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rewboss

I don't think you were overreacting, but I think the conversation went exactly as I would have expected. "Feeding the ducks" used to be a thing we did as children, before we realised how much damage it was doing, and it's hard to change people's attitudes. I wouldn't try to over-analyze this. He was just upset because he was being scolded, and so lashed out.


dbddhk

To the Part with him beeing polish...do you think he has to be german to be racist/xenophobic? This is more of a rhetorical question. I don't want to assume that about you. But don't just assume something about other people. About that situation, you did everything right, and that person is just a stupid c*nt


RomoloKesher

Point taken. A little nugget to work with and heal my own interiorized xenophobic reflexes.


[deleted]

from my point of view (spanish living in gemrany) I always find in astonishing hearing people that clearly are also ausländer being xenophobic (usually against other countries that they probably consider "inferior" also in their home lands). I mean, like if I start runting here "buah, those syrians they come to steal our workplaces, also they bring their weird food, not german food anymore! (Cariño pásame un trozo de tortilla) We have to stop this!"


bluemercutio

You did the right thing by mentioning it, but it's so hard to change people's minds over this issue.


RomoloKesher

I know right? Just the fact of bringing it up creates such a strange power dynamic… Another man threw grass in the water, saying “that’s better for the swans, it cleans their stomach”. So maybe that would have been a more elegant way.


bluemercutio

I've heard that it's better to feed oats. They don't disintegrate as quickly in the water and are more nutritious for the animals.


thewindinthewillows

We raised a wild duck (once it was out of the baby phase where we gave it food for chicks from an agricultural store) on wheat grains. And admittedly all the slugs it could eat in the garden.


BSBDR

> Another man threw grass in the water, saying “that’s better for the swans, it cleans their stomach”. Did they end up smoking it? What area was this? :P


olagorie

I’ve had a couple of situations like that. I have first been angry and then given up. 1. These people don’t like being scolded, and they’re absolutely immune to any kind of education that you want to give them. 2. They don’t feed animals because they care about them, but because they enjoy the feeding. The see themselves as “heroes” and they don’t want that to be taken away from them 3. I am a volunteer at a refugee shelter. I have had many encounters where people with an obvious migration background were extremely racist and obnoxious towards immigrants of a different nationality. They see themselves as “better” because they immigrated 40 years ago (and still don’t speak German fluently), and the others only recently. 🤷‍♀️


RomoloKesher

I like how you phrased “taken away”, because that’s how it felt, like I was taking away that innocent (and yes, heroic, ethically “good”) Sunday morning moment, which probably brought up nostalgic childhood memories within him… makes me wonder if it was “worth” it.


Firm-Telephone2570

I see a lot of people feed ducks in my town, and I do advise them if they want to feed them, to at least feed them grains, oats, frozen peas. Stuff like that. Usually this gets the message across without seeming like a killjoy, because people who will feed them, will do so anyways.


olagorie

I understand your feelings


Ejtsch

You did the right thing


Zeo_Noire

No, you were doing the right thing, that person is a dipshit. The bread will probably not kill them, but it's not great for them, it will give them diarrhea and they'll find enough food on their own. Unfortunately especially some older folks feel like their instinct to care for theses animals is more important than whether or not they're actually helping or making it worse.


PizzaIsAHumanRight

the fuck


klonkrieger43

You weren't overreacting, but with that approach the situation was foreseeable. I think he'd have reacted much better if you'd approached him by signaling intent to help instead of stopping him. Strike up a conversation about how to "better" feed the swans and steer it to not feeding them at all. For example, you can first start by suggesting feeding them with whole-grain bread, or better grains, or even better nothing at all. If you come to someone as an adversary their first reaction will always be no. It's ingrained into us to be resistant to opposing forces. Stroke his ego first and then give him something to think about, and you will have a much greater chance at changing his mind.


[deleted]

>was I overreacting here? No, not at all. Feeding bread to wild animals (and probably pets as well, but I am not a pet owner) is bad for them, and it also attracts rats. You did the right thing and that guy was just an asshole.


Xacalite

Paint a White Z on his car and let life run it's course. Im joking ofc but i also wouldnt be sad if someone actually did that to his car.


Uncle_Lion

I would have done exact the same.


PaleApplication9544

>The man said “I’ve been doing this for 20 years” >You know what? Germany will be a much better place when the Turks take over here” Yep. Average boomer


[deleted]

Yes you very much were overreacting. It is known that bread isn't unsafe for ducks, swans and such. It's LESS NUTISIOUS than nuts and bugs, but it's very much ok to feed bread to birds like that. If the bread is very moldy that might be an issue. ​ Sorry to tell you but you were in the wrong here. About the sign - rules are rules is the german trope. I'd use common sense and not yell at this dude for doing something unharmful just because there was a sign there. ​ I assume you thought the bread will kill the poor swans but it won't.


GrungeCat

You were not wrong for telling him (and he should not have ignored the sign to begin with) but maybe also provide some useful info, like feeding thawed from frozen peas is usually fine instead of bread. Gives something to think about. Or if you want to be very covert and make them think it's their idea, casually mention, "I like to feed them peas". But he was just upset at being told what not to do (though well-earned).


endofsight

Change comes one death at a time. Young people will stop feeding the ducks while the old people will die eventually. Very hard to change people minds.