Confrontation Sucks – Racism Sucks More

Today was one of those days where the peaceful routine gets interrupted by a burst of unnecessary drama. You know, the kind that makes you shake your head and wonder how some people can be so oblivious to basic decency.

So, we have this monthly landscaping service. They’re fantastic—always keeping our yard in tip-top shape, which is great because let’s be real, I’m not the gardening type. Anyway, they were here doing their usual amazing job when suddenly, our downhill neighbor decides it’s time for a confrontation.

Picture this: I’m inside, trying to relax, when I hear raised voices. Curious, I peek out the window to see our neighbor yelling at our landscaper. Apparently, a bit of dust from our steps drifted toward his carport, and he was having none of it. Now, I get it—no one wants extra dust. But come on, we live in a dusty area. It's not the end of the world.

What really got me was the way he went about it. Instead of coming to talk to us, he decided to corner our landscaper and start shouting, complete with profanities and all. Not cool. I watched for a bit, trying to figure out how to handle the situation. Confrontation isn’t my thing, but neither is watching someone get unfairly berated. And then, the neighbor had the audacity to ask if our landscaper spoke English. What kind of jerk does that? I'll tell you what kind of jerk: a racist jerk. It’s this conservative white man mindset that they own the world and everyone else should bow down to them. It’s a dangerous default.

Finally, I stepped out and asked what was going on. Our landscaper explained, and the neighbor tried to spin a tale about ringing our doorbell (which he didn’t—our obnoxiously loud doorbell didn’t go off, and my dog didn’t bark, so nice try, buddy). He then tried to downplay the whole intimidation act. Nope, not letting that slide.

I told him straight up that any issues with our hired help should come to us, not be thrown in their face with yelling and aggression. I could see him squirming, trying to justify his actions. It was almost pathetic. I made it clear that what he did wasn’t okay and that next time, he should talk to us first.

After that mess, I apologized to our landscaper for the hassle. We agreed on a small adjustment to keep the peace. Then, as if trying to salvage some dignity, our neighbor dropped off an apology note. It was a bit passive-aggressive, but at least it was something. I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt for now, but you can bet I’ll be keeping an eye on any more nonsense.

And then, to top it off, our neighbor threatened our landscaper with comments about how if he wanted to work here again, he’d better watch out, etc., etc., etc. Unbelievable. For now, I’m holding onto this as a record because let’s face it, in a world that would elect Donald Trump and will probably do it again, I don’t have much hope for a sudden decrease in drama. There's a lot more Mediocre White Man Who Thinks He Owns The World coming our way. And no matter how much I dislike confrontation, I dislike hate and racism more.

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