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U.S. residents fight for the right to hang laundry (2009)

reuters.com

241–250 of 329 posts

Re: U.S. residents fight for the right to hang laundry (2009)

#241

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would anyone do that, then?

Because, and you may not know this, some people have standards they live by. They like "nice things". And there's large groups of them that feel this way and want to ensure they don't attract an antisocial person that has different values. I feel like people have this really funny idea that everyone should accept them and respect them for exactly who they are and that people should respect whatever it is they want to…

It also nicely keeps out people with the wrong skin colour.

Re: U.S. residents fight for the right to hang laundry (2009)

#242

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would anyone do that, then?

Presumably the majority of the people living there like the rules, otherwise they wouldn't have been voted into the rule book. Democracy in action.

The article says not:

>the no-hanging rules are usually included by the communities’ developers

It may be hard / too much hassle / etc. to vote them out.

Re: U.S. residents fight for the right to hang laundry (2009)

#243
post #227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The article establishes the national relevancy directly: > His principal opponents are the housing associations such as condominiums and townhouse communities that are home to an estimated 60 million Americans, or about 20 percent of the population. About half of those organizations have ‘no hanging’ rules, Lee said, and enforce them with fines. Millions of Americans live under covenants that prevent them from doing…

Does it maybe applying to about half of a fifth of the population really make it nationally relevant? Let's not forget the people among them who like this reg for some reason. Also, this says nothing about residents usually having some say about the regs in an HOA. Don't like something? No need to move somewhere else. Run for a spot on the board.

> Does it maybe applying to about half of a fifth of the population really make it nationally relevant? Let's not forget the people among them who like this reg for some reason.

Yes, 60 million people (in 2009, it's probably more now) strikes me as nationally relevant. And yes: if people do like these regulations, then changes to them are also relevant.

Re: U.S. residents fight for the right to hang laundry (2009)

#244
post #77

Stupid people who don't read the HOA agreement they signed, and then whine after the fact that some things aren't allowed - I have no sympathy for them (and for the record, would never live anyplace that had an HOA). That said, if its not in the agreement you signed, or you live someplace without an HOA, I support peoples right do hang their laundry out to dry - shouldn't even be a question of being allowed or not.

Similar "voluntary" deed covenants were used to keep neighborhoods white, before they were overridden via state laws. While on a drastically different moral scale, and with some legitimate uses for HOAs, the world would be a better place if most types of their bylaws were similarly nullified.

Yes. Contract law can and is frequently used to undermine property rights. As you know HOAs are indirectly mandated by municipalities.

Re: U.S. residents fight for the right to hang laundry (2009)

#245
post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The town has a standard where you don’t hang laundry though. She’s the odd person out here and should appeal to the people of the town. Otherwise she’s just doing as she pleases and that’s antisocial behavior. As to who it “would hurt” - it could very well hurt everyone’s property values and certainly hurts everyone’s eyes to have to see a car parked on the front lawn. Again, it’s antisocial behavior and inconsiderat…

Land of the free. It's revealing what's considered anti-social (hang drying your clothes) and what's considered normal (driving massive, pedestrian-flattening pickups).

> It's revealing what's considered anti-social (hang drying your clothes)

Who said hanging your clothing is antisocial? No, hanging your clothing in defiance of a community by-law or guideline is antisocial by virtue of most your neighbors finding it that way.

You don't get to decide if you're antisocial or not. Society does.

Re: U.S. residents fight for the right to hang laundry (2009)

#246
post #241

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because, and you may not know this, some people have standards they live by. They like "nice things". And there's large groups of them that feel this way and want to ensure they don't attract an antisocial person that has different values. I feel like people have this really funny idea that everyone should accept them and respect them for exactly who they are and that people should respect whatever it is they want to…

It also nicely keeps out people with the wrong skin colour.

I haven't seen that any modern HOA contracts.

Re: U.S. residents fight for the right to hang laundry (2009)

#247

I'm in this thread as an American confused about why everyone cares about this. Everyone has a dryer here, either in their place of residence or in the location they do their laundry. Washer and dryer are a set pair. They're either stacked on top of each for compactness (some apartments) or they're next to each other in the same room. I've never even heard of a place in the US that doesn't have dryers where they have…

Using a dryer costs unnecessary energy, which is something environmentally-conscious people want to save. That should be enough reason. It's also just freedom in action, something which I thought Americans like.

Re: U.S. residents fight for the right to hang laundry (2009)

#248
post #241

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because, and you may not know this, some people have standards they live by. They like "nice things". And there's large groups of them that feel this way and want to ensure they don't attract an antisocial person that has different values. I feel like people have this really funny idea that everyone should accept them and respect them for exactly who they are and that people should respect whatever it is they want to…

It also nicely keeps out people with the wrong skin colour.

That's correct. It's very popular today to have "affinity groups" on college campuses that only allow people of certain skin colors in. For instance, a PoC affinity group disallows white people from being a part of it. They even have special graduation ceremonies where only people with certain complexions are allowed to participate. There's numerous examples beyond skin color like sexuality and gender.

Freedom of association I guess?

Re: U.S. residents fight for the right to hang laundry (2009)

#250

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually, yes, in the absence of hurting other people, people should generally be free to do what they like on their own property, even if other people don't like it. And yes, forcing other people to do or not-do what you want, by force of law and without regard for their own agency, is incompatible with freedom.

OK I'm going to buy property next door to you and store hundreds of drums of crude oil on it. That's OK? Hmmm, I think there's a thing called "reason" here, as in being "reasonable". no, we live in communities of people. We are not atomic units but rather a part of a community and the community decides what's OK and what isn't. If you can't abide by it then you need to find another community that agrees with you or m…

I actually agree. When people can't abide anti-freedom attitudes, they should part ways. Luckily, that's exactly what my country has done.

Since this is a story about the U.S., I ask that you try to view it through the appropriate cultural lens, rather than imposing your own.

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