Hey, Virginia Beach, Check Your Begrudgery.
There I was, tiptoeing back into the news on Sunday afternoon when I stumbled on an alarming WVEC 13 News Facebook post: “State Police Probe ‘Sensitive’ Situation in Virginia Beach, Urge Public To Avoid Bay Colony Area.”
Wait. What?
It was an oddly worded headline. A “sensitive situation”? Who writes these things? As it turned out a 40-year old homeless man was shot to death when he attempted to break into the home of a State Police Special Agent who lives on Lee Road in Bay Colony.
Crime isn’t non-existent in this upscale area, but shootings? Rare. Very rare.
No surprise there were hundreds of comments on Facebook. What WAS surprising was the tone.
Looks like Virginia Beach suffers from a rip-roaring case of begrudgery.
That’s what the Irish call it when people harbor a grudge against those who have more than they have. It’s a mean, selfish way of looking at life. We see it everywhere, especially from the left, so I suppose it shouldn’t surprise me that it’s rampant at the Beach.
Not all commenters were begrudgers, but there were enough of them that it bears comment.
Here’s a sampling:
“They are coming after the domestics! Maids, Au Pairs and yard workers. RUN!! Oh the humanity.”
“That’s a whole lot of article for saying there’s something (who knows what) going on at Ritchie Rich’s house.”
“Them rich folks probably saw a hooligan in their neighborhood.”
Really, folks? You think it’s funny when a man is shot to death in a prosperous neighborhood? Anyone laugh when there’s a shooting in the resort area? In Green Run? In Bayside?
Others wanted to know how a law enforcement officer could afford to live there. One ugly comment postulated that the officer’s wife had a side hustle on Only Fans.
Yeeeesh.
I’d guess every house in that leafy enclave is worth more than a million dollars. Some of the sprawling waterfront homes are worth many millions.
Need I remind the begrudgers that these Bay Colony folks pay waaaay more than most of us in city real estate taxes. Those taxes pay for schools, law enforcement and fire and safety that benefit the poorest neighborhoods.
Look, this is a curious story. The attention is understandable. Beyond the location, a break-in during daylight hours is highly unusual. There are loads of unanswered questions and the public has a right to know what exactly happened on Sunday morning.
In the meantime, it would be nice if people would stop indulging their petty jealousy of their more prosperous neighbors. We see this all the time in national politics when nasty politicians attempt to foment jealousy against prosperous Americans. There’s no reason to despise city residents just because they’re successful.
I expect better of us.
