Is this rude? | Imamother

chanahlady

Tue, Jul 07 2009, 7:47 pm

Our kitchen windows face onto the roof of a garage, and we have no curtains, so when I got home I saw a guy bent over showing his underwear right in our window! He was putting up some sort of privacy screen on the roof next door, but was standing right there. Ugh! Now he and some woman are still out there working, right by my kitchen window!

Now I'm wondering -- how rude is it for me to quickly put up a curtain right now, right as they're working there? It would very obviously say to them: "I don't like looking at you, and you are standing right at my kitchen window." So it's rude, but... I would like to be spared this guy's underwear again! Hmm, can't seem to find the barfy emoticon when I need it.

louche

Thu, Jul 09 2009, 12:09 pm

I don't undertand people who don't have window coverings on all their windows to begin with. BTW, if curtains are your only window treatment, be aware that when it's dark outside and the lights are on inside, people on the outside can see what's going on inside. How clearly they can see depends on how heavy and tightly woven the fabric is, but they will be able to see at least a little and possibly a lot.

I don't understand why you would care if an anonymous worker thinks you're rude for putting uip curtains in your own home. I also don't understand why you're so offended by this worker. I assume you mean he was bending over and his trousers slipped down, exposing the top of his tighty-whitys, not that he was deliberately giving you a show. If the latter, complain to his boss and call the police. If, as I suspect, it's the former, give the guy a break. He works hard, he bends, he stretches, his trousers slip down. It happens. You never had your panties get caught in a crevice or your slip stick out? If the sight of him offfends you, don't look!

And, sweetie, may I suggest you buy shades or blinds for your kitchen? The sight of you in your robe and snood may offend people working outside.

chanahlady

Thu, Jul 09 2009, 12:25 pm

Hm, thanks Louche. However I don't go outside in my robe and snood, nor would I ever subject anyone besides my poor DH to that. And I enjoy the natural light that comes in the house, so I don't want to put up curtains permanently. Additionally, it is a ROOF. The windows look out onto a roof. No one lives there, no one is supposed to go up there, there is no patio there. It'd be different if those windows were looking out onto a train station or something where people were supposed to go.

louche

Thu, Jul 09 2009, 2:59 pm

chanahlady wrote:

People have every right to stand, sit, work or do anything else on a roof. The burden of accommodation is on you. So long as they're doing nothing illegal, not violating community noise or public lewdness standards--and, sorry, but accidental "plumber butt," unattractive though it may be, does not constitute public lewdness--they can do what they want. . If you don't want to see it, don't look.

You happen to be fortunate in that your apt faces a stretch that is usually unoccupied, and so you have been spoiled and are taking the attitude that this view, or lack thereof, belongs to you. It does not. To say "no one is supposed to go up there" is quite wrong. It's his house, he can do with the roof as he wishes. Furthermore, it is to be expected that from time to time work of some sort will need to be done on a roof.

I should think you';d be appreciative of the fact that the owner is putting up a privancy screen. Once it's up, you won't be able to see what's going on on the roof.

BTW, if I were you I'd put up curtains anyway. Voyeurs use long-range optical equipment--fancy talk for powerful telescopes--to look into people's houses that are far away. Just because your nearest neighbor is half a mile distant doesn't mean he can't peek in on you. How do you think photographers get those scandalous photos of celebrities on their secluded estates? The magic of the telephoto lens.

chanahlady

Thu, Jul 09 2009, 3:10 pm

His house? It was a worker, not his house. The roof (and what is under it) is actually owned by my landlord and is vacant. And it wasn't even a worker from my landlord. It was someone from the neighbor's who was using our landlord's roof b/c it was convenient.

And the privacy screen is going up next door, and will have no impact on our windows or our roof.

I guess my post was generated by the idea that I wanted to try to spare the worker's feelings in some way -- if I were standing right outside a window and suddenly someone put a curtain up, I would feel bad. But I think other people don't view it that way, and I'm just too sensitive. Whatever.
Thanks for your responses everyone.

louche

Thu, Jul 09 2009, 3:18 pm

bubby wrote:

"accidental plumber butt"...I was searching for the right turn of phrase & you supplied it with such panache & finesse!!! Rolling Laughter

well, thanks, but I don't think I actually coined the term. I'm almost positive I read it here, possibly today. Greenfire, did I steal that expression from you?

But I'll cheerfully take full credit if no one fesses up.