OP shares a story about their neighbor, who is nosy and judgmental. Despite her unpleasant behavior, they have tried to be polite to her because of her age. One day, while OP and a few friends were discussing video games in their yard, the neighbor joined in and began criticizing their hobby, calling it immature and unmanly.
The Background
OP shows her a video of a grandmother playing a popular video game, but the neighbor remains dismissive and insults OP, saying that he would never get a wife acting like a child. OP responds by revealing that he is gay, causing the neighbor to storm off and slam her door. She then proceeds to badmouth OP to their neighbors, claiming that he was rude and should have been nicer to her.
They Can Think about What They Want
There was a huge amount of support for the OP in this thread. Redditors have come together to ensure that OP understands that he is not in the wrong and that his neighbor is being nasty:
“NTA. She is entitled to her (wrong) opinion, yes. But you’re not wrong for disagreeing and being insulted by her. She can mind her own business. Sounds like a nosey neighbor that just wants to criticize others for feeling better about her own empty life.”
Nosey neighbors are a feature in many people’s lives. This commenter makes a reasonable suggestion that OP’s neighbor is perfectly entitled to their negative opinion of adults playing video games. However, having a vocal opinion means that one must be willing to take criticism of it rather than expressing it as the only truth.
This Redditor suggests that the nosey neighbor should mind their business and respect OP’s life choices. They cannot expect to insult people purely to fill their day. If they make offensive comments, then they should expect consequences.
It’s a Health Past-Time
Many of the thread supports have noted that playing video games into adulthood is a normal hobby.
“NTA. The fun police are so annoying; I often wonder what things they’d enjoy if they could get over the fear of being judged and stop projecting that onto others. It’s okay and healthy for adults to enjoy things that aren’t about making money or taking care of responsibilities.”
This is a very reasonable statement from this thread participant. OP’s neighbor seems like a typically bitter older person who has made a life being critical of everything. Rightly so, they are often called the ‘fun police.’ They would likely be critical of everything other than working and settling down for marriage. Everything else is a waste of time in their eyes.
They suggest that the neighbor’s misery is a projection of their own insecurities. Their negativity is likely a consequence of being unable to deal with the ever-changing world, which has moved on since their day.
They also suggest that as long as an adult is functioning, then video games are a perfect healthy pastime. If they have a job, a home, friends, etc., indulging in video games is an excellent form of relaxation and fun.
This modern world does not rely on people to focus solely on work, nor should they. An enjoyable hobby, o matter what it is, should be celebrated.
Life Is More Than Working
There appears to be a generational divide when it comes to the significance of work:
“I hate how being an adult automatically means you should quit doing the things you love and go do office work. You are NTA”
In this case, the commenter highlights that these days life is more than working hard at a tedious job. Typically this is a perspective of an older generation who depended on this style of living to generate wealth. However, today, people are encouraged to enjoy their spare time however they see fit. It is suitable for the mind, body, and soul.
HIS MORAL STAND AGAINST DISCRIMINATION LEFT HIS FUTURE MOTHER-IN-LAW REFUSING TO ATTEND HIS WEDDING.
Source: Reddit