Get This, people are crazy

I'm afraid I'm in this camp. I feel it's rude of a stranger to enter my private space (house) and ask things of me that really have little to do with me, but more with their wants. Perhaps I wasn't dressed to answer the door or I was having some private time with my wife or I was in the middle of a complex project or I was napping or I was watching a movie that just got to an exciting part or anything else that one wants privacy for. When a stranger interrupts what I'm doing they are making an imposition on me before I even answer the door (or the phone).

My feeling is that interruption better be worthwhile if they expect me to be polite. Not that I'm automatically rude, but my response is probably proportional to how important what I was doing was to me. Strangely, talking to tree cutters or mortgage refinancers for the n'th time this month aren't high up on my list of important things to do, though they always act like they're doing me this huge favor .

On the other hand, catch me when I'm outside my house or in a public place or if some prior contact or arrangement has been made and you'll probably find me very open and congenial. Respect someone and you'll get respect, be rude (and in my book unwarranted intrusion falls in that category) and you leave yourself open to rudeness in turn.

 

So you have no problem with some complete stranger coming up to your house, knocking on the door and saying, "hey, I really like the way your house looks, mind if I walk around"?; or how about "I really like your new mower, mind if I take it over to my house to see how it runs?": or perhaps "noticed your wife or daughter and really think she's a hottie, mind if I take her for a whirl"? I hate when complete strangers have a view that what's mine is theirs or that they have some G-d given right to ask me to use it or have a ride in it.

Then when you say in number 2) that worst case he wants to rob you and your advice is to say "shucks, bad clutch", you must live in some part of Shangrila, USA I'm not familiar with. There are all sorts of folks who will forceably enter your house and not only rob you, but possibly rape, pillage and murder you and your family as well, because you thought it was the neighborly thing to do to open the door and have a fireside chat about your lovely car.

Face the facts Jack, this is no longer rural Alabama and as sad as it sounds and seems, there are more than enough wackos out there to merit this guy shutting down what could have been an ugly situation. Ever hear of the number of kids that are abducted each year simply because some nutjob rang the doorbell, asked if the folks were around and left with the poor kid?

I personally have a camera at the front door that I can view from every dang TV in the house. If its not family or friend, I simply don't respond. Makes life so much simpler and safer. My kids are instructed to never open the door for ANYONE regardless of whether or not they say they're the police, fireman or friend. And yes, I have a big @ss dog that helps me drive the point home!

 

About 8 or 9 years ago, I was up north visiting my parents when, at around 9 pm at night, this strange guy walks through the back door and asks my mom (who's watching TV) for money. I remember him saying something like "My friend is so-and-so (an employee of my parents), I know you own a business and I need to borrow some money". I remember knowing where my mom's pistol was and I immediately ran into the den to grab it. I kept it concealed on me until the cops finally got there. No one ever saw the guy again after that.

RMX

 

the big tiities comments reminds me of when I was buying my NSX

A guy walked by and started talking to the salesman while I was filling out paperwork. The saleman told the guy I was buying it the he asked the salesman to ask me if he could take it for a quick spin at which time the saleman responded that I'd love to let him take is for a ride as long as I could take his wife for one too


also, you should have been so rude for two reasons
1. being rude is mean , even though he was far more rude
2. when you house gets egged (or worse) you'll know why

 

About 15 years ago, my younger brother and I were skating around the neighborhood when an older kid (let's say 17) rolls up and tells my brother "Hey, that's a nice board.. mind if I check it out?". My brother hands over his day-old Powell Peralta without thinking twice and the kid rolls off with it, never to be seen again.

To this day I can't borrow something from him without the threat of busted kneecaps, but I think we both learned not to take someone at face value that afternoon. Luckily we got that lesson for the price of a good skateboard and nothing more.

 

It can be very interesting the things that happen because you have a Ferrari. I certainly would not have given the guy a ride. That is a little to "in your face."

I have had a few friends that drove their Ferrari's nearly every day, and all kinds of things happen. It is good to have a nice response that is allready pre-made, but we are human and there are times that we are just not in the mood, especially something like that.

There have been plenty of times that I have come across a vintage Ferrari in "the wild", or should I say out in the real world and I have never asked for a ride (although I have been offered on quite a few occaisions, and have taken the offer more than once because after talking we knew some mutual friends).

The only thing I can say is have a line like, "I'm sorry but would you take a stranger for a ride in your car if they came knocking at your door?"

To be honest with some people no matter how nice you are they will leave thinking you are a jerk. Cest la vie!

 

However slightly, I'm going to turn this into a mini-screenplay

EXT. - HOUSE - DAY
GARAGE DOOR - OPENS
A roar is heard as a FERRARI fires up

EXT. - FERRARI
Backing up, filling space until
ENGINE STOPS

CHAD GRAY
Exits FERRARI
Looks at WATCH - TIME - 4:30
Damn, I got half an hour...
Enters house through Garage, Garage door shuts as interior door opens and shuts

GRUNGY IDIOT
On foot - stops & checks out FERRARI, glistening in sunlight - looks down street - EASTBOUND

EXT. - VAN
UNSEEN DRIVER
Spits sunflower seeds out window, into and around growing pile - TATTOOED ARM sticks out, snapping fingers 3 times

INT. - HOUSE - DAY
DOORBELL - RINGS 3 TIMES
CHAD GRAY
Looks at WATCH - TIME - 4:50
****! Not now!
Opens door

GRUNGY IDIOT
Breathlessly
Will you take me for a ride in the car?

CHAD GRAY
beat
Get lost.

GRUNGY IDIOT
beat
Whatever, typical.

CHAD GRAY
Shuts door
Who the hell was that?
beat
Was I an ass?

GRUNGY IDIOT
Walks down street - EASTBOUND

FIN

 

The bigger version of the HK .40 caliber, I was going to get either the Uzi or the AR15 or the AK47 but those were empty at the moment.

 

Well this is a long thread and I don't have time to read all of the replies but I think you should have given him a ride. He was probably really nervous and just blurted out that he wanted to have a ride before he had time to really think about it. I've done something like this before but I actually got a ride. It was in a Porsche Boxster But I mean, I don't think you were an @ss or anything, he was a little nervous and you were just a little weirded out, the fault lies in both parties.

 

I value my privacy...

 

I believe Rick James summed it up best:

"What did the hand say to the face?? SLAP!!"

You didnt do anything wrong. Some jerk comes to your home and demands not only your time but invades your privacy, property, and asks for a fairly personal favor. Screw that guy.

 

I thought you were totally justified until I read your profile and saw that you have a 355 and I would be like OMG LEMME HAVE A RIDE if I saw it...

Oh wait.. I would try to steal it... as long as it's manual and black interior

 

wow that pretty ridiculous. i would never ever ring someones doorbell and ask for a ride. thats insane.
I have only ever asked for a ride in a Ferrari once, but that was to a fellow fchat member (F1Ace) through the forum. I didnt actually expect he would say yes.
I couldn't imagine ringing a doorbell of someone i dont know and asking for a ride.

 

Sadly you can not be too careful of personal safety these days. You did the right thing.......

Myself (being extroverted and always willing to waste some time) might have attempted to engage him a little more, but your response was both natural and normal..


I used to have to knock on the entire neighborhood's doors to collect for throwing the paper, it was usually a given in the evenings you were interuppting SOMETHING...and I had real business!

You should see my neighborhood since they added the Pharmacy on the corner! I've moved my cars!

"Got any thorazine, man??"

 

On the flip side, at a store or something, I've let little kids with their parents climb all over it. It's about context and even at my house the lil' kids respect the end of the drive most times. The winos sometimes, do not...you have to get real good at looking them in the eye and reading them, quickly...something I've tried hard to teach my kids....

 

I was stopped at the traffic lights the other day and someone walked over and leaned against my car while his wife took a photograph.
I was so stunned that someone would have the balls or ignorance to do this with me in the car I just sat there like a lemon.
By the time I gained the composure to talk, the lights were green and they had buggered off down a side street.
What would the point be of having a picture of you with a car that is not yours with someond driving that you don't know?

Peoples stupidity amazes me every day.

Russell

 

LOL - that's simple.

"Who that in the picture?"

"oh, that's my uncle Russ"

hahaha