Tuesday 22 May 2018

CHUMP
2018-05-22

It never fails. Something happens, and I'm left feeling like a chump.

Months ago, our landlord announced that our balconies would be rebuilt this year. Weeks ago, they fixed a date: May 22. We were warned through multiple printed notices to clear off our balconies, clear out our backyards, etc. They also warned that people would be in on May 22 to change our back door and balcony door locks.

Of course, I, like a good little conformist, cleared off most of our balcony weeks ago. This morning, I cleared the last few items; it took five minutes. A gentleman came around this morning and changed our balcony lock (to ensure we wouldn't open the door and plunge a whole storey to our deaths).

Now, as I look at the other balconies and backyards in our development, I find that we were the only ones to be ready. Backyards are still cluttered with possessions; satellite dishes remain mounted on the balconies, along with chairs, tables, etc.

I don't know what these people are going to do now--presumably crawl out their windows to fetch in their stuff; but I can bet what's going to happen.

Nothing will be done until the stuff has been removed. And residents will continue to ignore warnings and notices to remove their stuff. Finally (about a month from now), the landlord will get fed up and try to remove the items. And a great cry will go up--you didn't warn us; you didn't say anything about satellite dishes; it's our God-given right to watch TV; we're going to sue; and so on. And so the landlord will gently remove the sat dishes are re-install them on the side of the building. They'll demo the balconies--very slowly, carefully, so as not to interfere with people's God-given rights--rebuild them, and carefully mount the sat dishes again, so that they can replace the siding on the building. They say the whole thing will take ten weeks, but going by last year's construction jobs on neighbouring blocks of units (they still haven't finished with the eaves), we'll finally get to enjoy our new balconies in September--just in time for autumn.

It frankly pisses me off to do the right thing and then see that others, who just don't give two shakes about anything beyond the tips of their noses, don't--and without consequences. I know, I know; mind your own business; say nothing; be tolerant and understanding. But, fuck, it's difficult to do so in this day and age, when everybody feels untouchable and free to do as they please. According to the landlord's own rules, satellite dishes aren't even permitted in this development--but I can stick my head out the window and count four, just in our block.

What I'd love to see: the contractors coming in tomorrow and demoing the whole kit-and-kaboodle. Toss the sat dishes and fittings and tables and barbecues into the dumpster along with all the other trash. Get on with the rebuild. But we all know that won't happen. People have rights, after all.

So, I done right, and I'm a chump.

Fuck, I hate people, in the collective sense.