Are property owners angrier than usual?

I fired a client today because of mad/bad attitude.

In the last 25 years I have seen a definite "swing" of the disposition of the general population when it comes to someone showing them their property line location. I think it is probably due to a number of factors.

Number one, almost all the people that lived through the depression and WWII are gone. Folks that could remember things in their life that weren't all a bed of roses. They made up most of the property owners when I began surveying almost 50 years ago. Most had a reserve when it came to reacting. Most were reasonable folks.

Five or six years ago the average American was 36.8 years old...and getting younger every year. This means the average American is use to an aggressively litigious society that demands recompense when wronged. When I was a kid and slipped and fell in the grocery store, my folks told me to "be more careful". Nowadays when someone slips and falls in the grocery store they want to sue the pants off somebody because their wasn't a "Piso Mojado" sign prominently displayed.

And the trend has bled into every aspect of our lives. Say someone buys a property and the realtor had told them it went all the way to the privet hedge...then 5 years later a surveyor finds (or sets) a corner that falls short of their expectations...they feel wronged. No attempt to reason or think through what is going on...they have been wronged. And somebody is gonna pay!

Number two, the world is not nearly as friendly as it use to be. Everyone is a little more suspicious of their neighbors and long term friendships with neighbors probably don't occur like they use to in years past. Everybody is a little sensitive that somebody is 'trying to get something over on them' and this results in a defensive social attitude.

Number three, I think a lot of people are under the impression if you hire a survey and actually have to pay for it, the surveyor is going to put the line where THEY think it ought to be. I don't know how many times I've heard "Well you're just wrong..." from an adjoiner (or client).

People these days are less congenial and respectful in their social interactions. I blame it on their age. If the average age is getting younger, then we can logically assume their attitudes will follow suit. Thank God I'm at the end of my career.

I dunno. But I do like your avatar.

What Paden said. I'll second that. Especially about the part involving those who learned to appreciate what they didn't have and what they weren't about to get any time soon. Try giving that "It's not faiiiiiiir" whine to someone who thought milk was a luxury and spent time a billion miles from home praying no one would start shooting at them and they wouldn't have to kill another human in order to stay alive, every day for years.

The public is a pain in the ---. We do a lot of work for the SHA. The property owners that know what's going on are usually ok with us being on the property. The ones that are pigheaded are a pain. My favorite tactic on them is "ok thanks for your time" and walk away. 9 out of 10 times they change their mind by the time I get ten feet down the sidewalk. I really wish the public had a clue as to what we really do.

Not to get too political, but there is a decent chance the nation will elect a vulgar megalomaniacal buffoon to the office held by Washington, Jefferson, Madison, et al.. Not on his merits, but because the believe his election will "stick it" to those they believe they are agrieved by. So yes, people are getting angrier...stupider too.

James Fleming, post: 374146, member: 136 wrote: Not to get too political, but there is a decent chance the nation will elect a vulgar megalomaniacal buffoon to the office held by Washington, Jefferson, Madison, et al.. Not on his merits, but because the believe his election will "stick it" to those they believe they are agrieved by. So yes, people are getting angrier...stupider too.

You beltway types always stick together

If you run the math, we have less spendable cash, and every caller wants a price right off the bat.

Above, the word "her" was accidentally spelled as "his".

Nate The Surveyor, post: 374149, member: 291 wrote: If you run the math, we have less spendable cash, and every caller wants a price right off the bat.

If you run the meth, you'll have more spendable cash...

Brad Ott, post: 374162, member: 197 wrote: If you run the meth, you'll have more spendable cash...

Yer thinkin' of ol' Uncle Slayton...

"...Sells his hardwood timber to the chipping mill
Cooks that crystal meth because the shine don't sell
He cooks that crystal meth because the shine don't sell
You know he likes that money, he don't mind the smell..."

Read more: James McMurtry - Choctaw Bingo Lyrics | MetroLyrics

DDSM:beer::beer::beer::beer:

Totally agree with Paden about the older generations now being almost gone. I used to be able to strike up a conversation with any older person who was either a WWII veteran, wife of a veteran, or had a family member who was one. Now it seems the older people are just plain suspicious and no answer as to what you are doing seems to satisfy them. The wealthier they are the worst they are too. As most of you know I have written surveying-related articles for the past 20 years. I recently toured a company with the intent for a story and only took photos of the operation with their permission. I thought things had gone very well. I needed some more details, so I corresponded with them by email and now I am being called a spy who is bent on trying to destroy them and reveal their secrets. I won't reveal who this was, but their competition has Youtube videos of everything similar they do and how it is made. LOL! I wasted an entire day and am out the expenses of driving there.

People are barely surviving, leading stressful lives caused by 30 years of neoliberal policies pushed by administrations of both brand names. No wonder they are irritable and paranoid.

The next designated President (not T, the other one) won't do much about it as long as the markets are up which is not of much use to most people.

The art of discussion and compromise is being lost, a society that can't work together doesn't have much hope of survival. Some of this is due to the Internet and Facebook where everything is a binary choice. Me and people like me are right and everyone else is a mentally ill ignoramus person of the only other choice.

It's partly an American competitive thing, us against them instead of we and us.

James Fleming, post: 374146, member: 136 wrote: So yes, people are getting angrier...stupider too.

What it really means is that you are a land surveyor.

I definitely think that people in general have copped a considerably worse attitude over the past few decades, especially in the more urban areas. I grew up in the north end of Seattle and back in the 1960's through the 1980's, the vast majority of folks were halfway decent to deal with. Looking back, I saw urban folk attitudes take a nosedive around the mid-90's and never seemed to improve after that.

Sure glad I live where I do now-

Dave Karoly, post: 374175, member: 94 wrote: People are barely surviving, leading stressful lives caused by 30 years of neoliberal policies pushed by administrations of both brand names. No wonder they are irritable and paranoid.

The next designated President (not T, the other one) won't do much about it as long as the markets are up which is not of much use to most people.

The art of discussion and compromise is being lost, a society that can't work together doesn't have much hope of survival. Some of this is due to the Internet and Facebook where everything is a binary choice. Me and people like me are right and everyone else is a mentally ill ignoramus person of the only other choice.

It's partly an American competitive thing, us against them instead of we and us.

I agree, it's not because of a younger, softer generation. On the contrary, it's because people naturally become angry and act out against others when they are economically challenged. It's just a matter of numbers. Much large percentage of the population today where all in the family are working 60-80 hours a week and still can't afford anything more than basic necessities (if that). And much larger percentage really poor and not working at all, on a path to jail. So much greater chance of running into someone like that. History clearly shows us this is when people resort to prejudice, hatred, and violence. Couldn't be anything more likely to set them off than someone getting close their turf, if they have any left.

People today believe they are entitled to what ever makes then happy. My parents grew up on cotton farms during the depression. The community was not self absorbed because they had almost nothing which included as much food as they would have liked. The neighbors took care of each other as they may be the one in need tomorrow. The right to a large screen TV with a killer cable package is not guaranteed by the Constitution or the Bible. People are meaner now because they have been raised to believe that they are the most important person in existence. Being poor does not have to make you mean. Believing that you are entitled and all these other people are just denying you your piece of the pie would make anyone mean. The entitlement mentality spans all economic groups and political parties. So people would be nicer if they had more things? I catch more crap in the affluent neighborhoods than in the hood.