My room-mate has gone nuts

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WolfOfOdin

Some backstory as to why this belongs in here;

Since I've been attending law school I've been living in an apartment in Newark with a person I thought was generally pretty sane, if a little wound up and straight-laced. Same age as me too. However, since the 2008 elections I've been noticing a marked.....drift in his personality. Example, our house is now plastered in American Flags (which I keep having to take down) so that "they'll know a REAL patriot lives here!".

Ok, that's nothing too strange, just a bit over eager. It's gotten worse lately. The newest thing is shrieking at me if my girlfriend spends the night, since "we're not married and that's a sin against the lord". Never heard that before from him, considering he had a girl over all the time. Furthermore, I come home to see post-it notes on my door remarking "I really hope you don't join the ACLU and I don't have to report you for treason" and "You need to watch THIS" with a web address pointing to increasingly....strange conspiracy theories. But I've honestly lived with far worse, I can take living with a fundie if he stays out of my hair.

Then I come home to this today;

I enter with a fellow student to have lunch and discuss something from moot court. No big deal, done it a hundred times and I always clean up the resulting mess from our grease-truck lunch. After said friend leaves, my roomie storms out into the living room. I wonder what I've done to set him off, thinking I paid the utilities for both of us this month and have more or less kept to my self as exams loom large.

I proceed to be on the recieving end of the most vile, racist tirade I've heard outside of a video about klan meetings. About how I'm letting 'them' into our home when they're probably spies for the democrats. He wants me to sign an agreement saying we'll only let whites into the apartment from now on and invest in a fancy new security system.

I'm honestly rather terrified about this guy's personality shift. Do I call his folks and tell them their son's gone schizo? Quickly beg to move in with my girlfriend while I look for a new place?
 
This story is so bizarre it's almost hard to believe. I agree with what everyone else said: move out, and contact your roommate's family to let them know about your concerns.
 
What does your roommate do? Is he also a student?

And maybe this is an impolite question, but what race was your friend that set off the tirade? I know it doesn't matter in the end, but I'm curious.
 
Leave. Now.

Setting aside the obvious ideological issues, it sounds like your safety might be at risk here. This guy sounds seriously unhinged.
 
WHAT THE FUCK MAN I THOUGHT WE WERE BROS!?! THIS BETTER BE A FUCKING WHITE ONLY THREAD WITH NONE OF THOSE BLACKIES OR MEXXIES ON HERE! DAMNIT DUDE I THOUGHT WE WERE BETTER THAN THIS! FOR FUCKS SAKE! I THOUGHT YOU WERE A REAL PATRIOT MAN! WHITE FOR LIFE!
 
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Wasabi Poptart

It makes sense to express your concerns to his family, but you may want to ask his parents (or sibling or whomever) come see him when you are still living there so they can witness this odd behavior. Maybe they are already aware of his problems. Is it possible that he has a diagnosed mental illness you are unaware of and that he has gone off of his medication?

I would certainly look for another place to live, especially considering with this last episode you say, "I wonder what I've done to set him off..." which suggests these rants are becoming more common and worrisome.
 

Dave

Staff member
If he goes to your school, contact the authorities and let them know what's going on. Contact his parents and let them know you are concerned.

MOVE THE FUCK OUT!! Quickly before he harms you or someone else.
 
O

Occasional Poster

Put a password on your computer and keep your room door locked if you can. Don't leave anything he can use to hurt you out where he has access to it. Get out of there as soon as possible.
 

Dave

Staff member
That wasn't his roomie posting. It was a forumite with an alt. ( I know who it is!)
 

ElJuski

Staff member
jeezus christ move out. Call his parents, and check to see if someone on campus can talk to him. Gotta be like, a counselor or something out there, right?
 
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WolfOfOdin

UPDATE:


I'm staying at the girlfriend's for a while, I have to negotiate with the landlord to get my name off of the lease early while i look for a new place. Worst case I move in with her, she'll be happy that the rent will be reduce.

To Rob: Fellow student was black ,of course. I called his parents from the emergency list we have on our fridge and left a message, hopefully they'l get back to me. As of right now all my -valuable- possessions are either with me or in my GF's storage unit. Today was kind of the final straw. As I said, I can take run of the mill nut-jobs, but the paranoid ranty kind worry me something fierce. Will update more as stuff happens.
 
That is a scary situation WolfofOdin. I think you have taken the right course of action, though. I hope his family is understanding and helpful.
 
Glad you got out man... stay safe and don't leave a forwarding address unless it's to a police station.
 

Green_Lantern

Staff member
Good to know that you are alright, what did his parents said when you told them? This kind of thing can run in the family, you know.
 
I think I just figured out how to get my roommate and his annoying cat to move out. How many american flags would you recomend me getting? ( I might go with Texas flags to spice things up a bit)

But yeah, be sure that when you go back for your things either try to do so when he's not home or bring backup. Violence seems like the next step for that guy.
 
It's a good thing you're out of there. I'm pretty sure the university could offer counseling for him. It sounds like he finally cracked under midterm stress.
 
Good job on the getting out, and letting folks know. That would have scared the crap out of me.

Is he a local? 'Cause, honestly, if "those types" get to you, and your family isn't local, there's a lot better places to live than northern New Jersey, let alone Newark.

"Better" in this case meaning "more in fitting with worldviews", naturally.
 

Cajungal

Staff member
Be delicate if you do contact his family. There could be a deep-seeded reason for your roommate's behavior. They might not appreciate your concern, even if you mean well.
 
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