Because starting a fight with rude ignorant people is a good solution? My solution is ignore. BK is right we spend way too much time focused on the bad behavior when in my experience most people are quite nice.

Ok - I jumped off my soapbox too soon ...

Further evidence, of The Villages still being "the friendliest hometown", is the fact that we repeatedly encourage newcomers and prospective buyers to go out to the squares, talk to people, ask them about the villages. We tell them that if they are lost, just whip out a map and expect for Villagers to stop and help (and they do). Or, in my case, in a spirit of helpfulness recommend they join TOTV to get the "scoop" from real people.

Surely we would not recommend that if we thought for a moment that they were going to hear various "war stories" of ill-treatment and rude people, and bad food, greedy developers and of course the ever-present dog poop! No sane person would give that advice if they thought so -- my guess is none or few do. I think collectively we are all proud of The Villages for one reason or another.

And a short personal story:

In April 2016 we moved to The Villages so it is just over two years. I find my sense of "awe' is lessening a little. When we first got here I could not stop admiring the fact that there is no graffiti, that people do smile and wave, that the flowers up and down 466 are beautiful, etc., etc., etc. But like I've heard about people who live with a beautiful sunset view, eventually they get used to it and it just simply stops registering on an emotional level. It's not the environment that has changed. But the participants in that environment. I've come to expect that my expectations are fulfilled, and, for the most part, they are. So what I will remember and feel emotionally charged about will be the exceptions.

Imagine that hometown feeling dwindling if you have been here since 2005. Interesting enough in 2005 we were looking at a courtyard villa for sale by owner. I asked why would you be moving. Response was TV getting too big. When you went to the squares everyone knew each other. Now it is big enough that the "knuckleheads" can hide behind each other. As always the ying and the yang. Has lost a lot of luster for me also. Still have not found better but I never stop looking.

And there's nothing wrong with "still looking". If I could find all that I have now but surrounded by tons of traditional, family-owned restaurants of all ethnic persuasions, that are close enough that they deliver or I can pick-up without driving 40 minutes to an hour round trip (I am married to a man who hates to dine out) I would be out of here in a Flash!

Let's make a pact, whoever finds Nirvana first, let the other one know, OK? But in the meantime, we will continue to enjoy this Paradise.

Going on 15 years and the "awe" has only heightened/increased/improved year by year.

Excluding the negatives the other 98% plus of us continue enjoying the lifestyle we sought in TV!!!!!

:bigbow:

We have been here since June of 2005 and I still admire the vision of the Villages' developers as well as Talk Host in creating Talk of the Villages.

There does seem to be more difficult people vocalizing their various concerns whether valid or not. And now the malcontents seem to be organizing.

They aspire to hit 2%......if the 98% just ignores them the 2% will dwindle, go silent or away!!

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a WINNER!!!:MOJE_whot::MOJE_whot::MOJE_whot::MOJE_wh ot::MOJE_whot:

LMAO. Funny. Good one!

People. They are the worst. Especially the nice ones.

Could it be that as we get older and frailer, and yes, even pass on, many simply stop going to the squares? So there are fewer "old" faces to recognize and they are replaced by those younger or in better physical health.

Haha

I have let The Villages change me. People who come to visit us have commented on it to my wife, is he sick or medicated? Her explanation is that it is this joint. The Serenity we have found here is priceless. I am cool calm and collected for the most part now. I'm under construction but from going from being upset by the time I got to work because a half hour ride took an hour and a half because of traffic to occasionally being inconvenienced has been a great transformation. We have friends who freak out about "THE BIRDS". I swear I don't get it not one bit. More great people but looking at them like being an inconvenience is a no go for me. As you can tell I we are still in love with our new HOME.

The really great thing about losing that edge that I had from living my entire life in a nut house is that when needed the old Habits can be summonsed it a minute. My lifelong saying is I don't have heart attacks, I give them. It's still true but I haven't had the need to call up that skill in almost 2 1/2 years. An Old Timer.

I told Mrs. Nucky to enjoy the sites up and down Morse and Buena Vista in the beginning because as time wore on it wouldn't be a thrill seeing the beautiful sites as it would become common. We still can't believe how nice it is so I was wrong.

Never thought my post would continue as it has...but what you say is correct and I so agree. I guess I was just shocked a bit by the behavior I spoke about as most folks I've encountered are friendly and courteous. Being rude in public isn't the way I was raised nor is it, I don't think by most of us. I love where we live and all that it has to offer. We only have today, yesterday is gone and we're not promised tomorrow---so I'd say let's just chill and enjoy what time we have while we're here. (speaking to the broader group and not you "Pollyanna")