A man was left upset after a new neighbour asked him to stop sleeping in the nude, having been told by the resident that he was being a ‘menace to the neighbourhood’.
Everyone has specific things they prefer when it comes to getting a good night’s sleep, whether it’s a certain position to lie in, a fan on the go all night or a particular clothing - or, in one man's case, the lack thereof.
Taking to Reddit’s Am I The A**hole (AITA) forum, the bloke explained how he'd got used to sleeping naked as a row of trees concealed him from any nearby neighbours, but that one day that all suddenly changed.
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He said: "So, I'm a 28 year old dude and have been living in my house for a few years now. One of the main reasons I chose this place was because my bedroom faced east, allowing me to wake up to the morning sunlight.
"Most mornings I wake up before my alarm goes off just because the sunlight coming through the window waking me up. There used to be a treeline that provided a natural barrier between my house and any potential neighbors, so I never saw the need for curtains or blinds along with they are expensive as hell for the nice ones.”
However, the man said his neighbourhood ‘expanded’, meaning most of the treeline protecting the view of his bedroom was cut down to build new houses.
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“So boom, then there's a house was built right across from mine, and their window has a clear view into my bedroom,” the Redditor continued.
“I've always been comfortable sleeping nude, and it wasn't an issue when there were no neighbors around.
“But not long after the people moved in the father from the house came over to my house and pretty much told me to stop being nude in front of my windows since his family can see inside my bedroom.
“He wasn't nice about it. But, he wasn't mean either just matter of factly like he gave me an order a fully expected it to be done like I was his kid or his employee.”
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The man said he felt ‘somewhat surprised’, but could understand his concern so took some steps to improve the situation slightly.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough.
“I made an effort to be more mindful of my nudity when in view of the window,” he went on.
“I stopped cleaning and making my bed before getting dressed. I'd hop out of bed walk into my closet and at least put on shorts then go about my morning chores.
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“That being said, I still sleep nude, and I occasionally end up being visible to the neighbors for a brief moment after waking up.
“The father came over again, leading to an argument between us. I told him I was trying my best to be considerate, but there's only so much I can do and that it's my house and I'm not changing my lifestyle because they moved in.
“He threatened to call the police and said I was being a ‘menace to the neighborhood’ whatever the hell that means.
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“So, am I the a**hole for continuing to sleep nude even though my neighbors can see into my bedroom?”
Many fellow Reddit users concluded they were not the a**hole, with one commenting: "NTA. Some commenters are suggesting OP should put blinds, if the neighbor is bothered then they should put up blinds. Why is this a problem for OP to solve?"
But one argued: "Just because it’s not OP’s fault doesn’t mean he doesn’t need to be proactive. Sometimes we have to solve problems that we didn’t cause and that’s just part of being human. Sure, it’s not really his issue, but if he wants his neighbor to stop complaining, it might be easier to concede and buy $10 worth of window coverings."
Topics: Reddit
Jess Hardiman