Neighbor Rage

by Gerald L. Lacambra

Definition: Neighbors can do some irritating things, like producing pungent odors, blasting their stereos, and letting their dogs bark at all hours. Activities such as these can lead to neighbor rage or in other words, retaliation.

Barbara Cloud mentions neighbor rage in her July 02, 2000 column in the Post-Gazette. In the column, she states that neighbor rage can happen. She, herself, is participating in neighbor rage by writing her column. Cloud writes of a neighbor who uses a grass-edger or trimmer, frequently called a weed-whacker in Hawaii, to mow the entire lawn. She says that it causes an irritating noise that can last for hours if the lawn is large. In Hawaii, particularly kalihi, many people use the weed-whacker to mow their lawns. The noise is certainly distracting, however the land is often uneven, forcing the slow and noisy weed-whacker to be used.

I've been gathering my thoughts and yours, so today we share:
A habit that's catching on could create neighbor rage if we aren't careful. While I value a grass-edger or trimmer as much as the next fellow, I don't think they are designed to "mow" entire yards. The noise is irritating, like a Cuisinart chopping silverware, and if the yard is large, it can take hours to cut the grass. The key words here are lawn "edger" and lawn "mower." Know the difference.