Neighbor shamed on Nextdoor for 'horrifying' Halloween decor. 'I'm not a depraved psychopath.' AITA?
"AITA for putting up scary Halloween decorations in my front yard?"
Every year, I go really big for Halloween and Christmas. My house is typically the most-visited and talked about house in my big neighborhood. This year, I added some new pieces to my Halloween display that include a scary butcher guy and his deli case full of body parts.
I also have skeletons climbing all over the roof, a graveyard with a grave digger guy, and a headless horseman. I typically have people of all ages say how much they love it and how fun they think it is.
This morning, some lady posted on Nextdoor about how horrifying and awful my display is, and that it scared her toddlers so much they cried. She went on a rant about how terrible of a person I must be to put such scary things in my yard in a family neighborhood, and I should respect others fears and take it all down.
I do it just for fun, and because most people enjoy it. I'm not a depraved psychopath and do not advocate for serial killers, as this woman alluded to. I think if you're walking down the street with your kids, and you see a house coming up that you think might freak them out, it's your job as the parent...
...to either turn around and walk away, or walk on the opposite side of the street and try to not let them see it up close--Not to stand right in front of it, take photos, then put your neighbor on blast on social media while your kids are crying and scared. So am I the ahole?
Here's what top commenters had to say about this one:
snobahr said:
NTA. NextDoor is full of whiny a-holes. If you want to be petty, you could thank her for the free publicity.
PugRexia said:
NTA. It's Halloween...People decorate their house with scary stuff on Halloween.. Is this lady new to this or something?
ksharonisok said:
Butchered body parts is a bit too much for me. I can see how that would scare children for real. Soft ESH.
Allaboutbird said:
NTA. One of my neighbors puts up really gory halloween decorations that scare my youngest daughter. I explained to her that they're not real and we just make sure not to walk by that house until Halloween is over. It's all in good fun and you can do what you want with your own property.
queenofthera said:
ESH. IMO, your decorations go beyond what's appropriate to display in the street. Just a bit too far. I'd say you're more guilty of being inconsiderate rather than being a full on asshole: IMO, it's a faux pas rather than a d move.
The neighbor totally overreacted though. Toddlers getting scared is a part of life and dragging you online was not an appropriate response.
Doun2others said:
YTA. Put decorations like that in your house or back yard. There’s a reason violent movies aren’t rated G. Who do you think you are to force kids to look at that?