I (25f) live at an apartment complex with a community clubhouse. I work from home so I visit the clubhouse often. With that, I’ve found it convenient to keep one streaming account logged in on the TV, and purposefully created a separate profile FOR the residents to use if they’d like.
ICYMI – the Super Bowl was this past weekend, so I figured a few residents would end up watching the game on the large clubhouse TV. Before the game started, I decided to walk over to see what was going on. Surprisingly there was not a SOUL in the building. I didn’t really care about watching the game but I assumed someone else would, so I pulled up my handy dandy streaming service and put it on
I sat down with the intention of just watching the first half and keeping the game on after I left. Halfway through the second quarter, a woman (40sf) walked in with her young son (3?) and sat in the chairs next to mine. She chose the closest possible seat to me so I assumed she came to watch the game, but to my surprise she sighed and asked “are you watching this?”
Before I could even respond she started searching around the tables for the remote and stated: “we don’t have a smart TV at home, so we’d like to use the YouTube on this TV”
Now, let me be clear: I really don’t care about the Super Bowl. I never intended to even watch the full game. I don’t care who wins. I have a perfectly working TV in my home that I could easily watch the game on. But Reddit, I swear there was just something in this woman’s tone that instantly transformed me into the greatest Seahawks fan of all time. A lifelong NFL season ticket holder with their life savings riding on this game. It is in this moment, I fear I may have become TA.
Me: “yes, I am watching this. It’s the Super Bowl tonight!”
Lady: “Right… but we can’t get what we need on TV at home, and the Super Bowl is on everywhere. So do you mind?”
Me: “I get it, but I was kinda here first and am enjoying my time.”
Lady: “This is a COMMUNITY center which means as a COMMUNITY we need to respect each other in the COMMUNAL areas. It’s not respectful to hoard a space meant for all.”
Me: “If you planned to use a COMMUNAL space tonight, you should have been sure you were first to arrive. You are more than welcome to join me – The halftime show will be on soon!”
Lady scoffed and relocated to another table. She sat in the corner on her phone while her son asked to watch his show (this made me feel horrible). This went on for 30 mins and it felt like this lady was just trying to ice me out. Then she muttered something under her breath and left.
Here’s why I may be TA: I may have picked a hill to die on that wasn’t worth the principle. Lady is correct that I can watch the Super Bowl at home. It is also true that I do not actually care about the Super Bowl, but her son really cared about his show. I am afraid I should have just swallowed my pride and gave in to keep the peace – or at least let little buddy enjoy some YouTube 🙁
So, AITA?
Info: Was literally anyone else there watching the superbowl at the time or were you just gate keeping an experience literally no one turned up for.
ESH. Were there any adults in the room? Because it sounds like the only person who didn’t act like a three year old, was the three year old. Good grief.
NTA – YouTube works just fine on a phone… like the one she had in her hand.
Why were you gatekeeping the communal tv when you were the only one there and didn’t really care to watch the Superbowl?
You just wanted to be mean cos she wasn’t polite enough. She obvs didn’t want her kid to watch YouTube on her phone that’s why she would rather have the kid whine beside her while she doom scrolled.
ESH.
I think her attitude deserved her being an asshole. Giving people what they wanted after acting entitled sets a bad precedent.
Tbf she didnt really catch an attitude until op did. Asking to change the channel isnt inherently rude
>Lady: “This is a COMMUNITY center which means as a COMMUNITY we need to respect each other in the COMMUNAL areas. It’s not respectful to hoard a space meant for all.”
This wasnt attitude?
OP was leaving after the 2nd quarter. She wasn’t watching TV. After the woman said “we don’t have a smart TV” OP decided to become the biggest Seahawks fan. She said it was the woman’s tone. What a load of crap.
YTA OP.
YTA, what were you trying to prove?
YTA.
You’re not a massive jerk or anything, but you had a needlessly spiteful reaction to a pretty simple request.
YTA. You admit you didn’t date about the Super Bowl and held that line purely to spite the woman, and at the expense of a kid. There is no way around that being unmitigated asshole behavior.
You obviously feel like you’re more entitled to control the community television because you put your streaming service on there. And you feel the need to be a stubborn asshole when your entitlement isn’t fulfilled. You denied a 3 year old the ability to watch his show because you felt slighted over a question. What ridiculous behavior for an adult. YTA
ESH. She definitely was acting very entitled and you could have handled i better but honestly maybe you just need to take your personal YT login off the TV and let the community center get there own if they want it.
I’m confused by this mother: I would not expect to go to a community center on Super Bowl Sunday and not expect said Super Bowl to be on the TV. It’s kinda the most-watched event in America. Like, that’s the one time you don’t get to demand to change the channel? And you are well aware of the time it is being broadcast.
I don’t like football. I slept through the Super Bowl (I prefer the term Superb Owl), and I wouldn’t be that big of a dick as to demand someone change the channel who was watching it. Entitled fuck raising an entitled fuck.