Are people really that petty?
 

I heard that some people were snatching up tickets to the square music outings and throwing them away, just so other people can’t attend. Is this true? Are people really that petty and ignorant enough to do that? If you don’t want to attend these events, then stay home! I retired and moved here because of the wonderful amenities and activities that go on here. And Town square events was one of them. If you are childish enough to do something like that, then you have bigger mental issues than I can deal with. Stay home and dwindle away to nothing, you won’t be missed. We, however, have chosen to live life and enjoy it! I didn’t spend my entire life working and saving, just to sit inside and watch murder she wrote!

To answer your question, yes. There are many of those in The Villages that cannot handle the fact that many of us feel comfortable being out and about and socializing with others. They are so upset that we are not living our lives in our basements with our masks on. The idea that we would dare try to live normally once again makes them so upset that I would not put it past them to purchase up as many tickets as they can just to stick it to us.

If there is a way to F up your day, be sure someone will find it!

Did you stand in line and unable to get a ticket ? Please describe the procedure / experience for those of us that have not tried yet. Please keep the reply as first hand experience not "I heard" or "I read".

Hard to believe people would be so miserable to do this

this sounds more like a rumor than reality...there may have been a few instances where someone did this, but highly unlikely that this is an 'organized' effort occurring on a regular basis

I frankly don't think the square entertainment at this time is popular as some might think.

Every night all tickets are no longer available, even the entertainment that didn’t draw many, yet only 1/2 or less are attending. We stopped at the ticket center to pick up ours (printer out of ink) two women in their maybe mid eighties (guessing) both got two tickets. One said that takes care of a few, we needed 3 tickets, but all tickets were gone. I asked if they could spare one ticket. Since she was wearing a mask, and a shield, I could not see facial expression. NO,,,,,no one is using these tickets, ripped in half, and they walked away.

The nice lady at the booth said not the first time, it’s happened, and how sad it was.

So yes here is your sign, some feel empowered to control other lives.

I just returned from the land of Covid (not in this state, and stop fretting, I am here, left my position due to an unexpected fracture, didn’t leave my home for 6 weeks, due to mobility) so after 5 months of the craziness of hospital life, I find that some in TV are more than scary for me.

You are sooooo correct. There is a subset of people who think they can control other people's lives. These are the people who drive alone in their cars or golf carts with a mask on. When challenged (on line) they have a million excuses--"I forgot to take it off, I was going to the store and didn't want to fiddle with it in the parking lot, etc." They will claim they are wearing it to protect ME:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:. Sorry, but if you are driving in your car, you don't need to protect ME. In reality, these people think they are protecting themselves, they saw something on TV or on Mrs. Google and now feel they are self proclaimed experts who intend to cram their opinion down everyone else's throat. They are suffering from delusional paranoia with excessive rationalization but claim they are not afraid. The reality is the opposite. This is similar to the person who posted a few years ago that they always take the left lane on 466 in a 45 zone at 30 mph. because THEY feel that is fast enough, and want to cram their opinion down my throat. They don't care that traffic experts and elected officials have studied the road and set the speed limit, any more than they care that not a single expert has suggested wearing a mask alone in a car. They have their irrational opinion and will stick with it no matter what facts or medical information is thrown their way.
All that is fine, they have the right to drive with a mask on, just as I have the right to ridicule them. But when they decide to open their yaps, that's where I draw the line. There was a guy last week, sitting in his cart at the mailboxes with a mask on. There were 3 or 4 other people there, well distanced, but this clown decides to start yelling at a woman for not wearing a mask. I couldn't resist, so I went and hovered over him and stated "I'm not wearing a mask either, care to start yelling at me, because you will not like the response". He left. Another TOTV post stated that if anyone comes within 20 feet he holds up his hand and yells "stop!". Like his hand means anything to anyone.
If this wasn't a serious worldwide pandemic, all this behavior would be even more laughable, but unfortunately for the victims, not so funny.

very sad indeed hearing that there ARE actually some 'self righteous' folks in TV that are deliberately signing up for tickets with the only intention of destroying them

IMHO we don't need 'hall monitors'

Keep in mind we are seeing/hearing the isolated cases that do not represent the majority of residents who abide by the rules.

Are we???? According to the person who was checking passes at LSL, less than 25% of those with a pass show up. There will always be no shows, but this seems extraordinarily high. Couple that with posters that have "testified" that they have seen people rip up their pass as soon as they walked away from getting it, it makes me wonder.

If someone willfully destroys their ticket or just fails to attend, they really don't accomplish a thing. Walk-ins are allowed after 6 pm if capacity allows.

True, but the issue is less the efficacy of their strategy, and more the mind set of those pathetic individuals

A post such as below will likely make people think it is.

Where did you hear it from?

My conspiracy theory debunk, based on nothing but personal observation, which is limited since I haven't seen or heard of anyone with tickets at all:

People found out that they can go back to the squares, but ONLY if they get tickets. The tickets are free and once the tickets are gone, no one else can get them. So it's an exclusive offer. They have no idea if they're going to the squares or not but hey - free, and limited. So sure let's all get them.

And then they don't go, because they weren't getting tickets specifically to go - they were only getting them "just in case I want to go."

Sort of like when someone offers you a pad of paper at Staples because it's National Teacher Appreciation week and you used to be a teacher and have the teacher rewards card. So you take the free pad of paper, and it sits in the trunk of your car and you never use it and eventually throw it away when you go to sell your car 10 years later.

Same principal. If it's free and limited, people will get them even if they have no intention or specific plans of taking advantage of whatever they got for free and limited.

If this is true, their strategy will not work. A friend of mine went to Spanish Springs for the music, she did not have a ticket but thought she would go and walk around anyway. When there was not that many people in the music venue, they opened it up to everyone, no ticket needed because there was so few people there anyway. She called me while she was there and wanted me to come up to enjoy the music inside the pearly gates

Free is good, wonder who payed for the printing of those tickets that are now sitting inside a trash can... :popcorn:

The developer, the county, and the merchants who run shops in the squares. Entertainment on those squares are not amenities so it's not coming out of amenity fees. It's coming out of taxes paid to the county, and the entertainment group that is a subsidiary of the Villages Holding LLC (the developer).

The answer to that is the merchants on the squares pay for the ticket process and they also pay the Entertainment Department, a separate entity that used to be run by the developer but now is run by the same person but is supposedly stand alone. However ...the merchants still pay for the entertainment along with a stipend from the entertainment tax. (I think I remember that correctly)

I didn't hear or see anyone saying to take up the tickets for entertainment, but I did read on Facebook a person who was saying to get the tickets to see the Vice President and then not go.

Nothing much surprises me anymore.

I do not know the original poster. However, I was told the same thing about people getting passes and then deliberately not showing up. The person who told me this was at Brownwood last Saturday evening. He said at 7:00 pm there were less than 30 people inside the square. The person scanning in the tickets said it was a “sold out” show and stated people get tickets and not show up. I think in lawyer speak this would be anecdotal evidence that what is described is happening.

Really?! Good to know.

Geez, What business is it of yours to judge? If people want to wear a mask to bed, it is their choice--it's their constitutional right after all.

Correct, I said that. Likewise, I have the constitutional right to mock their ignorance

I truly hope people are not reserving tickets with the intention of not going. There are small businesses in these squares that have had a very tough year. They need the traffic to try and stay in business. By taking tickets out of the system with no intention of using them people are reducing traffic these businesses desperately need. Please think about your impact to these businesses if you are thinking about or doing this.

I agree 100% (except for The Constitution part.)
Wow! I must have missed those things when I read The Constitution. I must have also missed the part where it says we have the "unalienable right to be rude and obnoxious." Must be in there somewhere because there is so much of it going around.

If they required me to go, I would buy a ticket to allow me to not go.

Just like the people who felt nobody should be allowed to play golf. They would stand shoulder to shoulder at the first tee to take pictures trying to document a few golfers standing closer than 6 feet apart while waiting to tee off. At Lopez, the golf pro came out and admonished the picture takers for not social distancing before telling them he would have them charged with trespassing if they stayed there without a tee time. There are too many of these types in The Villages.

Well that just depends doesn't it? If you mock them in person, it could be considered harassment, which is against the law, and NOT a constitutional right.

Are there really Villagers that would sink so low - I hope not!
 

WOW I really find it hard to believe any Villagers would stoop so low as to get tickets just to stop others from going. I can believe that perhaps something came or they didnt fell good or even forgot but just getting tickets to deny others makes no sense to me and if true it has to be a very very small number (I hope they can sleep good at night).

Really? Get on YouTube and watch the golf cart parade from last summer supporting the incumbent. You will see these people standing along the way.

not much surprises most of us anymore

Ummmmm-----1st amendment.

But you are right---if someone is that paralyzed with fear, they need psychiatric help, not mocking.

You heard? Again, the rumor mill. If you want to go, get your tix and dont concern yourself with others and the local gossip group.

Right on, we feel the same way.

A single case of someone insulting you (without threatening some kind of harm) doesn't appear to meet the legal threshold for harassment.


When Can You Sue for Harassment & Emotional Distress? | Legal Beagle

Thanks for the information. I didn’t know this about walk-ins allowed after 6 PM. I’m going to check that out and for sure go down to hear some music.

As sure as I breathe, I know there is....petty to the core...

No political references, apparently your special...