'AITA for making my roommate pay for WiFi even though she's afraid of 5G and EMF?'
"AITA for requiring my roommate to begin paying for the WiFI if she wants us to turn it off at night?"
Willowxowilde writes:
I (28f) am getting tired of having to turn off the Wi-Fi at night for my roommate (24f), who says she’s concerned about 5G and EMFs. My roommate is already very much an organic-style hippie. She is against using harsh chemicals for cleaning and is very unaware of the sticky messes she leaves behind.
I understand that I need to communicate better and tell her these things bother me, but I feel like it’s best to pick and choose my battles. The thing that has become very bothersome to me is that she now requires us to turn off the Wi-Fi at night because she’s worried about EMF and 5G.
In my head, that’s more of a her problem than a me problem. I also pay for the utilities because I’m aware of our financial differences, and I have never requested that she pay me for any of it.
At night when the Wi-Fi goes off, I have to use my hotspot. I’ve now run out of my own data for the hotspot on multiple occasions, and it charges me extra when I go over. So now I’m paying for both Wi-Fi and extra data so I can continue to use the Internet after she goes to bed.
We also agreed that I turn off the Wi-Fi before I go to bed since I go to sleep later than she does, and she will turn it back on when she wakes up because she wakes up before I do.
Most of the time, when it’s late at night, I just feel tired, and I don’t want to have to walk out of my bedroom into the living room and turn off the Wi-Fi. So I got in the habit of turning it off while I was still more awake but having to rely on my hotspot.
I understand that these must be champagne problems—that I have to go click a button—but I find it quite annoying and irritating. I used to use my Alexa as my alarm clock, but she won’t work unless she’s connected to Wi-Fi.
I have even discussed moving the router to a different area of the apartment so it’s further away from her room, but she still says no; she wants it off at night. I even offered to buy her some sort of EMF blocker that I found online to help with her concerns, but again she says no.
I am becoming annoyed and frustrated because I feel like it’s more of an inconvenience, and if she doesn’t turn the Wi-Fi on in the morning when I have meetings right away, then I have to wait for it to load up and I’m stressed. Again, I understand I can wake up a little bit earlier and turn it back on, but it’s just so annoying to have to click a button when it could just stay on.
I have decided she must start paying for the Wi-Fi since I am having to overuse my data. I’m worried that she’ll think I’m retaliating. In a sense, I guess I am, but I just don’t feel comfortable paying more than I should be for something that shouldn’t be occurring in my mind.
I, of course, have tried my best to make her feel heard, but I feel like this is just a matter of wearing a foil hat. Even if we turn off our Wi-Fi, how do we not get exposed to the EMF from the surrounding apartments to our left, right, and below us? I don’t really see how it can make much of a difference just turning ours off.
OP responded to a comment:
ScooterP73 says:
NTA (Not the A^@$ole) - You need a new roommate. These types of people are completely illogical and cannot be reasoned with. My advice would be to not turn off the WI-FI. Like don’t even consider caving on this issue. Move the router to your room if you can. Make the SSID’s hidden so she can’t see they’re turned on. Actually, don’t even do that just don’t turn it off and tell her to go F herself.
OP responded:
I low key want to tell her to pay for it and just buy my own separately to keep on.
Sure_Feature4629 says:
NTA but you need to grow a spine. You would rather live in a sticky mess than confront her about her cleaning. You would rather use your mobile hotspot and spend extra money for slower internet than tell her no over her illogical conspiracy theory. You’re paying all the utilities because of income disparities—normally this wouldn’t be a flag, but with everything else, I’m guessing you’re getting taken advantage of on this too.
You are prioritizing her needs above your own. She will never prioritize you in the same way. It can be hard to build the skills of sticking up for yourself and getting more comfortable with minor confrontation, but it is your key to a happier life. It’s worth it, and you are worth it.
ParsimoniousSalad says:
NTA, but don't blame Hippies! (That's a new-age-y thing, lol). Funny how the wifi she is surrounded by ALL THE TIME day and night isn't going to get her, but the one in your home needs to be off - but only during the nighttime hours. You're the one who agreed to this in the first place, though.
What do you think?