Haters

[malone]

Since its been kinda slow around here, and its friday, and i'm bored at work, i thought i'd ask a question to some other Jeepers that have been doin it longer than me.

The weather is starting to get nicer and i usually run topless and doorless. Alot of times people will pull up next to me and roll their window down and say something like "hey thats a nice Jeep" or something along those lines while i'm riding around. Sometimes though, i encounter people trying to start trouble. Ever happen to anybody else? Everytime it is a group of young high school guys mouthing off. Just the other day i had some guy in a red pickup yell out "Hey, F*** YOU!". We were going opposite directions so there wasnt much chance that i could have cut him off or anything.

Has this sort of thing happened to you guys? If so how did y'all handle it? I usually dont even react. I just keep driving like i didn't hear them. I'm definitly not afraid to fight but not over something stupid like that.

I guess its just part of the Jeep lifestyle.

[wilcav]

I have never had anything like that happen to me. Highschool kids seem to love the rig.

I did have a buddy with a short jeep tell me a story about how he came out of the mall one day to find milk shakes and garbage thrown all over his front seats. I believe I would absolutely bananas if that happened to me.

[Belfast]

That's never happened to me too...though I did know some kids in high school that got enjoyment out of random and pointless vandalism (such as milkshakes or Slurpees in convertibles or sunroofs.

As for people yelling stuff....I have had a couple cases of mistaken identity (people not in Jeeps waving at me like they knew me or yelling something not so friendly). That might be one explanation, though I would probably chalk it up to stupid kids.

[moneypit]

I have had mostly positive results. People will say "nice Jeep" or "that looks like fun". Only negative, was some guys drinking beer after a huge organized run found it funny to put some empty Beer bottles on my seat. No damage just stupid. Seems these guys especially should know not to mess with someones rig. I would guess most of the haters are just jealous.

[jeepnut]

I've gotton nothing but respect, and good comments so far. Of course maybe its the Smith & Wesson that they saw first. Anyway, most people are cool, the jeep haters or jealousones are usually looking for trouble. I'd say ignore or give 'em the finger and wink at their girfriends.

[scrambler81]

I don't know anything about "Jeep Haters", but there are a lot of morons out there. I've often found trash in my Scrambler, and yes, people do like throwing eggs and things into open topped cars.
I was once pelted with empty beer bottles by a car load of punks at 2:00 in the morning. They thought they were pretty darn cool, until they realized my 350 powered CJ could blow the doors off their GTI, and that I was angry enough to put a front bumper on 'em. When I tagged them, the two fools in the backseat were looking right up at me, and the look of terror was priceless. When I calmed down and realized what I had done, my whole body shook. Of course, I was a happy, go lucky 26 year old back then. If somebody did that to me now, they might get killed. Middle-aged rage is hell!

[malone]

i wouldn't call them "Jeep Haters" necessarily but just haters in general. It just so happens that i drive a big very noticable Jeep and i cant roll the window up if i dont like what someone is saying. I guess i should chalk it up to jealousy and morons.
I'd say 99% of comments are nothin but positive and definitly 100% positive from Jeepers. Its just that 1% of idiots that stick out in your head.
The funny part is that nobody ever says anything when your walking down the street or standing in line but when they are in the comfort and safety of their cars they'll talk sh!t and blow their horns at people when they know that they wont have to back it up.

scrambler81 - i'm 26 now, hopefully experiences like these will help me learn how to keep a cool head. Awesome story....LOL

[johncub]

I've yet to get any jeep hate but if you've seen my bicycle in the several times I've posted it you can imagine what people have said about that. My method has always been as such:

If they give me negativity I pretend they just complimented me on how great I am and I reply to that instead of their hate. A little "Sodium Confuse-athal" on it and they are left stymied and I ride away chuckling.

My favorite was, "Hey, is that bike for cripples?"
"Hey, thanks for noticing! I wish other people understood as well!" as I continued to ride.

[RubiRedLJ]

moneypit said:

Only negative, was some guys drinking beer after a huge organized run found it funny to put some empty Beer bottles on my seat. No damage just stupid. Seems these guys especially should know not to mess with someones rig. I would guess most of the haters are just jealous.

That's weird money.....maybe there's a consipiracy against red LJ's?!?! I was at Silver Lake this past August, and came out to my wide open Jeep, (no doors or top), and there was an empty 12pk of Corona in the backseat!!! No damage, but NO respect. Of all places, I thought that the peope who are there, would understand NOT to mess with a man's ride. I chalked it up to stupidity and am just glad I didn't run into the "punks" who were putting trash into my Jeep. I would've lost it...

As for the "haters" comments, I really don't think it's Jeep haters, as much as it is jealousy, like someone else said. There will always be people who want what you have, and if they can't have it, they will make fun of you for having it. (Or just steal it.) I'll take the first. If you notice also, it's never just one dude in a car talking trash, it's always guys with their buddies. Sad thing is, most of 'em who talk, never have had someone teach them manners. It's always funny seeing one of those guys get popped and suddenly they don't talk soooooo much anymore.

Disclaimer: I in no way am an advocate of fighting. As a teacher, I teach my students to turn the other cheek and try to resolve disputes through conversation. (Sometimes easier said than done. )

[nwquadriders]

I was walking out to my Jeep in a grocery store parking lot last Summer and saw some kid put his McDonald's bag in the back of my Jeep. I gave my shopping cart a push and it came to a nice stop against the front of his car. He got pissed, I told him to remove his trash from the back of my Jeep or I'd drive my Jeep over his car while he was in the store. It did help that I was quite a bit bigger than him, but I think I made my point. He took the garbage and went into the store looking like a kicked puppy.

[ebtek]

I know someone who flat out hates Jeeps. Not the other Jeeps, but Wranglers. She told my wife, " I HATE THOSE THINGS, THEY'RE SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO UGLY! " Me and a co-worker who has an XJ always go outside and smoke a ciggy and talk Jeeps. Others at work don't understand, only the ones who drive one.

[jeepguylj]

The best thing to do is ignore dumb a@# people like that.

[Ridge]

On about the second or third day after I'd bought my LJ, a kid at a junior high school put about a four inch long scratch into my front fender with a sharp object. I teach 9th grade at this school, and didn't even know the kid. It happened during a fire drill when all the kids go outside. Fortunately, there was another kid who saw him do it. The jerk fessed up to the school resource officer and paid the bill to have it fixed, something like $300. So far that is the only thing that has happened to my Jeep. And I hope that's it. These days I get lots of compliments from the students, many who want to drive my Jeep!

[treeofliberty]

I'll be the heretic here and say much of this is the result of too little violence in the world. There was a time in this country, especially in the "wild" west, when this kind of rude behavior might get you shot, or at least a boot so far up your pooper you taste leather. With a society devoid of any accountability for poor behavior, courtesy is gone. Walk through a shopping mall and pay attention to all the "world revolves around me" attitudes you see. Try that same experiment at a gun range. This is a little contrived but I guarantee you I witness more "please", "thank you", and "excuse me" at a firing range than anywhere else in society. Its not about violence, but rather, accountability for your actions.

I wonder how many times Scrambler's punks repeated their bottle pelting experiment? In a world where parents and teachers get sued for the audacity of correcting children, this may have been the first time this group of human flotsam realized that actions have repercussions.

About 12 years ago we spent a couple very long months in an appartment, waiting for our house to be built. A weird family lived next door, including a punk teenage boy. One night we were awakened to Grandma mopping blood off the sidewalk in front of their door. Apparently, the boy decided to throw rocks at a passing car. Car power-brakes to a stop, four passengers emerge, and chase down said boy. Boy is beaten quite bloody, returning home to find that Grandma won't let him in the apartment because she's a clean freak. This was great theatre to watch through a slit in the blinds.

My personal believe is that we have a societal obligation to protect the weak and point out bad behavior, even when it creates "a scene". Scrambler shouldn't attribute that corrective action to youth, but take pride in sanding off one of society's burrs.

[jeepnut]

Was at work yesterday, where the office girls are always looking good. The one came out into my area and said her and another girl were watching me leave the other day. The one girl said I looked so good in the jeep, and she wished her husband was a manly man. I now sit here confused wondering if it is the jeep or me??? Was gonna start a lovers thread, but put it here instead!