Its not yours, so don't use it, dammit!

[Seydaman]

because 75% percent of the people on earth are idiots, 10% escapists 15%scientists

 

[Valiance]

I usually don't leave it laying around. I did for a while- I have a few gamer friends who couldn't bring their PS2s. When the controller got messed up, I took the controller away, so that they could play it with their own controllers. And I don't want to make them miserable because of a few jerks. And I'm out of the dorm a lot, between being a TA, classes, and just not liking the horrible yellow walls, and...
Yeah, I guess I am being too nice. But I don't wanna deprive 'em...
*proceeds to face an internal conflict between benevolence and self-intrest*

I mean no offense by what I'm about to say. I apologize if it ends up sounding like a personal attack.

1: Unfortunately, I cannot reason why anyone in their right mind would do this, but I suppose you should be really damn careful and hide the thing whenever you aren't going to be around it.
The same thing happened to a friend of mine and her laptop, to the point where she'd come home from class and there's three people she's never met in the dorm who are apparently "her roommates friends" using her laptop. I find things like that intolerable, personally, because I don't even know the person, and her roommate had her own laptop that she was apparently out with.
My friend ended up having her laptop bolted to the desk, and she came home one day to her desk not being there, since apparently a friend of a friend of a friend had to type up a report, so they just took it and moved it. Don't know why they didn't use the computer lab but oh well.

Anyway, the moral of the story is that for some reason, people are really inconsiderate and you cannot change them. The only thing you can change is how you react to them. I recommend taking more of a firm action and, like, hiding the things you don't want people to have. Food, games, important documents, etc.

2: I meet a lot of people who like to please other people, and that's a really great thing, but please remember to do things for yourself now and then, since most of the people you end up being nice to are total dicks, and in the end your generosity is abused and exploited by people who don't really deserve it.

3: It's hard to be assertive, but if someone is doing something like that, granted, they might be bigger or stronger than you, but college kids are fucking morons and don't want to get involved with anything that might get them in trouble, so remind them that it's illegal, and then take it, and then kick them in the balls, or sprint to your dorm. This isn't a really serious statement, but I don't know how to get this point across. Unfortunately, when people stand up for themselves, they can get hurt, but you should try doing it anyway. Don't let people walk all over you.

 

[sky14kemea]

thats crap >_<
its like when my friends come round and start reading my mums magazines, mainly because i dont have any, but when i wanna do something they just go "yeah" and keep reading
what you need to do is take the controller with you or something, or the power cable, then they cant use it without asking

p.s i love FF9! ^_^

 

[Erana]

I usually don't leave it laying around. I did for a while- I have a few gamer friends who couldn't bring their PS2s. When the controller got messed up, I took the controller away, so that they could play it with their own controllers. And I don't want to make them miserable because of a few jerks. And I'm out of the dorm a lot, between being a TA, classes, and just not liking the horrible yellow walls, and...
Yeah, I guess I am being too nice. But I don't wanna deprive 'em...
*proceeds to face an internal conflict between benevolence and self-intrest*

I mean no offense by what I'm about to say. I apologize if it ends up sounding like a personal attack.

1: Unfortunately, I cannot reason why anyone in their right mind would do this, but I suppose you should be really damn careful and hide the thing whenever you aren't going to be around it.
The same thing happened to a friend of mine and her laptop, to the point where she'd come home from class and there's three people she's never met in the dorm who are apparently "her roommates friends" using her laptop. I find things like that intolerable, personally, because I don't even know the person, and her roommate had her own laptop that she was apparently out with.
My friend ended up having her laptop bolted to the desk, and she came home one day to her desk not being there, since apparently a friend of a friend of a friend had to type up a report, so they just took it and moved it. Don't know why they didn't use the computer lab but oh well.

Anyway, the moral of the story is that for some reason, people are really inconsiderate and you cannot change them. The only thing you can change is how you react to them. I recommend taking more of a firm action and, like, hiding the things you don't want people to have. Food, games, important documents, etc.

2: I meet a lot of people who like to please other people, and that's a really great thing, but please remember to do things for yourself now and then, since most of the people you end up being nice to are total dicks, and in the end your generosity is abused and exploited by people who don't really deserve it.

3: It's hard to be assertive, but if someone is doing something like that, granted, they might be bigger or stronger than you, but college kids are fucking morons and don't want to get involved with anything that might get them in trouble, so remind them that it's illegal, and then take it, and then kick them in the balls, or sprint to your dorm. This isn't a really serious statement, but I don't know how to get this point across. Unfortunately, when people stand up for themselves, they can get hurt, but you should try doing it anyway. Don't let people walk all over you.

Part of it was the shock value- the people who were being such jerks to me are on a "I don't hang out with you, but I wave and smile pleasantly when I see you" basis. I just couldn't figure it out, so my first instinct was to assume they were just having a bad day, or something.

 

[SomeBritishDude]

You are far too nice about that. I'd have just walked over and yanked it, the DVD player works, they didn't ask, it's yours, you need it.
I probably have an advantage when doing that though, being a 6'4" dude and all...

They do it because it's there and you let them. The only effective way to stop it is to take the Playstation away.

Exactly. You're being way too nice. First of all I wouldn't even leave stuff like that around in the first place. You know that if someone uses it without permission, and then breaks it, they're definitely not going to pay for repairs or a new one.

So, don't leave it laying around. And if for some unknown reason you can't, then actually give some back talk to anyone who uses it. I would have fucking opened the PS2 and thrown the CD away if someone was doing that to me.

I usually don't leave it laying around. I did for a while- I have a few gamer friends who couldn't bring their PS2s. When the controller got messed up, I took the controller away, so that they could play it with their own controllers. And I don't want to make them miserable because of a few jerks. And I'm out of the dorm a lot, between being a TA, classes, and just not liking the horrible yellow walls, and...
Yeah, I guess I am being too nice. But I don't wanna deprive 'em...
*proceeds to face an internal conflict between benevolence and self-intrest*

Oh, and did anyone actually click on the whole rant, or was Buffy a successful deterrent?

I am I the only guy who likes Buffy?

Anyway, Like a lot of people have said, you've got to be a Jackass about it. If its yours, they shouldn't be using it. I haven't experience roommates yet, but I certainly have a sister, and theres pretty much only real response to this kind of behavior.

*proceeds to flick grapes at a crying sister*

 

[Charli]

My family does this. They too recieve the stink eye when I come down to the living room and find teletubbies or some other manner of 4 year old show lodged in my dear PS2, destroying any dignity I had for a few seconds by actually touching the disk.

Our House has 3 DVD players. THREE. Why is my console suddenly an option for Saturday morning kiddies marathon over the machine specifically designed for the job?!

 

[Zykon TheLich]

Clearly the only course of action in that situation is to break the DVD player over the head of the one you consider most obnoxious.

Failing that, perhaps next time something along the lines of:

"I want to use my playstation now, can I have it please?" (In as polite and non-confrontational tone as possible)

A negative response can be met with:

"No, I really would like it now please" etc

Saying "are you using that without my permission etc etc" might put some peoples noses out of joint and could get a more negative reaction. It shouldn't, it's yours, they should ask your permission, but thats the way some people react.
Asking politely first doesn't give them any reason to get sniffy and if they do, go for option 1, you were nice, they were assholes, it's time for a DVD player to the skull. Plus it makes it even more shocking and trains them not to mess with you when you go from obseqiously polite to strangling them with their own intestines in the blink of an eye.

Also, a lot of people take post it notes saying 'don't take my stuff' as a bit of an affront and a challenge to do do the exact opposite as a kind of 'fuck you'. Best option is to keep your things where they can't get them or put razor blades and needles in all your stuff. That'll learn 'em.

[DISCLAIMER: Don't put needles and razor blades in all your stuff, or any of the other stupid shit I suggested, killing your dorm mates will affect your grades]

 

[Valiance]

Part of it was the shock value- the people who were being such jerks to me are on a "I don't hang out with you, but I wave and smile pleasantly when I see you" basis. I just couldn't figure it out, so my first instinct was to assume they were just having a bad day, or something.

Yeah, there's people like that who occasionally show up at my house wanting to borrow things from me...People I haven't hung out with in like a year and a half come by and talk to me about school for 5 minutes before asking me if they can have some of my shit. I didn't realize I was being exploited until later, and even to this day I think that maybe I really just overthink it all and they felt i could just help them out.

I honestly don't know - I'm human, so are you, but I personally don't think it's a good idea to let things like that just happen. I'm sorry that a lot of people act that way, and that the whole post-it note idea doesn't work the way it should.

Maybe they sincerely didn't know at the time, and the sticker was taken off by someone else, or something, so I guess just let them know next time and...Meh.

I'm getting off-topic. I know people that do just use things without asking, and I do to sometimes but only if the person has told me previously that it's okay to do it. Like if a friend says something along the lines of "yeah, you can get whatever's in the fridge if you're thirsty" and then has to go use the bathroom, I'd go get something.

I feel awkward about it, since like his parents are watching me giving me that look like "the fuck, you're just gonna take that?" so I'm all like "errrr, Tommy said I can get a drink..." And then they're all like "DAR HAR HAR OF COURSE DON'T YOU BE SILLY IT'S NOT SO SERIOUS, HELP YOURSELF HONEY, LOL WHY'D YOU EVEN MENTION IT?" and I simply feel weird about it.

So I don't know if that counts as having permission or not. Someone's asleep, they've never had a problem with me using their Gamecube with them not around before, am I allowed to use it? Sometimes I do, and they get up and don't mind, sometimes they get up and do mind, in which case I attempt to explain myself and I usually have a valid reason to act how I did, (It was okay two days ago...) to which I understand and then change my behavior if it's a problem.

 

[Bofus Teefus]

Oh, and did anyone actually click on the whole rant, or was Buffy a successful deterrent?

I would've clicked for a Buffy rant.

Give this some though, it might not be this simple givenDo this now, it's what I did. Pick one (and not more than one) of your friends and roommate up in an apartment. Have an understanding that if it's in the living room, it belongs to anyone. We've got every system imaginable, we both play religiously (meaning alot- we don't pray before we play or anything), and yet we have no real conflicts over my stuff/her stuff.

 

[KiLlErCoRn]

You were way too nice. If they acted that rude in the first place, i wouldn't have hesitated to take the ps2 with me, no matter if the episode is almost done. Not my problem.

I would have to say that you are to nice yourself. Im an a-hole when it comes to these things so i would have done worse than unplug it. i can be a b**** when it comes to thing like this =D

 

[Monkfish Acc.]

I have to deal with this type of thing a lot. My siblings and their friends just abuse the crap out of my stuff, and I'm too nice to tell them off for it. Hell, the only time I get to play my own games is when my younger brother is no longer interested in them.

Dammit, I need to grow a spine.

 

[Easykill]

I don't like the people you associate with. They seem to live in some kind of messed up world where not being selfless to them is being selfish, and where their true selfishness is somehow different. Not pleasant.

 

[arcainia]

You are far too nice about that. I'd have just walked over and yanked it, the DVD player works, they didn't ask, it's yours, you need it.
I probably have an advantage when doing that though, being a 6'4" dude and all...

They do it because it's there and you let them. The only effective way to stop it is to take the Playstation away.

Exactly. You're being way too nice. First of all I wouldn't even leave stuff like that around in the first place. You know that if someone uses it without permission, and then breaks it, they're definitely not going to pay for repairs or a new one.

So, don't leave it laying around. And if for some unknown reason you can't, then actually give some back talk to anyone who uses it. I would have fucking opened the PS2 and thrown the CD away if someone was doing that to me.

I usually don't leave it laying around. I did for a while- I have a few gamer friends who couldn't bring their PS2s. When the controller got messed up, I took the controller away, so that they could play it with their own controllers. And I don't want to make them miserable because of a few jerks. And I'm out of the dorm a lot, between being a TA, classes, and just not liking the horrible yellow walls, and...
Yeah, I guess I am being too nice. But I don't wanna deprive 'em...
*proceeds to face an internal conflict between benevolence and self-intrest*

Oh, and did anyone actually click on the whole rant, or was Buffy a successful deterrent?

Well if you leave it out for your friends to use, then you could just tell your friends that from now on, they're gonna have to come over and ask you when they want to use it. It can't be that hard. And once they are done using it, they should put it back in a safe place so that other people can't touch it. If they can't even do that much, I'd consider getting new friends really.

And yes, I did read the whole thing~

 

[Siris]

God, this happens to me way too often when my dad wants to watch some old DVD and I want to actually play the PS3, not use it as a nice big shiny DVD player

 

[GodsOneMistake]

OMG my dad does this all the time

 

[Sparrow]

They're only human.

AND THAT MAKES THEM DICKHEADS. And no I'm not exaggerating. People, humans, what every you want to call us. We're nobheads. Shit happens, and it's usually because of us. Get used to it.