Foaming At The Mouth
You Know, This Is Why Communism Failed
So I live in condominium tower a few blocks from the lakefront, a mostly older population but what with retirements to milder climates and, frankly, deaths of some of the more elderly residents, the demographics of the building are changing. One of my good friends in the building is a retiree named John Ivicek. He was in the broadcasting business here in Chicago for many years (as was my father) and is possessed of a particularly winning personality so we've become good friends. He's served on the condo board for a few terms and would like to see some younger folks take over. As such, he's had his eye on me for some time.
Whenever I run into him, he asks: "You own your place, don't you?" (He knows perfectly well I do) "You know, you ought to come to the board meetings." I've actually wanted to do so for some time but have not gotten around to it. The most recent time I saw him, he had an outright favor to ask. He had a proposal up for a vote about the rules regarding pet owners and wanted me to show up to lend some support. I agreed to be there.
So the stereotype is that there's one in every building, someone who just insists on being difficult for the sake of being difficult. Sure enough, two minutes before the meeting is scheduled to begin, one of the women I recognized from the lobby and hallways walks in and I swear the whole room stiffened. And she started right away; complaints from the outset about the pool management (her attorney was drafting a letter, she said), belly-aching about how the condo's money was being managed (she actually had a decent point here), vicious complaints about the cable-TV service (now she was just looking to abuse the poor guy who negotiated the building's service contract), followed by a belligerent and irrational screed about the unavailability of the rooftop sundeck (apparently she doesn't understand the concept of a warranty).
The problem wasn't that her complaints were unfounded, but that she refused to shut up. And it wasn't that she demanded answers to her questions; when she got logical explanations, she simply refused to accept them and became more aggressive. When she wasn't complaining to the room in general, she was muttering under her breath but loud enough to be heard by everyone within ten feet, and she was always speaking out of turn. Apparently these people are used to her antics because no one makes any pretense to suffering her complaints with politeness. Every time anyone responds directly to her it comes with a hiss and a glare.
You'd think it'd be one of those elderly "crazy cat lady" types, but no. She's probably in her mid-forties but in shape and well-preserved enough to pass for close to ten years younger.
Now I tell you all this to comment about how just how weird it is to see prosperous condo-dwelling dowagers staring daggers at each other over the issue of an oscillating fan in the laundry room. And the tension in the air! This is a Hatfield-and-McCoy level feud going on. I'd have expected better behavior out of 3rd graders; at least 3rd graders would aspire to behave like adults. Adults never worry about appearing childish. It'd probably be better if they did. And now I can tell why John has had such a hard time getting people to get involved with the condo board. Think on this, renters, next time you despair of not being a property owner.
You Know, This Is Why Communism Failed
So I live in condominium tower a few blocks from the lakefront, a mostly older population but what with retirements to milder climates and, frankly, deaths of some of the more elderly residents, the demographics of the building are changing. One of my good friends in the building is a retiree named John Ivicek. He was in the broadcasting business here in Chicago for many years (as was my father) and is possessed of a particularly winning personality so we've become good friends. He's served on the condo board for a few terms and would like to see some younger folks take over. As such, he's had his eye on me for some time.
Whenever I run into him, he asks: "You own your place, don't you?" (He knows perfectly well I do) "You know, you ought to come to the board meetings." I've actually wanted to do so for some time but have not gotten around to it. The most recent time I saw him, he had an outright favor to ask. He had a proposal up for a vote about the rules regarding pet owners and wanted me to show up to lend some support. I agreed to be there.
So the stereotype is that there's one in every building, someone who just insists on being difficult for the sake of being difficult. Sure enough, two minutes before the meeting is scheduled to begin, one of the women I recognized from the lobby and hallways walks in and I swear the whole room stiffened. And she started right away; complaints from the outset about the pool management (her attorney was drafting a letter, she said), belly-aching about how the condo's money was being managed (she actually had a decent point here), vicious complaints about the cable-TV service (now she was just looking to abuse the poor guy who negotiated the building's service contract), followed by a belligerent and irrational screed about the unavailability of the rooftop sundeck (apparently she doesn't understand the concept of a warranty).
The problem wasn't that her complaints were unfounded, but that she refused to shut up. And it wasn't that she demanded answers to her questions; when she got logical explanations, she simply refused to accept them and became more aggressive. When she wasn't complaining to the room in general, she was muttering under her breath but loud enough to be heard by everyone within ten feet, and she was always speaking out of turn. Apparently these people are used to her antics because no one makes any pretense to suffering her complaints with politeness. Every time anyone responds directly to her it comes with a hiss and a glare.
You'd think it'd be one of those elderly "crazy cat lady" types, but no. She's probably in her mid-forties but in shape and well-preserved enough to pass for close to ten years younger.
Now I tell you all this to comment about how just how weird it is to see prosperous condo-dwelling dowagers staring daggers at each other over the issue of an oscillating fan in the laundry room. And the tension in the air! This is a Hatfield-and-McCoy level feud going on. I'd have expected better behavior out of 3rd graders; at least 3rd graders would aspire to behave like adults. Adults never worry about appearing childish. It'd probably be better if they did. And now I can tell why John has had such a hard time getting people to get involved with the condo board. Think on this, renters, next time you despair of not being a property owner.