Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To not understand why people don't follow rules?

18 replies

LudoBear · 10/04/2021 17:47

I don't understand why adults can't follow rules.

There is a small country park near me which has animals like alpacas, goats, pigs etc. They are in pens around a big grassy area. Due to covid there is rope 2 metres away from the pens and you aren't allowed to go beyond the rope. Plenty of signs saying so. At least 3 families had ducked under the rope and were right up by the animals, giving them grass, trying to pet them etc. These are adults as well as children.

Another country park I went to a few days ago had benches that had red tape on them and signs saying DO NOT SIT due to covid. Numerous people sat on them!

Its not just covid related. There is a paddock with some donkeys in near me. Sign says you are welcome to pet them but do not feed them. I've seen people giving them dandelions!

Grrr!

OP posts:
tinytemper66 · 10/04/2021 18:00

@LudoBear

I don't understand why adults can't follow rules.

There is a small country park near me which has animals like alpacas, goats, pigs etc. They are in pens around a big grassy area. Due to covid there is rope 2 metres away from the pens and you aren't allowed to go beyond the rope. Plenty of signs saying so. At least 3 families had ducked under the rope and were right up by the animals, giving them grass, trying to pet them etc. These are adults as well as children.

Another country park I went to a few days ago had benches that had red tape on them and signs saying DO NOT SIT due to covid. Numerous people sat on them!

Its not just covid related. There is a paddock with some donkeys in near me. Sign says you are welcome to pet them but do not feed them. I've seen people giving them dandelions!

Grrr!

Well benches with tape on in the open air is ridiculous, but the other points you make are valid.
oldestmumaintheworld · 10/04/2021 18:01

I don't know whether or not you are unreasonable, but the answer to your question should be obvious - pick one of the following:

  • they are stupid
-they are selfish -they are entitled idiots who think that the rules don't apply to them and their little darlings -they don't care.

In my experience people who behave like this are usually all of these things. You have two choices. Ignore them or thump them. I recommend the former.

StillCoughingandLaughing · 10/04/2021 18:05

You do understand it; you just don’t like it.

RedGoldAndGreene · 10/04/2021 18:08

Because they are dicks who think rules are for others and that they aren't doing any harm.

I regularly see people who ignore signs like "keep your dog on a leash" and "keep off the grass" (These are places near my house hence the regularity)

switswoo81 · 10/04/2021 18:14

People follow rules for different reasons. At the bottom is the fear of getting caught by the authorities/how it will effect others / fear of shame from peers right up to knowing it is the right thing regardless of consequences etc.
Why do you drive at the speed limit; in case of guards, fear of killing someone in an accident or just because that is the limit so that's why.
The people with the bench knew there would be no consequences and because others were sitting there, there would be no public shaming so they probably felt it was ok to break the rules.

Plus some people are just dicks.

MereDintofPandiculation · 10/04/2021 18:15

... or they don't understand the reason for the rule and think it's some petty rule for rule's sake. If you don't want someone to do something for heaven's sake tell them why! "Keep off the grass - newly re-seeded" or "keep of the grass - weedkiller applied" works a lot better than "keep off the grass".

thebillyotea · 10/04/2021 18:18

because rules should apply to everybody else but they are "special".

Summarise the pandemic quite well.

Happycat1212 · 10/04/2021 18:26

Agree with the answer “you know why”

Mosaic123 · 10/04/2021 18:32

Some people need to sit on a bench for a few minutes during a walk. It seems unreasonable not to allow a single person or household to do so.

GintyMcGinty · 10/04/2021 18:38

The taped off benches is weird.

Somanysocks · 10/04/2021 18:38

My local Aldi is the local family day out and couples dating area inspite of the notices at the entrance, people are selfish twits.

Alsohuman · 10/04/2021 18:40

Possibly because there’s no rule that says you can’t sit on a bench. I’d be sitting on them too.

Don’t donkeys eat dandelions anyway?

UserTwice · 10/04/2021 18:43

Sitting on the benches with tape on is likely because people with mobility/health issues went to the park expecting to be able to sit down and then discovered the benches were taped off - but they still needed to sit down.

SuperCaliFragalistic · 10/04/2021 18:48

It's hard to explain to my kids why they have to follow rules but others choose not to without consequences.

Don’t donkeys eat dandelions anyway? it can be very dangerous to an animal to be fed something when it's on a special diet or something it doesn't usually have. Unless the sign said. I think a sign asking people not to feed animals is totally fair and should be adhered to. They probably have people feeding them Mars bars and stuff or maybe the donkey is aggressive and they're sick of people moaning about being bitten or kicked.

DelphiniumBlue · 10/04/2021 19:12

Why can't you sit down? Why is Covid being used as a reason for closing public toilets (still)? If it's not safe to sit down in a park, how is it safe for teachers to be in school? Do we trust the people who make the rules? Do they follow them themselves? Is there an aspect of self-advantage in there somewhere? Are authorities trying to save money by cutting back on services using Covid as a reason?
Lots of people are deciding for themselves what is sensible and appropriate behaviour, a precedent has been set for this by public figures in the ruling class. A few people take advantage to act selfishly, most people are doing their best. But why would people be following those rules blindly when they have little or no faith in integrity of the people who make the rules?

lljkk · 10/04/2021 19:17

sometimes the rules are stupid

Cannotgarden · 10/04/2021 19:21

I've never understood taping off any outside seating or equipment. They've still taken every other swing away in the local parks. These are things that are in UV light and air all day. It's busybody power crazy weirdos who want these type of rules.

MarieIVanArkleStinks · 10/04/2021 19:23

I'm not necessarily a stickler for The Rules when The Rules are patently stupid.

Feeding other people's animals is one thing I would not do. Horses particularly. It's downright dangerous to the horse (horses can't vomit, are prone to colic, can easily get food lodged in their throats and what kind of idiot feeds a horse polo mints)?

It infuriates me how many people somehow seem to think they have the right to do this, often directly overriding the wishes of the owner who know better than strangers what is best for their animal. This is the case no matter how many signs are posted around the fences reading 'don't feed the horses'.

Bet they'd have a few words to say if I tried to feed their kids!

New posts on this thread. Refresh page