Dealing with entitled people is quite a task, especially when you encounter one at your workplace. Imagine getting disturbed by someone with a dismissive attitude while trying to finish your project. Not only is it annoying to interact with such individuals, but they also impact the productivity of the team.
A female builder took to the r/MaliciousCompliance subreddit to share how she tackled dealing with a celebrity’s wife while working in a rich neighborhood. The author was not pleased with the entitled neighbor’s haughty behavior regarding workers parking their cars next to her home. Continue reading to find out what exactly happened.
Public spaces are for everyone’s use, and individuals shouldn’t act entitled about them
Image credits: leszekglasner (not the actual image)
A female construction builder shared her revenge story against a troublesome celebrity neighbor
Image credits: valeriygoncharukphoto (not the actual image)
Image credits: peterolthof (not the actual image)
Image credits: Proper_Fact7866
Public spaces are accessible to everyone for use
Unless it’s specified that it’s private property, roads, pavements, parks, and beaches are typically meant to be open and accessible to the general public. However, that doesn’t mean you can damage a public space or use it for your personal benefit.
In many countries, writing or painting in public buses and trains is considered vandalism. Street artists might have to pay fines if they spray paint public places without getting permission from authorities. On the other hand, certain locations permit people to display their talent in public areas. Taiwan has designated ‘graffiti zones‘ where artists can freely draw on walls. The city council of São Paulo in Brazil allowed some graffiti artists to paint on the city’s subway trains.
One should also be careful when playing loud music or making excessive noise in parks or on local transportation. In order to avoid disturbing the people living nearby, loud music is usually prohibited during the night, from approximately 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Individuals are also not allowed to build private structures or gardens on public land without permission.
For instance, if you own a house near the main street, you can’t encroach on the road to extend your backyard. Also, you can’t just put a table and chair on your street and start selling freshly baked pies. You need to get a permit from the local authority to use the street.
Rules for parking in public areas
To avoid fines and inconvenience when parking in public areas, we should always check and follow the local parking regulations. You can look for signs and markings that indicate where and when parking is allowed or prohibited. You should try to avoid parking in designated “no parking” zones, such as fire lanes and loading zones.
Your vehicle can be towed if you park on lawns, or other non-designated areas. Also, sometimes there could be temporary parking restrictions due to street cleaning, road construction, or other activities. Some places also have resident-only parking zones.
If you are following all the rules and regulations, you can park your car in designated public areas. However, sometimes, you might encounter entitled people who treat public property as their own. In this case, the celebrity’s wife didn’t want people to park in front of her house and obstruct the view. But that’s not fair, as that particular space can be used by anyone, including the people who have come to work in the area.
The author even called the police to get ahead of the situation. She was informed by the officials that she could get a ticket for parking within 15 feet of a fire hydrant. So, the author moved her car to comply with the rules. Despite doing so, the entitled celebrity behaved rudely toward her.
When people act with a sense of entitlement, you can try reasoning with them. You can begin by clearly defining your boundaries and letting them know about them. Then you can come up with options or alternatives that align with both of your needs. If communicating and being understanding don’t work, you can try to educate them respectfully about the impact of their actions on you and your team.
If nothing works, you should try to walk away from the situation. But if the person is being a ‘Karen‘, you can also confront them. The author here stood her ground and even decided to teach the celebrity a lesson. What are your thoughts about this incident? Have you ever encountered someone rude while working outside? Tell us about it in the comments below.
People online applauded the woman’s stand against the rude celebrity
People shared similar experiences of dealing with entitled neighbors
