]

In your example I would say no thats not.

Your responsibility in accordance with the laws of kiwi is to be a law abiding citizen, don't be cruel to anyone and mind your own business. That is overly simplfied of course but when it comes down to it that is what I believe personal responsibilty is about.

[jackfaire]

Oh and Kiwi yeah I don't consider it my responsibility either but apparently because my neighbor was deaf my other deaf neighbors felt I was a jerk for saying no.

Up until recently the majority of my neighbors were deaf when I first moved in there I was the only hearing person.

This thread is kind of inspired by that. Often times if I wouldn't do special favors for them such as those below I was seen as a jerk, something I didn't know until a couple of my friends who knew sign came by.

Not switching parking spots. For example one apartment wanted to park in my spot and I would park in their spot. They of course would be within their rights to have my car towed if they got mad.

Not driving them to the store when they wanted a ride.

Sell my car to them at a price so low as to be ripping myself off if I said yes.

[AdminAssistant]

I think you you have a responsibility to be courteous to your neighbors, especially in an apartment situation. Y'know, not throwing parties late a night, keeping noise to a minimum, that kind of thing.

[jackfaire]

I think you you have a responsibility to be courteous to your neighbors, especially in an apartment situation. Y'know, not throwing parties late a night, keeping noise to a minimum, that kind of thing.

rofl True story I have always been the quietist neighbor.

[Peppergirl]

I guess it depends on the favor.

My neighbor woke me up several months ago at 3am, because her dog was literally dying and she needed help getting him to the car to take him to the 24 hour vet and be put down. Poor thing was in misery. I completely understood and was fine with helping.

But if it had been to take her to the store or something stupid, I'd have been pissed.

[Flyndaran]

I guess it depends on the favor.

My neighbor woke me up several months ago at 3am, because her dog was literally dying and she needed help getting him to the car to take him to the 24 hour vet and be put down. Poor thing was in misery. I completely understood and was fine with helping.

But if it had been to take her to the store or something stupid, I'd have been pissed.

That sounds more like a responsibility to the dog's suffering rather than to the neighbor's desires.

[Peppergirl]

That sounds more like a responsibility to the dog's suffering rather than to the neighbor's desires.

*sigh* It was just an example. Your mileage may vary.

[jackfaire]

One time a neighbor arrived home tired from a double shift and fell asleep in his truck. Everyone was gawking at him and I mean everyone, Me I was in my place trying to relax. I started having other neighbors knocking on my door wanting me to go check on the guy. I told them that they could go do that. They left and I thought that was the end of it.

About 20 minutes later I hear sirens and I am thinking, Oh god something happened to him so now I step out to see what is wrong. Apparently though rather than knock on the window or check the door the appropriate response was to call 911.

We had an ambulance, firetruck, and police car all flashing lights a huge crowd and this guy in his truck.

EMT opens the unlocked door and the guy wakes up looks around, "Uhm what's going on?"

*forehead hand* Seriously my neighbors need their heads examined.

[MaggieTheCat]

Deaf people can be pretty weird to us hearing folks. Did you see the thread I started a few weeks back about Deaf culture? There's just a couple examples in there about how Deaf people differ from hearing people. Here's another one: when I was in the interpreting program for ASL, the teachers emphasized how Deaf people value friendship and people who they can communicate with above pretty much everything else. If a Deaf person was visiting another Deaf person in a different town, it would not be at all unlikely for the Deaf person being visited to skip school or work, even without notice, to chat and catch up with a friend. Because Deaf people have so few people who they can communicate with. If a Deaf person was visiting a hear person who they were friends with and who knew sign language, and the hearing person didn't take off school/work to spend the day with their Deaf friend, the Deaf person may be angry or offended that the hearing person wasn't paying attention to them. So, if you've become somewhat friendly with your Deaf neighbors, there is a very good chance they'll expect things out of you that you wouldn't even think of.

Getting back to the original subject, I think neighbors should be courteous to each other. Don't play loud music or make loud noises between the hours of 10pm-8am, for example. Don't block their parking spaces or driveway. But taking someone to the store at 10pm? Unless it's for flu medication or some other kind of emergency, the person who's waking people up at 10pm is the rude one, not the person who refuses to take them to the store.

[Flyndaran]

*sigh* It was just an example. Your mileage may vary.

I think my response has merit even then.
We have a responsibility to alleviate suffering, but not to bow down to the whims of acquaintances.