Locals Only?

This is an interesting one to write. I was inspired by a post I saw from Hidden Outer Banks, about how locals to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, some locals, refer to the summer influx of visitors by the derogatory term of tourons. For those of you not in the know, it is a combination of tourist and moron. It has been used in the past to describe the highly ignorant or stereotypical person or family, usually followed with a derpy impression of  "Which side of the beach is the ocean on?"

Hidden Outer Banks went on a well written diatribe of how the locals should not use the term, that the tourists bring the benefits of a robust economy, who pay the majority of taxes in occupancy fees and sales tax, as well as buying products and services, keeping the locals afloat through the summer so that the rest of the year, the quiet times, we live off the monetary fat stored during the summer's heat.

I agree.

And I disagree.

I grew up on the beach. I know what it was like in the early days, well, my early days at least. ( I actually saw a visitor reminisce about the good old days, like in 2000. Really???) There was a simple joy in the emptiness, the old houses, the journeys and fun stuff of being a kid in the 70s, being a teenager in the 80s. Yeah, I'm dating myself, so what? I also benefited from being in a family that wasn't directly dependent upon tourism for our income, so while it might have hurt a lot of people if the bridges just closed, it wouldn't have been too bad for me. Yes, that is a sort of "Apres moi le deluge" kinda thing, and I know it's not very fair.

Anyway, what I am saying is that there always will be a certain group who looks back with delight at what we had, and with disdain over what is now. Yes, sadly, because of the great demand for housing, the three story beach house with the pool in back, we no longer have much of what first made the Outer Banks special. The Galleon is gone, along with much everything else built there. So is Forbes mini golf, a beautiful and fun night out for local and guest alike. The Dairy Mart and its pizza burgers will ne'er cross my lips again, sadly. All because someone put up a house for someone from out of town to come and stay for a week. So I can understand a little bitterness.

But I also know that's not the fault of every out of state license plate that crosses over to the beach. I can get mad about them getting all the good parking spots at the beach, but if I just got up earlier, I would have gotten there. I'm sort of sad that giant buffets have taken over the beach, with giant prices. And the local haunts that do still exist are filled with not so local paying customers, looking for that "authentic" dinner.

But I can deal, I can deal... What I can't deal with is the people who make up their minds beforehand to be that moron, to actively choose to pull the "I pay your salary!" bit. That's where it gets tough. Hundreds and thousands of people we see every week in the summer, but you only remember that one, the guy who snakes the last parking spot you so patiently waited for, then laughs and calls you an a****le, the person who sits down on the beach next to you and smokes, the people who leave up the big cabana tents all week, the guy, really, I saw this happen, who took fishing lures from the sports section of K-mart to the jewelry section, asked the lady the price, and when it was too expensive, he wouldn't take them back, with this witty response, "Hey, I'm not gonna work, I'm on vacation."

I say all this just to say this next. When I go somewhere, I am always respectful. Always. Not just the usual, tipping well, being polite, keeping my hotel room clean, trying to drive appropriately, but full on kind to everyone. Hunter S. Thompson said once that the number one rule was, "Don't burn the locals." I never take advantage, I never think I am immune or above the rules. People like that make me a little ill, actually.

The problem at my beach is that, while there are so many people who want to come to my family home and enjoy for a week what I got for decades, there are still just too many, even in a minority, that show up acting like morons. Because they are. Perhaps we should shift away from the term tourons. Let's call them guests, friends, long missed pals. And I could say, let's save the derogatory terms just for those who deserve it. I'm sure many would agree with that. But instead of telling them they are tourons, let's start telling them they are wrong, and fix the problems.