Do People Leave Every Bit of Common Sense at Home When They Travel??

Don't know where the expression originated, but my mother used to say "you can dress them up but you can't take them out..."

There are endless stories of humor, shock, and awe that point to a very decisive "Yes" people take only their bodies on vacation, not their minds. Unfortunately they will even forget their clothes...

Well, with all of the fees associated with baggage these days, who can expect people to pack their common sense? I think people would rather make room steaks and cheeses in their bags.

some people just don't have any home training and some people forget they ever had it...simple courtesies and actions are still a part of most people's lives but they are slowly going by the wayside...unfortunately.

Climbing on my soapbox:

Even bright young people don't seem to have any social presence. They don't stand when introduced, know how to make eye contact or even shake hands. And forget about making chit-chat conversation -- most can't do it.

But for goodness sakes, they should know enough to keep their feet off the furniture!!!

Stepping off the soapbox and slipping quietly away

When many are on vacation, they do indeed check everything* at the door...

However I do agree that common courtesy are lost on many...I think a lot of visitors to this island expect everyone to bow down to them even when they exhibit terrible behavior.

Just yesterday I was walking to my car at Yacht Haven Grande and actually saw a guy in swim trunks, NO SHIRT [he wasn't even carrying a shirt or backpack where a shirt could possibly be] and flip flops walk into Salvatore Ferregano [sp?]...nevermind the cost of items in the store...since when is it acceptable to EVER walk around shirtless into ANY establishment??

Craziness, but it's how a lot of people act...I've found that if you treat people with respect here you get decent service and treatment, but if you come like an a$$hole, just because you're on vacation and spending your money doesn't earn you respect.

As a previous poster stated, some people get it, and others, well....

And forget about making chit-chat conversation -- most can't do it.

There's a great line uttered by Steve Buschemi from Boardwalk Empire that sums it up perfectly: "You young people... no appreciation for the art of conversation."

Walking downtown from YHG along the road a few days ago - a woman in a bikini and flip flops.
Just that, a very small bikini and flip-flops. Maybe she was planning to swim along Main St. ?

Geesh.

or looking for a date

I too am concerned that modern 'media' has had a negative influence on today's young people, but it appears nothing has really changed.

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=408989

Since I have lived here I've found that one of my biggest pet peeves is the half dressed people walking around town. It just makes me cringe. I am not too shy about telling people they need to cover up. Some look at me like I've just landed from another planet and am speaking in tongues. Some are apologetic. Over on the no-see-um blog, http://no-see-um.blogspot.com/ she had this photo posted:

I just don't understand how anyone would think this is ok. This woman is standing on the street, right across from the Post Office on St. John at a booking booth.

Julie, I agree, I prefer the old ways. Everyone dressed when in town. Manners were impeccable. On STX years ago people were stopped for driving through town without a shirt. The colonial customs that added to the charm. Restaurants too.

Then again when I first started coming to the islands women still carried stuff on their heads, there were still a few donkey carts and roadside goat roasts.

a bit of respect for you and your environment go a long way. i do not walk around like that except at home or on the beach but never in public. i used to work in christiansted and it always amazed me at how the people would dress to go shopping. if you would not dress that way in your hometown dont do it herePLEASE.

Tourists don't know the rules; if you have ever been to a beach town in the states you see people in shops and restaurants in just bathing suits.
I think it's nasty

It used to say something about how to dress in public in St Croix This Week tourist magazine. I'll have to look and see if it still does.

People in bikinis and swimming trunks on a small island in public does not bother me. As you travel further down island, clothes become more or less an option on the beach and covering up becomes simply having a top on. I say relax and quit letting the small stuff bother you. It's just the human body, we really shouldn't be too offended by seeing it.

Just my .02 cents.

I guess it just of the nostalgia of when men were gentlemen and women were ladies. Just because it is 2010 doesn't make it acceptable.

On a related topic, when did it become fashionable for people to address others with "Hey"? 🙁

In an earlier time, someone, perhaps the person being addressed, would say, "Hay is for horses."

Ha - ha - "and oats are for cows" my mom used to say.

And some of us (from the south) consider hey a perfectly acceptable form of address, when used as hello or hi. We might even add y'all.:-)

Occasionally I'll let fly with a good old, "Wha' 'rong wi' yoh? You ain' have no home trainin'?!?"

I totally understand the conservatism here, though it took me by surprise when I first arrived. But I must say I'm far less offended by swimwear, no matter how far the wearer is from the stereotypical perfect body type, than by grubby clothes. Most bodies can be beautiful in some way, if you squint hard enough, but a lack of self respect sours everyone in the vicinity.

I can't help but think of the following quote when I hear people complaining about the loss of manners and the poor behavior of others compared to the way things were back in the day. Not an exact context match maybe but the gist is the same....

I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on the frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless
beyond words. When I was a boy, we were taught to be discrete and respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly wise and
impatient of restraint.~Hesiod, Eighth Century B.C.

It appears that it is a historically common complaint by those (like myself) suffering from that infamous chronic disease - "oldfartitis"

Just a thought but in Danish & Swedish the word pronounced "Hey" is formal greeting and means hello.

Doesn't excuse everyone that says "hey" but with the Danish heritage here it might be one explanation.

Jim

"Hey" was good enough for Gomer:@)