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We actually have one of these - came with the ranch. We don't use it, would love to get rid of it (though I suspect the birds that nest in it each spring would be heartbroken), but don't quite know how. It's too big for even the pickup, even if we could dismantle it and get it over there. Fortunately, our closest across-the-street neighbor is half a mile away.
Harry, I gotta ask . . . is this a serious post? Cause not one thing on this list would bother me! In fact, I lived w/ neighbors who not only have done most of the things on the list, so have I!! ROFL!!! My assumption is that people choose to move into a neighborhood b/c the overall atmosphere of the area is appealing . . . so if it is the type of neighborhood that requires pool "boys" and landscapers and where people have cocktail parties . . . then either you are attracted to that lifestyle or you aren't.
I love the cocktail parties b/c I am usually on the guest list - or am the hostess, Hee Hee Hee. Just include your neighbors - then everyone will enjoy themselves.
It is and it isn't a serious post. Yeah, I live on fifteen acres now, but I'd be startled if I found a fifty foot yacht in our little stream.
The point was to show that complaining is a culture. It doesn't matter how much wealth you accumulate, if you let little things get to you, you'll just escalate your peeves to match your perceived cash flow. Complaining about the habits of neighbors, unless their activities somehow cross property boundries, are put-downs that allow the complainer to feel righteously indignant. More often than not, the indignancy is based on the concept that the neighbors are not up to the social class of the complainer - often without consideration that the complainer may not be up to the social class of another neighbor.
The post was a reminder to the HOA lovers that their little complaints are seen as petty bickering over lower class junk to the ultra-rich who have a similar mindset. Like the famous line in "War Games" the only way to win the game is to not play. Besides, if you have been around them, the really well bred ultra-rich who have done any personal development work often don't play because it can be boorish, and they realize complaining merely reflects poorly on them.
FWIW, I've done about a dozen things on the original poll, including shooting during the day and after dark. Since target practice targets are in front of a 70' embankment on my own property, and I live in the country where there is no zoning, it is perfectly safe, except perhaps to coyotes or wild dogs.
Why does what color someone paints their house bother you? Is it that not all the houses are pretty much the same color?
I remember traveling to Mexico, and later to New Mexico, and seeing lovely, lovely houses, all different colors (pastel blues, greens, and, yes, even yellow), and thinking what a breath of fresh air it was to see some individuality expressed in such a lovely way. Colors are not "strange", they're just colors - it's the perception that's different. The people who painted that house yellow probably thought that the color it was, that you evidently liked, was strange - or boring - or something - and don't like the color YOUR house is.
Or maybe they just love a yellow house and don't think it's any of their business what color yours is.
Because it's tacky and it doesn't show any taste at all. It's almost like a child gets to pick the color and that parent says "okay". And even worse, most of the time it's not even painted correctly. The house I was referring to started as red brick, white trim, and dark green shutters (looked nice). Now it is ALL yellow, everything exept the glass in the windows, they might as well have shot it up with a paintball gun. This brings down the value of the neighboring houses. Excuse me for being frank, but it looks ghetto.
So, is the problem the quality of the paint job, or the fact that it's not a same-old same-old color. There IS a difference. One of the most admired houses in this town, sought after for the garden tour, was nicely painted in a couple of shades of purple. I assure you, even though it wasn't traditional, it hardly looked "ghetto".
So is it the entire concept of anything other than a restricted range of choices of color, or is it poor execution, that you object to? Those are two very different things. If the house was professionaly painted canary yellow with white trim, say, or trim in a contrasting shade of yellow, would it be acceptable?
We actually have one of these - came with the ranch. We don't use it, would love to get rid of it (though I suspect the birds that nest in it each spring would be heartbroken), but don't quite know how. It's too big for even the pickup, even if we could dismantle it and get it over there. Fortunately, our closest across-the-street neighbor is half a mile away.
If I lived closer to you, I'd take it and install it in my yard. They can be used to pick up a lot of interesting "feeds".
So, is the problem the quality of the paint job, or the fact that it's not a same-old same-old color. There IS a difference. One of the most admired houses in this town, sought after for the garden tour, was nicely painted in a couple of shades of purple. I assure you, even though it wasn't traditional, it hardly looked "ghetto".
So is it the entire concept of anything other than a restricted range of choices of color, or is it poor execution, that you object to? Those are two very different things. If the house was professionaly painted canary yellow with white trim, say, or trim in a contrasting shade of yellow, would it be acceptable?
I wont post the picture on here, but in this link you can see for yourself. I said it was canary yellow, but it's actually more of a school bus yellow.
But the link doesn't really answer the question (plus, clearly, the color of the photo is a bit "off", based on the colors of the grass, trees, and sky - allowing for that, I don't really see a problem with that house or its color, but I can't really, from that photo, tell how well the paint was applied).
Is your problem with colors outside of a narrow range, or with execution?
I don't really care what my neighbors do, as long as it doesn't trickle into my yard.
I know my neighbors are probably a little peeved with me, because I don't have a flower garden and I don't mow my yard twice a day.
Now some of the residents in the apartment complex across the street drive me crazy by playing their car radios with the bass turned up really loud at 2-3am. (loud enough for me to hear them in my basement.) They also like to rev up their non muffler cars and screech out of their parking spot. I'm concerned about them hitting one of the neighborhood kids with their reckless driving.
As far as anything else, I'm pretty much a live and let live person. I do know that I could never never live in a neighborhood that had a HOA. I own my house and as long as I'm not breaking the law, I should have the right to paint my house green with pink polka dots, install a security fence with barb wire on top, build a brick wall around my yard, hang my clothes up to dry, put up a satelite dish, have a garden, or even enjoy sitting on my front porch drinking and smoking, etc, etc.
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- often without consideration that the complainer may not be up to the social class of another neighbor. 
