Has Austin become more Vichy than Resistance? (Dallas: safe neighborhood, live in)

[Komeht]

I like to play a little game when I meet someone for the first time - Vichy or Resistance? If he or she lived in France in the early 1940s - would they be more likely to be complicit with the Vichy regime? or would they be more likely to have become a member of La Resistance francaise and fought the Nazi occupation of France?

I used to take pride that we lived in a city that was more Resistance than Vichy - people who forged their own path, didn't follow the crowd, had a healthy disrespect for overburdensome rules and regulations, was OK with letting their neighbors be different from them.

Increasingly, I've seen conformist trends, pressure to fall in line, get with the program - be like Dallas. And now - neighbors are ratting out neighbors.

I received a nasty little note in mail the other day from the City that a neighbor observed I was not in compliance with the Stage 1 water restrictions in place because I had the sprinklers running at 6AM.

Admittedly, this was my mistake and I reset them to run earlier so that they would be done by 5AM.

But why did my neighbor feel the need to alert the authorities when a simple knock on my door would have done just as well? I live in a nice place - safe neighborhood and all that. A nice conversation and I would have met a new neighbor maybe a new friend. Or, if that's too confrontational - they could have simply slipped a friendly note under my door.

The coward chose the cowards way - alert the authorities to my apparently a-politically correct behavior - subjecting me to possible steep fines (up to $500/day). Oh - and three of my nearby neighbors received similar warnings.

Vichy. Is this what Austin is becoming? A politically correct green regime with neighbors ratting on neighbors? I'd hope we'd learn from darker times.

- Komeht

[Austinite101]

Originally Posted by Komeht

I like to play a little game when I meet someone for the first time - Vichy or Resistance? If he or she lived in France in the early 1940s - would they be more likely to be complicit with the Vichy regime? or would they be more likely to have become a member of La Resistance francaise and fought the Nazi occupation of France?

I used to take pride that we lived in a city that was more Resistance than Vichy - people who forged their own path, didn't follow the crowd, had a healthy disrespect for overburdensome rules and regulations, was OK with letting their neighbors be different from them.

Increasingly, I've seen conformist trends, pressure to fall in line, get with the program - be like Dallas. And now - neighbors are ratting out neighbors.

I received a nasty little note in mail the other day from the City that a neighbor observed I was not in compliance with the Stage 1 water restrictions in place because I had the sprinklers running at 6AM.

Admittedly, this was my mistake and I reset them to run earlier so that they would be done by 5AM.

But why did my neighbor feel the need to alert the authorities when a simple knock on my door would have done just as well? I live in a nice place - safe neighborhood and all that. A nice conversation and I would have met a new neighbor maybe a new friend. Or, if that's too confrontational - they could have simply slipped a friendly note under my door.

The coward chose the cowards way - alert the authorities to my apparently a-politically correct behavior - subjecting me to possible steep fines (up to $500/day). Oh - and three of my nearby neighbors received similar warnings.

Vichy. Is this what Austin is becoming? A politically correct green regime with neighbors ratting on neighbors? I'd hope we'd learn from darker times.

- Komeht

Well gosh, I don't think its logical to come to this conclusion just because someone ratted you out. I think its grossly inaccurate to compare this to supporting Nazis either. Some people are just a holes, is all

[love roses]

I see your point, and Yes, I've seen a slight change. I guess that's what happens when you toot your own horn so loudly that a whole lot of people from more Vichy type places move here. I don't think that the entire city has gone too far down that road yet, but eventually larger chunks will.

[HappyTexan]

Austin is definitely not as carefree and do-what-you-want type of city anymore.

[Adamson865]

Godwin's Law usually comes into play after a long thread, not right at the beginning!

That said, the City actively encouraged people to call 311 in order to report on their neighbors. Your neighbor obviously thought he was doing his civic duty. (I'll leave my personal opinion out of it since it's unpopular around these parts)

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by Komeht

The coward chose the cowards way - alert the authorities to my apparently a-politically correct behavior - subjecting me to possible steep fines (up to $500/day). Oh - and three of my nearby neighbors received similar warnings.

Vichy. Is this what Austin is becoming? A politically correct green regime with neighbors ratting on neighbors? I'd hope we'd learn from darker times.

Interesting interpretation. Totally overblown, but interesting.

In the midst of Austin's current water crisis, I commend your neighbor for being enough of an involved citizen to do what the utility has asked us all to do, and notify them of observed non-compliance with the regulations, so that reminders of the policy can be sent out. Simply comply with the simple regs, and there's no danger of a fine. I mean really, how hard is that?

And I think that it was quite prudent of your neighbor not to knock on your door at 6am. After all, the Castle Doctrine in Texas allows a homeowner to shoot first and make up a likely story later.

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by OpenD

Interesting interpretation. Totally overblown, but interesting.

In the midst of Austin's current water crisis, I commend your neighbor for being enough of an involved citizen to do what the utility has asked us all to do, and notify them of observed non-compliance with the regulations, so that reminders of the policy can be sent out. Simply comply with the simple regs, and there's no danger of a fine. I mean really, how hard is that?

And I think that it was quite prudent of your neighbor not to knock on your door at 6am. After all, the Castle Doctrine in Texas allows a homeowner to shoot first and make up a likely story later.

I did comply, the same thing would have been accomplished by a friendly chat or as I mentioned, a simple anonymous note.

The "castle doctrine" allows no such thing.

[TexasHorseLady]

I don't know that this is the best example but, yes, I do see that happening to Austin, and it's a shame.

And, OpenD, in this case, regarding the Castle Doctrine, no, Komeht is right, it allows no such thing.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

And, OpenD, in this case, regarding the Castle Doctrine, no, Komeht is right, it allows no such thing.

Oh, good grief, has everyone lost their sense of humor today?

[TexasHorseLady]

Nah, we're just used to people seriously making such outrageous claims and didn't catch that you were joking.