So I took a week off to spend with my family visiting various places of interest around Washington DC, Hershey PA, Lancaster PA, and Gettysburg PA. In each city I visited… one theme kept making itself readily apparent…. PEOPLE ARE RUDE and disrespectful. I am literally ashamed of my fellow Americans for how they treat this Nations treasures… like items in the National Archives and the Gettysburg Battlefield. I’m not talking about foreign tourists here either, I am talking about English speaking, fanny pack toting, cigarette butt flicking, gum chewing, screaming meme kids, pure blooded Americans.



While inside the National Archives after being given a warning about things like chewing gum, leaning on the glass cases, and taking photos with flashes and using phrases like “excuse me and pardon me” people still did this stuff. One lady snapped a picture with a flash of the Declaration of Independence and couldn’t understand why her camera was taken away and why she was escorted out. One little kid was chomping a wad of gum and when the guard said she needed to get rid of it her mom actually tried to protest. Then there were the rude asses who felt the need to push you out of the way without saying excuse me. There are no lines inside the Rotunda at the National Archives it’s a semi-circle and you just move from one piece to another but you’re supposed to be polite. Ironically enough I found foreigners to be more polite than Joe Blow American with his whole family and 8 year old screaming meme.



So we spent two days in and around DC touring monuments and sights. Thankfully the Smithsonian staff was stricter about behavior and visiting the museums was more pleasant than some other areas (like the National Zoo dear God). Those two days in DC and being around the disrespectful people started thinning my patience so much so that by the time we got to Gettysburg on Wednesday I became “that” person. You know the one who tells people they are acting like a fool and being disrespectful, the one who embarrasses their families because they don’t give a fart what others think about what they say….yeah that was me.



Inside the museum at Gettysburg was a high school field trip was visiting and the kids were running WILD. They were yelling, screaming, and running around. I was getting pissed. I walked up to the front desk and said you know this would be a heck of allot more enjoyable if you enforced a noise policy and I dunno told people to not run around like a bunch of idiots. They agreed with me and started kicking people out. I mean hello, you’re in a museum and the only thing between you and the artifacts is a thin layer of glass, things are hung on walls, it’s an old building…running around you could cause them to rattle and fall. So my frustrations are boiling and we decide to head across the street to the cemetery and see where President Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address. Posted every 10 steps are signs that read “Please be silent and show respect”. As we’re walking to the spot a large group of high schoolers are skipping, laughing, and yelling. YELLING in a cemetery, in a place where thousands of men gave their life, in a place where one of the most famous speeches ever was given, in a place that should be given respect…. Behind them are two chaperones completely condoning this idiotic behavior? So, I snap. I stand in front of them and raise my voice (I had to b/c they were so loud)…. “EXCUSE ME PLEASE, *points to the numerous signs* do you see this and this and this? Can you read? Do you realize how you’re acting? You are being grossly disrespectful to this place and your history and it’s disgusting. My family and I would very much like to enjoy this place and cannot do so with how you are behaving. Please show some respect to this place, your country, and yourself and stop it. Thank you. *evil eye to the chaperones* they stopped, apologized, dropped their heads and carried on in dejected silence.



So for the rest of my vacation I found myself policing Americans who were disrespectful. If I saw someone toss a cigarette butt I jumped on them, if someone walked where they weren’t supposed to I jumped them. Please do us all a favor, if you’re a parent teaches your kids to respect our monuments, parks, and national treasures so that their kids and grandkids can enjoy it too. Manners will go a long way, but if you don’t and you’re some place I am and you and your kid are acting like imbeciles you can darn well bet I’m going to make you look like a fool and embarrass you for disrespecting it. And I’m not in the least bit afraid to turn your butts in for gross and blatant disregard for posted laws. Many parks and monuments carry a hefty $500 fine per occurrence of idiotic behavior.



Other than that my vacation was great! I got to expose my 13yr old to some very important history and spend much needed time with my sister and nephew. It was great, much was learned and our hearts were filled with pride recognizing this nation’s past.







P.S. Remove your hat, STAND, and place your right hand over your heart when the National Anthem is played; you should have learned this in Kindergarten why is it so hard?

I'm glad you got to expose your child to those sites. I went on several community college/church group sponsored trips like that at that age, and found it all quite inspiring. Visits since have been no less pleasurable. A shame that we've become such an ill-mannered people as you describe; hopefully your kid learned something from that as well.

Aye. I think she got much out of it. We all did including myself and I've been to those places tons of times before. It was different this time though as we went at our own pace and weren't restricted to a schedule. I much prefer this way. The only change I'd do though is to actually stay over night in DC. Driving to and from each day was killer with the traffic :(

I'm hoping that some of those kids and people learned to be a little bit more respectful...one can only hope.

Probably not..kids will be kids.

I hate crowds...I avoid them like the plague. People who throw gum and butts on the ground need to be punished. Slobs...I hate that.

WTG Fild!!!
I'm the same way when it comes to rude people.
I worked in Retail for many years, and observed some of the rudest behavior imaginable.
I also used to live in the DC area. There are some nice attractions to see up there. Glad you got a chance to visit them.
Kudos to you for jumping on people. If we had 100 more like you doing that, people would act right.

Isn't the National Zoo a dump?

The problem with people, Americans or not, is that generally when folks think they can get away with things they'll do it. I was thinking about this the other day waiting in line to pay the tolls on I-95. TONS of people would rocket up either the EZPass lanes (far left) or even on the side of the road (far right) and cut ahead of the lines because they didn't want to wait. And since no one is there to give them a ticket ... they know they'll get away with it.

More people need to speak out like you did if we're ever gonna change anything.

What is an EZPass lane doing without a pole that is lifted when an EZPass is detected?

They are remodeling/building some new exhibits at the Zoo but no I didn't think it was a dump. In fact, the animals habitats were remarkably clean especially in comparison with Hershey Park's ZooAmerica.

However, there were tons and tons and tons of kids there on field trips. And the teachers were obviously understaffed as there were groups of 20+ kids for 2 teachers. I found myself telling them to stop climbing the walls and to stop pecking on the damn glass.

After a few hours they were gone though and for the most part the people who were left were very nice and respectful. It was enjoyable.

Perhaps I'm spoiled. The Philadelphia Zoo is amazing, where I come from. Also there was a lot of hubub about the National Zoo being unsanitary, perhaps they got a little involved. I've only gone there for work lately, video taping that panda cub - haven't actually taken time to explore.

Did you see my picture on the wall in the Panda exhibit? :)

I've no idea what you look like but the freaking Panda exhibit was mauled with tons of people. The cub was in a tree and pretty close.

Not sure what was unsanitary, the restrooms were some of the cleanest I've seen to date even more so than some of the Smithsonian museums were.

I've never been to the Philly zoo but would love to go. One of the coolest things we saw was the Great Sloth Bear and her cub. It's apparently a rare thing as they are nearly extinct. The other cool part was the Amazonia where you literally walked inside a rain forest and the animals were uncaged and swinging free in the trees and enviornment above you. That was umm a little freaky at first.

I've no idea what you look like but the freaking Panda exhibit was mauled with tons of people.He looks about the same as any other panda.

yes I got ahead of myself that should read....

....tons of people so I didn't bother looking for pictures.

I've found touristing to be much better in mid to late September... fewer crowds and the temp / humidity is more sane, especially in DC.

You're right about the National Archives too, even in the relatively slow time I went last year, the room was packed with elbows and knees vying to get a better look. I wish they had a better system for there instead of the free-for-all they do.

Considering the Smithsonian is the most visited museum in the world, they are truly national treasures.

Overall though, I've been to a few other countries' museums and I haven't noticed that much difference. You don't have to be born south of the Mason Dixon to be a redneck.

Wanted to give ya some feedback for sharing such treasures with your 13 year old; I kick myself now and then for never having done so myself with my kids. Unfortunately, I have to spread feedback around some before you get any more, so nyah nyah nyah.....ya did a good thing by your family, and another good thing by those kids at the cemetary. You may have really reached one or two, or more, and that can lead to a fuller appreciation of what they were experiencing.

I cannot even go to the state fairs, due to the crowds, without getting punchy at the throngs of people all concerned with themselves first and foremost. I dread to think how I would react in Washington in similar situations to yours.

http://darwin.nap.edu/books/0309095832/html/91.html
Apparently they cleaned the zoo up quite a bit. Supposedly there's a picture of me and my camera guy Elliot up in the exhibit as part of all the images of the Panda's birth.

I wrote a paper for a psychology class in college about the behavior people exhibit when they come to an unexpected 4 way stop, as in when traffic lights go out and they are forced to adhere to some vague rule they may or may not have learned years ago. The true selfish nature of humans comes out in situations like this. People do not take turns, they do not yield, they do not follow rules. It is every man for himself and if you think you can get ahead by breaking the unwritten rules then you are better than the guy next to you. Usually this situation turns out to be a major clusterfuck. Or course I diverged into freeway behavior too, but how could I not?

I was in DC a couple weeks ago for my wife's graduation and ran into the same thing. It got to the point in the Smithsonian Natural hostory museum that I just started letting the kids who where running around and bumping into people bounce off me and fall down. I would then explain to them that not watching where they were going and run in a museum was both rude and inappropriate. after about the tenth kid they all stopped running because it hurts to hit the floor. My father in law gave up and went down stairs to avoid them, not me I enjoy teaching to much to not give the little monsters a lesson in physics hehe.

Rev

LOL, either that, or Angle your elbow or knee in such a way that when they bump into you, they recieve a nice bruise somethere on their body.
Works with rude adults too.
And since they are the 1 that ran into you, they wind up apologizing, while walking away, rubbing their bruised arm/leg.

Could have went to the park in Milwaukee this weekend and took out your frustrations with a pistol. When it heats up outside so does the shootings....30 in one weekend. I call that a good weekend.

Unfortunately the time of year wasn't my first choice as this was really planned around my sister and nephew's schedule. Her son is going to be 22 in June and she wanted him to see DC and Gettysburg as well so we started planning this thing last year. We planned it around the only time off she could get as well as what he could get.

I would have chosen October/November. The park rangers at Gettysburg said that is the best time to come as the leaves are changing, no one is there on field trips and the park is virtually empty.

At least the weather was absolutely perfect in this area. Mid 70s until this past Saturday when we hit 90 in South Central Pa. I had to turn on my AC Saturday for the first time all year :D

EDIT: Thanks for the kind words Byl, it was still a memorable experience for all sans idiots.

derail a bit but...


What is an EZPass lane doing without a pole that is lifted when an EZPass is detected?


I spent a few month in NJ working on the disaster of a project for their ezpass. The design was to allow folks with ezpass to go through without having to slow and congest traffic. The tags of violators are photographed and they get mailed a ticket.