A netizen recently asked the forum, “Am I a jerk for ruining a child’s birthday party and getting the parents in trouble?”. Here’s the full story for you to decide.
Backstory
The Original Poster OP (32M) lives in an apartment complex with a pool. There is no active lifeguard or anyone really monitoring it like most apartment pools.
What Happened On Saturday?
On Saturday, OP and his boyfriend went to hang out at the pool around 2 PM. They get there and it’s packed, like way too packed.
OP knew this couldn’t all be residents. There were maybe 25-30 Hispanic people with beer (glass bottles of models as well, double rule break, with the alcohol AND glass), loud music, and they were also using both of the grills on the patio.
What Happened After They Investigated Further?
After investigating further, it looked like one of the small families that OP had seen around the complex was having a birthday party for their kid.
What Are The Rules, Generally?
OP’s complex technically has a rule that all non-residents must be checked in at the office to use the pool, but there’s no way they enforce this, and nobody pays attention to that rule.
OP says, “BUT a whole birthday party?! The entire pool was filled with kids. It doesn’t specifically say no parties, but it says to be respectful of other spaces and not to hog items like the grills, hot tub, or umbrella tables.”
What Did OP And His BF Do?
OP and his BF tried to lay out in the corner but it wasn’t working. After another couple told them how displeased they were with this party too, OP’s BF suggested they say something.
Next, they all left and stopped by the front office and told the concerned people about the party.
About An Hour Later
About an hour later, OP and his BF started seeing all of them leaving the pool. It looked like the party was shut down.
What Happened This Morning?
This morning, they got a note on their door from the party hosts. OP doesn’t know how they knew it was them or what unit they lived in, but that’s beside the point.
The note called OP and his BF jerks for what they did and said the hosts are under a “lease review” where the office could decide to evict them.
What Else Did They Say
So they thanked OP and his BF for potentially getting a poor, small family kicked out. OP said they weren’t the only ones who had a problem, and if they didn’t do it, the family would have eventually gotten caught.
“I also told them that whatever happens is their own fault for blatantly breaking the rules. Am I a jerk?”, asks OP.
You Sound Racist!
“You’re the jerk. If not for what you did explicitly, then for the racist overtones in your post. I don’t see what the ethnicity of the party had to do with the situation at all, so I thought it was very weird that it got a special mention.”
You Had Other Options As Well
“This is one of the grey areas. Legally you are alright. Morally? You had so many options. You could have talked to them. You didn’t.
Instead, you put in an official complaint. Housing is a nightmare right now, you have given them more to worry about.
Why did you specify Hispanic? What does it have to do with this issue? You’re the jerk.”
They Broke The Rules, That’s It!
“Not the jerk. If they don’t want to risk a lease review and getting kicked out, then they need to honor the rules of the lease, which you said includes signing all guests in at the office.
They broke the rules and inconvenienced other residents wishing to use faculties that they pay for. Their problem.”
It’s 100% Their Fault
“Not the jerk. They broke the rules and didn’t even try to make room for anybody else. I’m sure the pool area wasn’t provided so people could have private parties.”
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This article was originally published on Mrs Daaku Studio.