Why do people dislike satellite dishes?

[guapoharry]

Iceberg's tale of the neighbor who went passive-aggressive on him got me to thinking. What is it that people dislike about satellite dishes?

They don't make a lot of noise.
They don't make odor.
They don't chase you down the street.
They don't require much care.


They give you years of service.

But the mere sight of one [ on / next to / near ] your house gets some people all riled up.. such that they have to tell you what to do...

What's up with that?

Could it be that some are sort of big? But if so, why do they care...?

 

[LocutusOfBorg]

I guess it's one of those "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" things. Some people don't like amateur radio or TV antennas either. I guess they think that it might reduce the resale value of their home also. I must admit that it suprised me at how prominent my 12 footer looked from my neighbors house.

 

[Anole]

. . . and . . .

Why do so many wives fight over dishes on their own house?
Many come to like 'em once they realize what the dishes bring to their life.

Iceberg once described making friends with a member of his HOA (maybe the then President), by inviting him over to enjoy a game that was only available on C-band.

Are people just resistant to what they don't understand?
Or are they jealous that you might have something they can't comprehend?
Maybe a policy of education would help.
And leaving all the details aside, those GloryStar systems might be the way to begin.
Of course, if that wouldn't be attractive to a belligerent neighbor, there's always ethnic programming.
I'm thinking that between religion and some foreign language, you should be able to pique the interest of 70% of America! - :up

Just keep your presentation simple; don't shotgun 'em with news, sports feeds, HD, NASA, et al.
Give 'em single simple examples, 'till ya fine one that presses their button! -
And once ya get 'em converted, bring 'em here!

 

[Mr Tony]

Some folks just dont like them for whatever reason. I can understand their concern when someone has one system and changes to the other and now they have 2 dishes on the roof when one isnt in use. Or better yet they go to cable so now they have TWO dishes there.

My neighbor hasnt said anything about it now in two days...of course the 15 foot "T" bolted to the chimney for her hubby's beer hops is still up
..I think she doesnt want 12 holes back in the new roof for the 3 dishes....its actually 15 holes as the antenna on the roof too

 

[Mr Tony]

Iceberg once described making friends with a member of his HOA (maybe the then President), by inviting him over to enjoy a game that was only available on C-band.

yep it is "mr beer hops on the giant wooden T"...aka my crabby neighbor's husband

 

[Skyscanner]

Harry,
I really think it's somewhat a regional thing, it depends on where you live. I live in a remote area outside a village of 400. The whole county I live in only has about 12000 people, some folks live in places where it seems like there are that many people on thier block. It's like a little wild west town here, just about anything goes except for dangerous violations of the law. In the winter, all roads except for interstates are open for snowmobile traffic, people even ride down the few sidewalks they have in the village, nobody much cares, nobody notices, and nobody says anything because they enjoy the freedoom of being able to do that someday if they chose to. I really think people who would object to satellite dishes tend to gravitate toward population centers, and as anyone can tell you, if you multiply the population, you multiply the problems. Complaining about satellite dishes is not the problem, it's only a symptom, if they didn't have dishes to complain about it would be something else. The less control these people feel they have over thier lives the more they look for something to complain about in the hopes they can somehow gain some kind of control over the situation, and thus their lives. They crave control. These people are generally unhappy by nature, and think you should be too. People who have a live-and-let-live attitude tend to be happier by nature and seem to gravitate toward rural areas, [although a happy person can be at home anywhere] and just generally enjoy being alive, and as long as what you're doing doesn't harm anyone, they will come over and help you do it. Like come over and help you set up a new dish for example.
Sky

 

[USDownlink]

envy

Dish for me, no dish for you
The Free Lance-Star, Nov 18, 1997

Fredericksburg, VA - It is an all too common complaint heard by owners of satellite dishes. Neighbors don't like looking at them, homeowners associations are hostile towards them, and cable television installers claim to be threatened by their very existence. Yet one researcher believes this is all a facade.

"Dishes are part of the landscape of America, and indeed the world" says Dr. Alexander Thissey, professor of Technological Sociology and head of Satellite Communications Research at the Southern Virginia University. "But it is clear some people don't like them. If we consider for a moment it might be an irrational position to take, one can then start asking the right questions."

Thissey points towards a 1996 Gallup poll which suggested those who do not own dishes are upset by their inability to own a dish. A staggering 64% of non-dish owners said they feel left out by restrictions on their ability to point a dish south, with another 23% citing their own lack of technical prowess. Thissey believes this embarrassment can manifest in people taking out their frustrations on dish owners.

"They think they're better than us, with all those dishes pointing south. I can only point a dish to the north, and slightly east, but there are no satellites there. It's unfair." says poll participant Judy Bournette.

President Clinton recently called on congress to address the issue, noting it is tearing our communities apart and urging lawmakers to find a reasonable solution that grants everyone access to southern facing sky, and technical assistance to those with appropriate sky but a lack of skills needed to install and maintain a dish. He stopped short of calling for an all out ban on satellite dish technology, but hinted it may be necessary if no other solutions are forthcoming.

A spokesman for the nascent satellite television delivery service Dish Network declined comment for this article.

 

[toucan-man]

...I guess they think that it might reduce the resale value of their home also....

The tax assessor doesn't seem to know this.

I must admit that it suprised me at how prominent my 12 footer looked from my neighbors house.

Yeah boy.

 

[N5XZS]

Antenna, is your friend's to outside's access to the outside world dose not matter be or not satellite, Ham Radio's antenna or even CB Radio's antenna!!

Please right to have bear arm antenna's in your own home!!:up

I don't trust cable company at it all.

 

[Tron]

Well, since you have these large, technical-looking things on your house, you're obviously either spying on your neighbors or are in communication with extraterrestrial beings.

Either that or you're a pervert watching porn all day long...

In any case, nothing good can come from them.

 

[gdavisloop]

Well, those small dishes are really ugly, they look like poisonous mushrooms. But big dishes are like high-tech art. (of course).The big dishes do make some noise when you move them, though. My neighbor built an illegal 3rd unit in his backyard, and then complained that my dish made too much noise next to his new illegal bedroom window. (Being a nice guy, I agreed to no blind scanning between 3am and 6am).--Gary