All brides are beautiful... All babies are beautiful.
Miss Manners says so and I believe her. All brides are beautiful, all babies are beautiful. When someone thinks my silver baby isn't, I simply know that they haven't had the benefit of reading Miss Manners. I, on the other had could not forgive myself if I were so boorish as to respond defensively or with hostility to their lack of sensibility.
I was painfully shy as a child, and had a miserable adolescence.
Then I grew up. Somewhere it hit me - Misery loves company... but company does NOT love misery. I always try to approach people with my best smile on and my attention focused on making THEM comfortable. It works most of the time.
I'm always glad to meet people at campgrounds - most RV'ers are wonderful people with great stories. If I do get a hint of "you must be rich because you own a new(ish) Airstream", I smile and tell them I fulltime because if you live in Virginia Beach, it's one way to avoid having 40 relatives "drop in" for their vacation every summer, it's so much easier to keep clean, and it costs me less than I used to pay to have my lawn mowed and fertilized and the flower beds done.
Given half a chance most people are nice, especially if you compliment them or their children.
In any situation there are a few people who just dont mesh with all of us. So? I hear Rick Nelson, "you can't please everyone... so you've got to please yourself."
I'm responsible for my own choices, I've made MANY that weren't great and I can't claim immunity from making another. I choose to REFUSE to be embarassed by someone's opinion about my trailer. My trailer? Okay...
There IS a difference between judgement and judgemental. As proof of my good judgement I'll simply worry about something important like global warming or the sex life of the tse-tse fly and let their opinion go.
Bye, Paula
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Today is a gift. That's why they call it "the present"
That's not resentment. People just think you have to be some sort of looney for buying Saab, and they are trying to get away from you. j/k
Might be - but I know of one 900 series Saab that was driven over one million miles before being donated to a museum in Wisconsin! It also survived seven collisions with deer and never had any major engine work! Unfortunately, the exchange rate has made the cost of imported repair parts for older Saabs astronomical. In spite of that, the owners of pre-GM Saabs are almost as fanactical about their cars as antique Airstream owners are about their trailers.
Now, now, let's not get this into a war over tow vehicles... We all know whatever one we have is best, unless it's not, then it isn't, but it would be, if only it was better.
Wow, when going through the purchase process I never even thought of this. Like most folks walking by them all the time in a campgrounds I always admired A/S's, but never found the owners elitist. Guess this thread is another bit of good cultural background for us new guys.
(Guess I shouldn't wear my new A/S hat, A/S polo shirt, A/S keyring, A/S underwear, and carry my A/S picket sign all at once, just in case we meet someone...)
__________________ 2008 Safari Sport 22
2003 Ford Explorer NBX, 4.6L, 3.73
Hensley Arrow Hitch, McKesh Mirrors
(Guess I shouldn't wear my new A/S hat, A/S polo shirt, A/S keyring, A/S underwear, and carry my A/S picket sign all at once, just in case we meet someone...)
I've found the vast majority of SOB owners, and people in general, to be more curious than snobbish. We've given countless tours of our Airstreams - in campgrounds, rest stops, parking lots, and truck stops. My wife and I saved up for nearly 6 years so when we found the right Airstream, we could just write the check and go camping. The only real snobbishness I've encountered to date was from the owner of a gigantic MoHo, while camping at a boat race. The best part is that later on his wife asked to look inside of our Bambi. She said she loved the looks of Airstreams, and had always wanted one.
One of my favorite tours was at a truck stop in Pennsylvania. A truck driver came over and asked to take a look. After the tour, I shut the door, and he said "Do that again!" So I did. He said "That's the difference. When I slam the door on my Shasta, the whole side shakes and rattles. Yours just goes... thump."
We don't think of ourselves as "snobs" because we have an AS...we are proud to have it, yes, but not snobbish... The big mohos are spectacular, but it's not our style... We have never felt like other RVers considered us snobby or, on the other side of the coin, less than them...everyone to their own taste...
Like others have state here, we find most folks are curious and interested in our AS and usually want to look inside...I will say that we've never had anyone say "I hate this!" Just yesterday as we were gasing up at a big station along the interstate, a guy came up and asked what size our AS is, and how great it looked...and confessed that he has been looking at them...I was happy to let him know that we love our AS and that we have a great time with it...and it's the truth! And gave him a rundown on on a few of the smaller sizes/models he might consider based on his tow vehicle... I doubt if he'd approached if he thought I was a snob...
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TB & Greg...Cockers Annie & Sadie...and Homer the Desert Tortoise
We usually receive compliments about our trailer and always say hello to people we encounter at campgrounds. The hello is returned with a warm smile or is ignored as if we were invisible. As a docent at a National Monument, I and other docents frequently experience this. Snobbishness is "negative energy", a form of prejudice/discrimination, and is not worth expending the energy to even think about.
We are inclusive in our social interactions, practice the Golden Rule, and avoid the draining, negative energy/attitude of others.
After looking at several different types of travel trailers over several months, we chose our AS for its design, ambiance, and function. Our trailer makes us happy and feel good, purely a matter of personal taste. This is what we enthusiatically tell others. When we talk about our camping with the trailer, we do not mention the brand to avoid sounding pretentious.
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"The only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve"
Albert Schweitzer
I've learned not to discuss my hobbies with my co-workers, they all think I need to be in a straightjacket as it is. The few times I've talked about them (the hobbies), I get that "looking at a weird bug" look, and they find an excuse to hurry off to do something more interesting, like trying to lick an electric fence...
Overlander 63, as a Civil Engineer, with a master degree in Civil Engineering rather than a business degree at some catchy or online university, I already know what therapy my co-workers think I need, so I go out of my way to reinforce their misconception and talk about all my hobbies; backpacking, motorcycling (touring and 30+ year commuting for work in Southern California), mountain climbing and now Airstreaming. We do what our fellow friends and acquaintances would like to do, could certainly do but won't attempt and they always seem happy to hear the details of our trips.
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Don (KD6UVT) & Gail Williams
What do you want to be in life, a spectator or a participant?
Just wondering if this is a recent thing or has this been an ongoing thing since Airstream first appeared on the market.
It's almost embarrassing when talking to people and then telling them I own a 2007 Airstream. Do people really think we're snobs or well to do or something?
Don't get me wrong, LOVE the trailer and the lifestyle. Just hate talking about it to non Airstream owners.
Hello
We just moved our airstreamm to a summer haven by the ocean in Marshfield Ma. We own a 64 Overlander and the comotion it caused when moving it to our spot was overwhelming. I think everyone in our field came over to check it out.I was overwhelmed and thought I will never get anything done, and I did not. People came with airstream books, models and questions, all non-airstream users. My question: I would love to have it polished but Andy thinks it would be too bright. What is the deal with others?
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