Idiot spectators: how to deal?
For the record, I do not use idiot lightly.
I've been working outages this year since early January. Between a six twelves a week work schedule and phenomenally crappy weather in Louisiana, Nebraska, AND Ohio, I've barely hooped at all since then. So, I'm laid off now and I decided while I was out buying some decent storage containers for packing, I'd stop at a park I passed and hoop a while. I use a homemade 40" hoop, it's beat to holy crap as it hasn't been rewrapped at all this year, ever.
Enter the idiots. I was at a park in Mentor OH. Also going on was Junior baseball of some variety, I wasn't paying much attention, I stayed away from it and hooped to myself by a duck pond. I didn't have my headphones with which may have been part of the mistake. To give some background, I'm 5'2", currently have a blonde dyed mohawk, wear sports safety glasses, and was wearing jeans and a symphony x t shirt. I also look a good bit younger than I really am.
So, I'm minding my own business and three boys walk over, one taller and two shorter. I pay them no mind, but they decided to sit on a nearby bench and pepper me with the most rampantly stupid chain of questions I've ever dealt with. Here's a loose transcription. Having no other recourse I tried to keep my answers short, factual, and a bit bitchy to try to drive them away. It did no good.
Boy 2: Why are you doing that.
Me: Because I can. It's a nice day.
Boy 2: How long can you do that?
Me: Waist hoop? A while I've never timed myself.
Boy 1: Why not do that at home?
Me: I don't live here.
Boy 1: Where do you live?
Me: Michigan.
Boy 1: Why are you here?
Boy 3: Have you ever had sex? (NO, I am NOT kidding! He asked this!)
Me: Work.
Boy 1: So are you camping out or..?
Me: No, I stay at hotels.
Boy 1: But why do that here?
Boy 3: *persistent pervert* Have you ever had sex?
Me: *losing patience quite rapidly* Why the hell are you asking me such private questions? And I'm doing this, here, because I've been stuck in cement buildings for the last six weeks and it's a nice friggin day.
Boy 1: But why not go home?
Me: I go home on Sunday.
Boy 1: Why not now?
Me: Do YOU want to drive five hours? Besides the world ends Saturday, I want to miss traffic.
Boy 1: Do you have a car?
Boy 3: Are you a lesbian?
Me: ?! *missteps on a step through*
Boy 3: .. you aren't very good at that.
Me: *urge to kill rising* I have a suburban.
Boy 1: ..what's a suburban.
Me: You aren't the brightest are you.
Boy 1: >< You're mean, I'm going to kill myself.
Me: Go head, raise the collective IQ of the world, see if I care!
Boy 2: Wow. She just told you.
Boy 1: How old do you think I am?
Me: 16? 17?
Boy 1: I'm 13.
Me: And a friggin foot taller than I am. The world's unfair. *huff
Boy 1: ..what breast size are you?
Me: You're 13 and you can't tell? You have no future as a man.
Boy 1: What's small? Zero?
Boy 2: A?
Boy 1: A?
Me: *stare of death*
For the record, this didn't stop for another FIFTEEN FREAKING MINUTES. One of the boys kept interrogating me about my sex life. I didn't leave because I refused to let the think they'd driven me off. It was only after an ambulance with lights on pulled into the park (for the record, they heard the sirens, thought it was a cop, and delighted in the idea of me being arrested for .. being a supposed mohawked hooping lesbian or something, I don't know!) and they ran off that I finally bailed out and ran to my car, and went and got a freakin mocha to soothe my wounds.
Seriously. How the heck do you deal with this? Should I have just said "Go away" and not bothered answering any of their questions? Because I doubt that would have worked but who knows.
Other stories of frustrating spectators would be enjoyed, I suppose.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Magpie on -
Uh, wow, so sorry that happened to you! :( How annoying to set out to have some fun and end up getting harassed by losers. Don't let teenage kids get to you! Headphones do seem to deter people from interacting with you, but you shouldn't have to feel pressured to hoop with headphones if you don't want to. I have bitchy responses (certainly bitchier than the ones you shared, haha) for unsolicited hoop haters prepared, but I've never had to use them. Usually spectators are friendly or just passively watch from afar for a little bit. Sometimes I get creepy spectators that will give me unwelcome lewd comments, which I just don't know how to deal with at all. Awkward and sexist at best, severely creepy at worst. If I'm really unlucky homeless mentally ill people bother me. If I ever feel unsafe I just go home, but otherwise I just keep hooping. I generally wear decidedly unstylish clothing to the park, and lately I hoop with an innocuous looking untaped little polypro, but there's no way getting around it. Doesn't matter who you are or what you or your hoop look like, if you're doing something unusual in a public place, some people will pay attention, and some of them are probably going to be jerks.
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Permalink Reply by Tweed on
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That's one of the main reasons why my hoops haven't left the house yet. I will one day but dealing with all the people just isn't my thing. I'm sorry you had to experience that. I want to say I wouldn't have given those kids the time of day. A lot easier said then done though, I know. I really dont know what I would do in a situation like that. I probably would have stopped talking when I heard the age 13. Psh! Seems like you handled it in a good manner though. :]
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Permalink Reply by Mad Maxine on -
Consider bringing extra hoops and telling hecklers/irritating individuals to try to beat you in a contest. Maybe that will get them to either interact with you in a productive manner or maybe just give up and leave.
As a former mohawk-sporting, short, queer-seeming female (who used to live in the middle of Kansas) I can absolutely identify with you about the kinds of idiocracy you're experiencing.
Or you could try "The Face": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wRXa971Xw0&NR=1
Best wishes, be safe.
Maxine
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Permalink Reply by Winter's Doll on -
Oh my gosh, that vid is so funny!
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StudentPermalink Reply by Snowflake on -
Lmao! omg she's so great, I'm still giggling about that video I must subscribe to her channel. Thanks!
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Permalink Reply by Caroleeena of Circles of Joy on
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Oh honey! What asshats.
At the "You're not very good" part, that's when you go, "Oh? Why don't you show me how?" They either would or they wouldn't but that is the pivot point for the ridicule to turn on them. You still may have had to leave (and there's nothing wrong with that) but they'd have lost.
Sorry that happened. Little shits.
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Permalink Reply by katie ely on -
first of all, props on handling it so well! i think you dealt with it for longer than most people probably would/could. especially with the sexual questions! wow...how incredibly inappropriate. i like the advice on bringing extra hoops, and just letting them try one so they can see for themselves rather than pester you with endless questions.
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Permalink Reply by katie ely on
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oh and seriously i think anyone in that situation should call the cops if the sexual questions do not stop after you tell them to stop. i don't mess around when it comes to sexual harassment!
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Permalink Reply by andshespins on -
im sorry that happened to you. i went to a bar where a lot of jersey shore looking people frequent and started hooping and got made fun of. someone even kicked my hoop when i was hooping and the chicks he was with just laughed. who does that???
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StudentPermalink Reply by LavaAura on -
Really? That is beyond immature and a shame they would even attempt to disrespect you like that. I'm sorry that happened and I wish I was there to hoop with you and walk away from that lameness. Thank you for sharing. And that goes for the original post as well; Ialways remember conversations like this one and gain strengh knowing we are all in this together as hoopers. Thank you.
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Permalink Reply by leiruM on -
oh my god what an asshole. That's when I would bust out "chicago hood" and go ghetto on their asses. I swear people like that make me forget peace and love ugghh can't believe someone would do that. stay strong.
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Permalink Reply by Madhummingbird on -
It really sucks that these juveniles have nothing better to do than make total idiots out of themselves. I would not have put up with it that long but I hear ya when you say you didn't want to give them the satisfaction of knowing they made you stop. They are nothing but bullies with low self esteem talking about subjects they know nothing about. I am sorry you had to endure that kind of CRAP. Be proud of who you are and what you do and shine!!
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