'If you want to be strict with the rules, then let's be strict with the rules': Kevin complains about neighboring family's camping setup, family maliciously complies

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Jul 28, 2023 2:00 PM EDT

It always feels like the people who are the most annoying about following the rules are actually the worst rule followers. We all know these folks. These are the people who spend way too much energy bossing other folks around without ensuring that they themselves are complying with whatever policies are being enforced. In short, these people look for mistakes in others rather than looking inward. It's never about the actual rules that have been put in place; instead, it's often coming from a selfish, egotistical place.

 

That certainly was the case at this camping site, where an entitled Kevin (or as the Redditor refers to him, an "old geezer") ruthlessly told OP and his family to move their caravan setup because it extended beyond the dimensions of their spot. This would have been a valid complaint to make were it not for the way in which he complained ("go back to Finland!" is not exactly kind neighborly behavior) and were it not for his own inability to comply with the rules. It turns out that the "old geezer" was violating his given dimensions as well (in fact, much more significantly). So, OP decided that if Kevin wanted to play this game, he was going to have to comply as well.

 

Keep scrolling below for the ensuing fallout. For more stories like this, check out this post about another entitled neighbor who abused his parking privileges. 

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  • 01
    Light - "Old geezer tells me to move!"
    via Scott Goodwill
  • 02
    Font - You want to be strict with the camping site rules? Then let's be strict with the rules! L OC Context: Few weeks ago I was touring Europe on my car and caravan with family. Usually people are very nice on camping sites with their temporary neighbours but this incident was a big exception to that rule. TL;DR; at the end.
    via u/joni79
  • 03
    Font - Story: We arrived to a very large camping site in the middle of Sweden late afternoon and after getting our keys and a printout info (camp site rules and local tourist attractions etc., actually like a magazine) from the reception we went to find our designated pitch to set up the caravan so we could start relaxing after hours and hours of driving.
    via u/joni79
  • 04
    Font - Now it might be relevant to see how the pitches and driveways are set up for the story to make better sense. See the linked picture (https://imgur.com/a/Gw8sjBy.) to help you visualise. Let's say I've been assigned the spot 67 and the old geezer of this story has the pitch 58.
    via u/joni79
  • 05
    Green - 26-27 Bilväg 24-2 167 168 169 170 171 172 166 165 164 163 162 161 185 184 183 182 155 156 157 158 159 160 154 153 152 151 150 149 148 147 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 124 123 122 121 120 119 118 117 116 115 B 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 92 91 90 89 88 87 86 85 84 83 8 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 61 60 59 58 57 56 55 54 53 52 62 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 5 Bilväg 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 18- 135 13 114
    via u/joni79
  • 06
    Font - So we release the kids to go find a playground and start the process of setting up camp. I back up the caravan to the pitch, detach the car, manually crank the support legs down and so on when a grumpy old geezer approaches yelling "Four meters! Four meters!"
    via u/joni79
  • 07
    Font - It was hot, I was sweating from the manual work and a bit confused so I ask perhaps a bit sharply what he is going on about? He manages to explain that "the rules say the caravans have to be 4 meters (about 13 feet) apart and that I absolutely must move my caravan" which is already half way done setting up camp.
    via u/joni79
  • 08
    Font - Now I admit that I did put my caravan only about 1 meter (little over 3 feet) from the back of the pitch but this jerk has his own caravan roughly the same distance or less from the perimeter and his front tents ground lines are ON OUR pitch. I go around checking the situation and leave my wife to talk with the geezer. I come back around after maby 30 seconds and see my wife upset. Before I can ask why, she tells me that the geezer told her verbatim "to go back to Finland!" after she had
    via u/joni79
  • 09
    Font - So I get angry. I'm positively seething and for a moment I consider getting physical, but then I decide to get petty instead.
    via u/joni79
  • 10
    Font - So I go undo the setup we've already done, I move the caravan, double check that I'm within the rules. This took me about 7 minutes. Then I go tell the geezer that I've now complied, so if you want to be strict with the rules, then let's be strict with the rules!
    via u/joni79
  • 11
    Font - Your own caravan is clearly in violation of the rules, so move the thing or I promise I'll go to the reception and complain. I was so angry that I remember my hand shaking while I emphasised my message with finger pointing. So I was pretty angry.
    via u/joni79
  • 12
    Font - Fallout: We got great satisfaction seeing he had to disassemble most of his front tent, crank up the support legs, get the car, attach the car, move his caravan and then re-setup everything. Took him and his partner about 25 - 30 minutes to do so. If you want to be a jerk, make sure you are also in compliance before complaining to someone else. These kind of rules that are usually more like suggestions anyway...
    via u/joni79
  • 13
    Font - Oh, and I also told the kids that there is a special situation here, you don't have to be quiet and consider the neighbours like normally. Instead you can shout and play as loudly as you like (within the allowed times to make noise) and they did. luckily the other surrounding pitches were not occupied at the time so this didn't bother anyone but the geezer and his partner.
    via u/joni79
  • 14
    Font - I also got a small solace from the fact that my wife did reply to the "Go back to Finland" comment with the age old classic" you!". We left the site and continued on our way the next day as planned.
    via u/joni79
  • 15
    Font - TL;DR; Old geezer tells me to move my half setup caravan because it's too close to the border. I move it and force him to move his more complex setup also, since he is breaking the same rule he asks me to comply with.
    via u/joni79
  • 16
    Font - +2.4 hr. ago "If you want to be a jerk, make sure you are also in compliance before complaining to someone else." The first rule of being a Karen/Ken. Zoreb1
    via u/joni79
  • 17
    Font - Stabbmaster 4 hr. ago +3. I guess you can say you, Finnish'ed him off
    via u/joni79
  • 18
    Font - Jelly-moonrise 4 hr. ago These kind of rules that are usually more like suggestions anyway... Now you have been doing this type of travelling for a long time and I have never ever camped in this way. BUT there are fire safety rules regulating how close you may place your van/trailer/tent next to others. If a fire breaks out and it spreads to other vans/trailers/tents because you were set up too close you could be liable.
    via u/joni79
  • 19
    Font - joni79 OP 4 hr. ago This is 100% true and I agree. There should be some space between the camps/vans/caravans but mostly people manage with common sense and don't actually break out a ruler and measure the distances, they just eyeball it and leave space in between.
    via u/joni79
  • 20
    Font - Glugstar 4 hr. ago I have found that people who are very strict with demanding others to follow the rules, often do not follow the rules well themselves. Bunch of hypocrites. They scream foul the loudest.
    via u/joni79

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karens malicious compliance revenge camp petty revenge karens in the wild camping entitled family reddit thread Reddit karen kevin entitled people
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