[NewShooter78]

So I stopped into one of the local shops here (Barney's for those of you in the area) last night to buy another mag for my new purchase. I was kind of bumming it in some longish shorts, skate shoes, longish hair (but clean and kept in place by my ball cap), big t-shirt, and facial hair reminicent of a modern rock star (but not too crazy :cool: ). I also have my ears peirced, five times, and I've stretched the some of the holes a bit big. So much so that you can see through two of the holes. The guys behind the counter didn't give me any different looks because I had just picked up my new gun the day before. When I did I was wearing jeans, boots, polo shirt, and my ball cap. Basically I looked "normal".

So after I get my mag, I go to the check out counter behind another gent paying for a new Benelli shotty, and some accessories for it. He gives me this look of mild disgust as he sees me standing there behind him. And after I had paid for my goods, and was walking out, some of the other customers in the store kind of eyeballed me a little. More as an oddity I guess. But that first guy kind of got to me a bit.

I think of all of us shooters as one heck of an eclectic group. I know plenty of different kinds of people, and don't look twice at anyone in a gunstore. So why is it that some people just can't get over the way that someone looks, especially when you are around guns that just happen to be for sale? Like I'm some kind of thug going through the hassles of buying guns and accessories legally. If I had been in a record store, a movie theater, or the mall, I wouldn't even be noticed.

Any of you feel this way. Sorry about the rant, but crap like this always bothers me just a little bit.

[Justin]

Because plain and simple, some people are snotty jerks.

[jsalcedo]

I used to be a right wing hippie looking person.

Sandals, tie dyed shirt boonie hat patched up jeans, long hair.

It was comfortable attire.

Whenever I walked into a gunshop, bank, jewelry store I had to
pull out the Gold card to get service from anyone.

It was like they were trying to ignore me till I left.

Once they found out I was going to buy a $500 gun, $900 guitar
$3000 earrings for the wifes anniversary, they forgot I was dressed like
a low-life and buddied up with the yes sir no sir stuff.

Not to say I blame them too much because there are nasty hippies
who don't bathe, are drugged up, nasty attitude etc.. and there are bound to be predjudices against certain stereotypes even among decent people.

I modified my clothes somewhat, T-shirt, jeans,, baseball cap, boots.
So I wouldn't have to work so hard at getting service and to not attract the po po when I have 10 guns in the car going to the range.

[10-Ring]

Just forget about them!

[Dionysusigma]

Sorry about the rant, but crap like this always bothers me just a little bit.
Good. It's as wrong as racism, and nobody should be treated like they're less than someone else based solely on looks. I know the whole "If it looks like a duck..." spiel, but honestly folks--don't judge until you at least have a conversation with 'em. It's rude and annoying. Whether they're in boots, jeans and a cowboy hat; combat boots, black cargo pants, and a leather jacket w/ spikes; business suit; or in a burlap sack with old pieces of tire sewn together for shoes; whatever--the cowboy may be from Boston and never seen a real horse, the punk/ goth mighta been raised on a farm and can ride with the best of 'em, the businessman may have just embezzled tens of millions of dollars, and the old hobo-- in all possibility-- may be an angel of God.

Treat 'em all the same until you know them well enough to know better. ;)

[P95Carry]

I do agree ... there is much snobbery out there but ... have to look at this another way too re gun shops and - maybe even public places too.

We do often I think, particularly when trying to apply situational awareness ... look for ''types'' (I know I ''notice'' some more than others) .... often those might be stereotypes ...... and for some groups we do associate less than good behavior. That maybe can raise a condition briefly from yellow to orange ..... ''just in case''.

I am not really ''Mr Smart'' ..... beard (VERY white! haha) - hair is a tad too long and behaves round back like ''wild professor'' ... jeans usually ''well used'' .... cap, ordinary shoes .... but I guess fairly average in the locality. On a biking day it may be leather jacket added and dew rag ... a tad more threatening maybe.

Overall tho I personally judge not just by the appearance but by behavior ... MUCH more reliable. So if I saw you New Shooter .... and you were polite, pleasant etc . I doubt your attire and piercings would bother me one bit ... like with bikers all over (mostly) ... there is to me a certain implied ''camaraderie'' amongst us shooters.

All that waffle said . i think many people do respond due to not just snobbery per se but .. their identification of what they see as a stereotype. Often this is unfair... and based on a far too superficial assessment and assumption.

[MessedUpMike]

Used to get mistaken for a skinhead all the time, I know the feelin'.:banghead:

I have an immediate knee jerk reaction to Bennelli shooters that not much more postive than the one he had for you. But I try to keep it under wraps as it's proven to be wrong more than once, but not all the time.
Some people for some reason need to be shown everyone isn't a dirtball before believing it. Some of us (myself occasionally) need to be reminded that we were once the wingnut we're not so sure about now. Some people just suck, and their best off ignored.

[Sunray]

Well, you don't see many guys with multiple earings in gun shops, but think about it this way. Long ago in TO, Gordon Lightfoot(Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, Black Day in July, et al) walked into the Rolls dealership in his jeans and a ratty old shirt etc. They wanted to throw him out. He left, but went back dressed differently. Bought a Rolls Silver Shadow. Paid cash, as I recall, to the same sales guy, then went home and wrote a song about it. Carry yourself like you own the place and when all else fails use the magic words. "Get the manager!"
Ran into the same kind of BS when I got stranded in Buffalo a few years back. Scumbag hotel clerk looked down his nose at me as I was asking about a room. Me in shorts, sandals, t-shirt. Sadly, I don't have a Gold Card. Would've loved to have taken it out. Oh and 4 days in Barfalo is a year in normal places. They roll up the sidewalks at 1730 during the week and absolutely nothing is open, downtown, after 12 on Saturdays. I still have nightmares about it.

[BlkHawk73]

I used to and at times still do get similar treatment. Not because of the manner in which I dressed but more so, I believe, because of my age. I kinda look younger han I am (30). My guess is that the clerk behind the counter and the patrons in front of the counter didn't seem it worth thier while to pay me any attention since the "young kid" can't know anything or afford anything. I also encountered this mentality at the gun club. Funny thing is that shop clerks changed thier attitudess when it was learned that by brother was one of thier fellow well-known FFL dealers. Non-dealers sometimes came around. Club members now turn to me for firearms questions. Bitter? no. I'm glad to offer them advice and answer thier questions. I do keep a mental record of what dealers could care less I had was in thier shop. Too bad. A few weeks ago, it cost KTP about $500.

[JohnKSa]

Sounds like you have made a real effort to ensure that you look very different.

It's not like you are a racial minority, or have a handicap, you've made a conscious decision to significantly alter your appearance. So that it's no longer "normal" to use your words.

Seem strange that you would be surprised that people notice your appearance. Also seems strange that you would be surprised that some people don't care for those types of alterations.

[BamBam]

Newshooter78,

I'm sure you're a good guy. The thing is, you probably wear all those earrings to get attention. They are a flag to signal others in your social group. Same goes with Armani suits, Carhart overalls, Birkenstock sandals or FUBU shirts.

What you experienced at the gun shop was social pressure. Same as if the guy with the Armani suit wandered onto a street corner occupied with a group of urbanites wearing FUBU shirts.

Not trying to be critical; just pointing out that raising a flag not only shows allegiance, it can also invite scrutiny from those who dont live under it.

[Bowlcut]

Well I heard the best explanation of the sorta same thing from the comedian Dave Chapelle. Talking about women dressing all "s|utty". How dress doesnt mean they are one. Its like if you wore a cop costume around and people ran up to you and say "sir can you help me"....you go "oh do the clothes make the person dont judge me by my clothes".

While not right, it happens. It sucks. I walk in a store in my norml weekend wear I get ignored. Baggy shorts, baggy shirt....as some would call "wigger" outfit. Its confortable and what ive wore for a long time. I get ignored or looked down on. I walk in with my polo shirts on and jeans or kahkis....no problem. Luckly the stores I frequent have become to know me and screw what I wear. guess you can do that in small towns... yet nashville trys to act small sometimes.

Ive delt with it for a long time. If its got too bad at a store I will ask for a manager and talk about how bad I was treated. Other than that, just blow it off to stupid people in the world :D

[Art Eatman]

The reaction to "otherness" is a built-in, genetic thing. Sure, any of us can train ourselves out of it, but it's still a basic reflex. Anybody who is outside the norm of a group is going to be noticed.

I have avoided a heckuva lot of hassles through a lot of years just because I've deliberately appeared as "Sammy Straight Arrow" in the eyes of speed cops, bureaucrats, store clerks and others who might otherwise waste my time.

But I had a boss who called me his "Short-haired Hippie." :D:D:D

Art

[Zach S]

I've noticed the same thing, since I look like a Hell's Angel most of the time. Not just in the gun shops, but everywhere.

Looking at the bright side though, I rarely have ppl bumping into me, no matter how crowded a store is.

[Hutch]

I think the last few posters have bracketed the target. Why is anyone surprised that they are treated as if they PROBABLY act like a member of the group whose "uniform" they wear? Not that you don't have the right to do so, but you should expect to be, at least initially, treated as if you ARE in fact what you present yourself as. You have a great deal of control over how you dress. Use it to your advantage. Wanna buy something upscale? Dress like you can afford it. Wanna kick it with the homeez? Feel free. But please, don't act put upon if the way YOU CHOOSE to present yourself has, ahhhh... repercussions. Doesn't make it right, but it makes it as predictable as the sunrise.

As I tell my kids, more bluntly: If you dress outrageously, you can expect to find that people get outraged.

[blades67]

He gives me this look of mild disgust as he sees me standing there behind him.

That is your perception, but unless you can read minds you have no idea what he was thinking. You dress the way you do to get a reaction. If you don't like the reaction others have, change the way you dress.:rolleyes:

[Zach S]

I think the last few posters have bracketed the target. Why is anyone surprised that they are treated as if they PROBABLY act like a member of the group whose "uniform" they wear? Not that you don't have the right to do so, but you should expect to be, at least initially, treated as if you ARE in fact what you present yourself as. You have a great deal of control over how you dress. Use it to your advantage. Wanna buy something upscale? Dress like you can afford it. Wanna kick it with the homeez? Feel free. But please, don't act put upon if the way YOU CHOOSE to present yourself has, ahhhh... repercussions. Doesn't make it right, but it makes it as predictable as the sunrise.

As I tell my kids, more bluntly: If you dress outrageously, you can expect to find that people get outraged.

Well, I do get better service during warmer weather (no leather jacket).

[Sam Fisher]

I wouldn't neccessarily compartmentalize it as "shooter snobbery". I think you would get that reaction at most any place you visit, except for perhaps a sk8terz gathering.

You have to remember, most guy who hunt/shoot/collect/smith are not generally decked out like you are. I'm not saying how you dress and ornament your body is wrong. It's just a lot different from the mainstream firearm enthusiast and this is going to draw looks. Just as it would if a "normal" looking shooter attended a skaterz shop. The clientele would probably look at him as being "weird".

[Edward429451]

Use it to you're advantage as suggested! One practical aspect of learning to dress in 'urban camo' is making money. You can get paid more / charge more if you appear the part. Two guys equally skilled show up for a job or to bid a job, one guy has whitewalls, one guy has earrings and long hair/ beard whatever, who you suppose is going to get the job?;)

BTDT, I'd have long hair now if it weren't for the money. I look good in longish hair.:cuss:

OTOH, dressing down (or up depending how you look at it) can have its advantages too...can keep the riff raff at a distance. When I rarely wear my leather jacket I notice some stand offishness of people. I think its funny that some people are intimidated by leather. You should've turned around and gave em a big BOO!! (maybe not in a gunstore!)

My subjective experiance has shown to me that generally speaking, the leather jacket/earringed/tattooed/long haired types are more consistently good honest trustworthy folk than are the suit & tie types.

What a good topic.

[JimJD]

I've gotten that type of grabage all my life.
Funny thing is,I'm from NYC, where all types live, funny, huh?
It just comes down to... Screw 'em!
I'm not going to dress a certain way to make other people happy, MY happiness is paramount.
Usually, when people talk to me, get to know me, they realize everything's ok.
I've even changed some people's minds about things of this nature.
I guess I showed them the error of their ways...
:D

[Abenaki]

NewShooter...I feel your pain!

One of my hobbies is historical trekking. What I do is, pretend that it is the year 1770. I go back packing and try to do every thing authentic.

After 3 or 4 days in the hills living off of cornmeal and squirrels I like to stop off at a burger joint on the way home. Now you want to talk about looks. I even have parents grab their kids and move them outa my way when I walk past. Now the funny part is most of those same folks would go outa their way to shake my hand if they saw me in church!

Abenaki

[Lone_Gunman]

If you dress like a freak, a lot of people will think you are a freak.

If this bothers you, you shouldnt dress like a freak.

[NewShooter78]

I know that if you dress a certain way you get treated a certain way. But my dress isn't extreme. I'm built pretty big, so I have to dress in loose clothes or everything is tight like a new pair of Wranglers. ;) And even with my piercings being stretched, its not like I have a pair of one inch holes, but you can notice them from more than a foot away. But that's not my point really.

My point is this. We all talk about how we need to get the average person to try and at least see our point of view, right? Well when we as shooters still have prejudices against each other, how can we ever further our "agenda"? I don't care that the guy in front of me was buying a Benelli, I would have struck up a conversation if I hadn't gotten the look I got. It would have been cool to hear about his interests in shotties. Like my screen name suggests, I'm not a seasoned vet when it comes to guns. I've only been in it for a little over a year. But its hard to walk the High Road when some wish you weren't even part of there world.

I love shooting. We all love shooting, but if we can't get past some things as petty as the way other's look then we won't win any battles for our RKBA.

One of the things that I like about this shop is that there are a lot of teenagers that work there. They are all for the most part more informed than I am about guns and shooting in general. They've probably been shooting as long as I've been a musician. And that's cool by me. I don't look down upon them because I'm 7 or 8 years older than they are. I want to learn and to hear what they have to say. But some people just seem to not get it.

And to answer a few other points brought up, I don't dress the way I do some days to draw attention to myself. I dress and look the way I do because I feel comfortable that way. I'm not in highschool anymore. I'm a manager in a large retail chain. I'm a college graduate. I'm a musician, a shooter, and an outdoorsman. I don't need to make statements, I just am.

[revlar]

Between my two jobs I am required to wear a tie six days a week. I don't have any complaints about it really - after all these years I am used to it.

On my day off jeans and a t-shirt (tats to the elbow) are the norm (and on my Sporty when the weather allows).

It is truly amazing to note the differences in the ways I am treated by those who do not know me. There are times when I will be treated rudely and I'll stop in my tracks, then smile to myself and remember, "Oh yeah, that's right - this is a no-tie day".

Clothes do not make the man - but they sure make the preconceptions others will have of you.

[jrhead75]

If you don't like the reaction others have, change the way you dress. Say what? Hope you're being ironic there, because that's a little like saying if you don't like how Rosie feels about guns, don't carry.

I had the same problem...here was me, a former Marine and diehard Reaganite right winger with a ponytail. Once, I even got told that my insta-check for a shotgun purchase was held up, and then refused (the next day) by some officious looking putz at the local Big5...until they realized that I wasn't going to just go away, then it was "Sorry sir, the clerk read the wrong page of the logbook". I have no doubt it was all because of how I looked, as me with my newish high and tight have had no problems there. Or...show up at the wrong gunclub range with your EBR sometime (my pet peeve).

Express yourself as you will, and shoot what you will. That's what the 1st & 2nd Amendments are there for.

[Standing Wolf]

Wait until you get to be my age. Everybody addresses you as "sir" and "Mister." People say, "...and with the seniors' discount, that'll be..." without my asking for it. Cute girls in short skirts hasten to open doors for me. Heck, young bucks even ask for advice now and then.

If they only knew...!

[Black Snowman]

There were some wild looking folks at the range last time I went. Tatoos, piercings, dyed hair, etc . . . 1st thing I noticed was how poorly they shot. 2nd thing I noticed was how ignorant their comments were.

I had really hoped they were some college friends or a band there to shoot but no such luck. It makes it harder for others to be treated like a decent human being with gang-banger-wanabies like these guys reenforcing negative stereotypes.

I myself never got into the wild outfits, hair, and body mods but I certainly don't consider myself "normal" by almost any measure. It just makes sheeple easier to deal with if your in camoflage ;)

Continue being yourself, it's OK to be annoyed by them. Not everyone is raised as tolerant as they shuld be.

[Soap]

Imagine a minority 21 year old pulling up in a Benz wearing a suit...most gun counter folk instantly think they smell a##hole. But little do they know it might be the supreme ninja Frory-san at their counter :cool:

;)

[NewShooter78]

Driving a Benz doesn't make one an :cuss: hole, but cutting me off in traffic does. :neener:

[JohnKSa]

I dress and look the way I do because I feel comfortable that way.
Ummm....

When you were stretching the holes in your ears, how could you tell when they were finally big enough that you could feel comfortable?

Or put another way, when you were having multiple holes punched in your ears did you start getting more comfortable after the second set, or did you have to get to the third or fourth set of holes before you started to notice an increase in comfort?

(In other words, 'BS!')

Your look is calculated to be unusual, not "normal" (your words), it is SUPPOSED to set you apart from the crowd.

It does.

If you want to look different, DO IT! But you will be treated differently as a result--plain old common sense. I'm not making a judgement either way, just stating the facts.

Complaining about different treatment that results from choices you have made is hypocritical.

For the record, I'm not anywhere near to a fashion model myself. I trim my full beard only when I can't stand it anymore and get 3 or 4 haircuts a year whether I need them or not. I wear tennis shoes, jeans and wrinkled plaid shirts about 99% of the time. My neutral expression has been described to me as "alarming" by people who know me well.

People treat me different when I trim my beard, get a haircut, try to smile a bit more and wear a suit--no question. But I don't complain about the treatment I get when I'm my normal shaggy, wrinkled, sour-looking, casual self--that would be foolish.

[Mike Irwin]

Hang around the hard-core shotgunners a bit more if you REALLY want some high-class snobbery.

Some of the most obnoxious people I've ever met have been shotgunners.

Now, that said, I had a GREAT conversation this afternoon at Bull Run Shooting Center (shot gun) with a guy who was obviously HARD CORE. Extemely friendly, very knowledgeable, and more than willing to pass along a little wisdom to someone who's not as familiar (me) with the game we were shooting today.

Other times, though? I've really thought that the Beretta/Benelli/Perazzi folks were going to ride me out of the venue with a rail because I've pulled a Winchester 1200 out of my case.

In my experience, these are largely also the people who are anti-gun. Of course, their shotguns aren't guns, they're sporting equipment, so they don't have to worry about all of the new laws...

[Mike Irwin]

"That is your perception, but unless you can read minds you have no idea what he was thinking."

Blades, sorry, but I strongly disagree. Reading a person's reaction/facial expression isn't difficult, especially if it's a "first sight reaction" expression.

It's another one of those innate built in abilities that humans share with other animals; the ability to read the body language and expressions as a social interaction/survival mechanism.



John,

Psychological comfort with one's appearance isn't necessarily related to the amount of physical comfort/discomfort one undergoes to look a particular way.

[Sven]

Shooter snobbery really bothers me too - especially at gunstores. The least snobby place I've found so far is Highpower competition... but I really do love every 'clique' I pass though... the Trappers, IDPA...

Three years ago, I had long blonde hair and drove a Vanagon (good to haul my rock band around in and for road trips)... every border crossing it seemed we were searched. I lived that way because that was where I was at the time. Eventually, it started to bother me that I was so high profile.

Now I drive a large sedan and have short hair - the picture of Mr. Average Young Suburb Guy. Wasn't a conscious 'make-over', just sorted of moved that way.

At this point, I'd rather be the 'wolf in sheeps clothing' and stay off radar.

Seems to be working in a variety of ways. Funny how buiness people wouldn't share their business card with me when I had the pony tail, now it's all changed... I feel that consideration of how people view you is important, more so than I used to. Maybe the cycle will repeat and I'll grow it back out for my 1/3 life crisis. ;)

Regardless of all that...as shooters we need to unite. Anyone on our side is on the 'team'. The 'haters' forget that divided, our house will fall.

[Skunkabilly]

DG Flory:
Imagine a minority 21 year old pulling up in a Benz wearing a suit...most gun counter folk instantly think they smell a##hole. But little do they know it might be the supreme ninja Frory-san at their counter


Really, I smelled gun dork.... :neener:

When going to town, I stopped wearing my Royal Robbins 5.11s and solid colored polo shirts because people would think I'm a cop.

"If you are screaming 'Here I am', don't be surprised when the world points and says 'there you are'" Nothing against people who dress different; everyone is a possible threat--just some are more likely to be threats than others.

In God we trust, everyone else, keep your hands where I can see 'em.

;)

[mcshot]

It's interesting how some dress or alter themselves to project an image that is unlike who they are. My son, for example, is a heavy metal band rocker and he projects the image with tattos, piercings etc.. Those who have gotten to know him are impressed by what a nice man is underneath his appearance. So yes he dresses different for attention but it's a mask. He is treated by some based solely on his calculated look but he understands and accepts the price.

A Dad who doesn't understand but cares,
mc:)

Yes, I've experienced the shotgunner snobbery and some are not pro gun.

[CatsDieNow]

Oh please, you guys have it easy. :rolleyes:

At least the gunshop people actually assume you are there to look at the gunstuff. When I went to buy my scope, the guy behind the counter waited on every man in the store before he bothered to talk to me.

Try being female and getting service without being talked down to like a six year old. :fire:

[BlkHawk73]

When I went to buy my scope, the guy behind the counter waited on every man in the store before he bothered to talk to me.


I'd have seen them wait on 2-3 others and left. More than likely not to return. I've had this happen to me 3 times at proberly the most well known shop in the state 3 times. Each time I wrote a carefully worded note to the store w/o a response. They will never again have 1 cent of mine go across their counters.

[Double Naught Spy]

While the situation happened to you, New Shooter, I don't think you fully understand what went on. Based on your description of events, you looked like a sort of unsavory character and were in a place not occupied by unsavory characters. The fact that they viewed you suspiciously has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that the people were in a gun store. You described it as 'shooter snobbery' only nobody was shooting.

Understand that situationally aware people will take notice of you. Within the store you described, you dress did not fit. Had you robbed the store, witnesses to the event would be telling the cops and reporters that you looked suspicious when you came in the door as your dress didn't fit the store or other customers. So you were different, stood out, looked unsavory and so sure enough you got eyeballed. That had nothing to do with snobbery or shooting.

[NewShooter78]

Well to me it is shooter snobbery since I was in a gun store and the people reacting dumbly were shooters. But some of you are getting to hung up on one thing and not looking at the picture as a whole. I'm not so naive to think that I won't be treated differently if I dress a little out of the "norm". I'm just making the point that it is detrimental to our "sport" for people to be acting this way towards other shooters.

But telling me I should not complain about it is like telling a female or black shooter that they shouldn't complain about being treated or looked at badly in a gun store either.

[Sam Fisher]

Newshooter. -- I disagree. I for one don't want the "norm" to be people dressed and ornamented like you to be the crowd at the gun shop. I don't want to "hang out" with people dressed like you. Why you ask? For one, you and your friends are more than likely a lot younger than me which means we share very little in common. One of them being the way we dress. I dress conservatively, and for what the occasion requires. Two - I don't like to draw attention to myself where as it seems you do.

I can't say as I blame the guy's attitude at their gun shop. More than likely they looked at you and figured you were immature. And immaturity has no place where guns are involved.

[Soap]

Newshooter78- Was that you!? :o ;)

Skunk- Moi? Je suis un gun dork? Je ne sais pas mon ami! The real gun dork is the guy who: "stopped wearing my Royal Robbins 5.11s and solid colored polo shirts because people would think I'm a cop." :neener:

[Art Eatman]

NewShooter78, guns have noting to do with the deal. It's not at all about "shooters". You got the same reaction that would happen if a guy in a suit walked into a biker bar. "What's HE doing in here?"

It's the gut reaction to "otherness".

Art

[BamBam]

More than likely they looked at you and figured you were immature. And immaturity has no place where guns are involved.
I think Sam has made a very important point here. And I have to concur.

BamBam

[Skunkabilly]

Dan, I only wear them when playing Ghost Recon, remember? :evil: Aww haww haww HAWWW!!

Newshooter, I have friends that look like you...Took me an extra minute to let my guard down but they're still my friends ;)

[QuickDraw]

I'll chime in here.
I have 2 vehicles.1. 1985 nissan pickup (work truck)
2. 1985 BMW 535i.
Theres a big difference in how people react to me
by which vehicle I drive.When I pull up to the range in
my pickup =good old boy :)
When I drive the BMW=uh oh,yuppie scum :uhoh:
The way I look at it is we are all in this together.
If the person has a gun (and its not pointed at me :D )
I don't really care what they look like,I'll talk to them.
I've experienced gun snobbery.I give'em a chance to get
to know me and prove them wrong.If that doesn't work....scroom!

Now go out there and shoot...today (I am!)

QuickDraw

[ysr_racer]

If you are screaming 'Here I am', don't be surprised when the world points and says 'there you are'

Yep, be careful what you wish for, it might come true.

[another okie]

What a wimpy culture we have become when an unpleasant look is grounds for whining. It's not like they held you down and pulled your piercings out, or tortured until you agreed to follow the teachings of Brother Rush. I agree with many of the posters above. If you dress to make a statement, then it seems absurd to be surprised when people hear you.

[A. Partisan]

My appearance tends to keep people at arms length + 6" away from me. It's my buffer zone. People that know me know I treat people with respect and dignity(unless they are idiots). People that don't know me ..........I don't care what they think.:D

[NewShooter78]

Sam,
Dresssing conservatively doesn't make me think someone is more mature. I see plenty of people who dress conservatively and act immature.

Stereotypes=bad mojo.

So if someone wouldn't want to talk to me because of the way I dress and look, oh well. I don't want to turn this into a whining session, I just don't understand why some people can't take the time to look past the way someone looks.

QuickDraw
Now go out there and shoot...today (I am!)

I am too! But I'll be dressed for the occasion. Boots, jeans, and polo. :rolleyes:

[PzGren]

Do you really wonder??????

When I buy gas for my Nissan Sentra, I have to prepay the $8. When I go with my Lexus, I can pay the $20 afterwards. In the same clothes.

Does none of you ever discriminate? Being on this board does not separate us from the rest of this world, we are still a part of it.

I discriminate , I also know when I am wrong- afterwards, it happens too often. It is hard to admit it, but we all make mistakes. While I do not give people dirty looks, I felt them by really tough guys, because I was wearing a suit. They might not have spend half the time in the ring that I did, but they look tougher.

[QuickDraw]

Just to set the record straight,my uniform of choice
is jeans,T-shirt or polo,running shoes.If I'm not working,
or in church or at a funeral,thats what I wear:D .
Been wearing it for at least 30 years.
Makes it easy to shop for clothes!
Yikes,maybe I need a makeover!
See ya at the range!

QuickDraw

[Topgun]

:D

[Crimper-D]

I recall the same reaction from old Farts way back when I looked like Henery Winkler's character Fonzerelli in "Happy Days" = Black bluejeans (never washed! white T-shirt - This was before anyone thought to silkscreen 'messages' or ads on em', and a Black Leather Bomberjacket was the "Uniform of the Day":) Oh yea, 'Brylcream'd hair;) Too young to be a Beatnick, too old to be a Hippie;) :p I got the down-the-nose look a lot, but outlived it (and the old Farts who were doing the dising):evil:
Never did do shotguns, but the smallbore rifle crowd I shoot with is pretty liberal about 'fashon statements' ;)

[DougCxx]

This board is full of "close call stories" about various evil-looking people "who came towards me and were probably going to try to do something but I adjusted my concealed 1911 and they backed off and left".
.....
You get judged by your appearance, this is a fact of life and will not change because one whines about it. It is silly to pretend that there no reason not to judge people by their appearance, and only someone blind since birth can say they have never done it. -And you cannot look like everything, so you have to make a choice.
Welcome to reality.
If you choose to look unusual, do not be surprised if you get treated unusually.
~

[Moparmike]

Imagine a minority 21 year old pulling up in a Benz wearing a suit...most gun counter folk instantly think they smell a##hole.Remind me to do that next time I go shopping. I might get a little respect.

Or, as a 20yr old in a Benz and a suit, I will be thought of as an elitist* snob whose daddy paid for everything I ever had, never knowing that my parents havent bought anything I wanted that wasnt under a Christmas tree since I got my first job.


[Swarmy British Accent]
*The trouble with elitists is that they tarnish the good name of truely superior people (such as myself). Soon the average commoner starts thinking that all the superior people are snobby a##holes, and as a superior person with a good reputation, I wont stand for it.:D :D :D
[/Brit]

[PzGren]

Doug,

you are right, people look at you and go by their impression, I could not agree more with you!!! Maybe I am the old fart now, mentioned before, but I was a good middle weight amateur, and in the Wado-Ryu national team, a sniper in the 173rd PzGrenBat. Going to public gun ranges, I find disrespectful looks by kids that cannot hit a man size target in the center at 10 yards. But only when I first walk in. Why? I wear quite conservative clothes.

No harm was done to the initiator of this very popular thread by the looks of one man. Maybe he could have grown above himself, or shown his real self, like:
"Really nice shotgun that you have there, Sir" We shooters should pull together, not apart. Maybe he would have found a new friend.
Maybe convinced this fellow, that first appearances can be wrong.
Maybe being such an old fart myself , being through way too many fights, makes me understand that.

America is, after all, a polite society.

[NewShooter78]

PzGren
"Really nice shotgun that you have there, Sir" We shooters should pull together, not apart. Maybe he would have found a new friend.

Best reply so far. Next time I will try and start the conversation myself. I guess that is the best way to walk the High Road. I was just really miffed at the moment. Hindsight is 20/20.

And all it took was a trip to the range to make me forget all about it. :D