Comeback- Race

[frehocc]

I plan on a utilikilt most of the time I'm travelling in the US.

How effective will this comeback be when confronted by overzealous custom officers and other negative confrontational people

Pulling out the race card

Others: "What the F are you doing in a skirt?/ negative comment""

Me: "On, Is it because I'm a chinese?"

Is it going to be funny, or escalate onto a hate crime?

[Bri]

I really doubt that any customs officer will say much of anything about what you're or will be wearing. All they really care about is why you're in the country, how long, who you'll be going to see, where you'll be staying and that kind of thing. Unless you fit the profile of someone who's done something very bad and just happens to wear skirts when doing it, you shouldn't have any kind of problem.

Just don't get all up in their faces about stuff that you don't have to, or they can and probably will detain you. They don't want anymore of a problem than you do. Just like any other job, the smoother their days go, the happier they are.

[crfriend]

Others: "What the F are you doing in a skirt?/ negative comment""

Me: "On, Is it because I'm a chinese?"

Is it going to be funny, or escalate onto a hate crime?

I wouldn't bother about trying for a snappy comeback unless you're intimately familiar with your immediate surroundings, and this goes doubly for when you're involved with officials.

For the most part, the Customs and Immigration folks should not care one whit about what you're wearing, and it would be considered unprofessional for them to comment on your attire unless it's arousing suspicion for some reason. You're much more likely to get comments and such from the general public -- and since you're planning on wearing a Utilikilt, which is a recognised male garment, you should receive little or no grief.

Where are you planning on visiting while in the States?

[Milfmog]

frehocc,

I'd council against practising snappy comebacks. Whenever I've done that I've found myself using them instinctively at completely the wrong time and looking a "grade A plonker" (a view of myself that some would say I have cultured by wearing skirts, but who cares?).

Like Carl, I'd not expect any grief from officials, usually I get exactly the opposite when travelling in a kilt or skirt. Bored government employees on a long dull shift like to meet someone a little different who is not presenting them with a problem, so they tend to be friendlier than usual rather than antagonistic.

If you feel you want to have a stock response I'd suggest a wide smile will buy you a second or two to think and then say something appropriate, far better than coming across as cocky and irritating folks.

Have fun,


Ian.

[frehocc]

ah, I'm planning on visitng Seatle, travel to N Dakota: Fargo, then up to Winnipeg to make Keycon, then the plans are as yet unconfirmed.

I'm on a backpacking holiday

anyway your advice wuld be not to make snappy comebacks but to act normal. Got it.

[Bri]

Unless one of the officials brings it up, don't act like you're doing anything different.

[Sasquatch]

I doubt you'll have any chance of an exchange of that sort. These guys are generally quite professional. But if an immigration/customs officer did address you in such an offensive manner, I'd make careful mental note of everything he said and file a complaint later. It would be best to be compliant at the scene unless the term "cavity check" doesn't mean anything to you. And we're not talking dentistry here!

sasq

[ChrisM]

Welcome to our neck of the woods Frehocc.

Well, that's a long trip - Seattle to Fargo to Winnipeg. How long will you be here? On one of our last drives across country we met a chap who was cycling the full loop of the USA - He started in Chicago, went through Florida, and we met him in Northern California. He was a very friendly chap and it was fantastic to hear his story of just slowly wandering through the miles of this continent.

I presume that your trip is not an epic of that sort, but that you'll be flying from one city to another and doing some local backpacking in that region. That is a very lovely collection of areas - I am particularly attracted to North Dakota. I've only spent an aggregate of a few days in that state, but those days have teased my tastebuds and suggest an extended visit in some future trip.

To return to the topic, I'll just say what everybody else has: Don't smart mouth any of the officials. They're actually pretty pleasant normal blokes doing their job from 9 to 5. And they can be pretty good sources of information, since they see so many people during their day. Use the skirt as a conversation opener, not a wall-builder.

And most of all: Enjoy the Visit!

All the best,

Chris M

[frehocc]

Actually, I'll be taking buses and trains.

Nothing tells about a city more than at a bus stop or on a bus

Chicago: 2 blokes with ohawks, tattoos and in punk regalia, gave up their seats to a old lady on a bus. The city's soul must be doing something right

I'll be in the US for 2 months. The trip is the first monh. I haven't decided on the second month yet. I'm thinking of renting a room in a city somewhere and see how locals live. And live how locals live.

I'm having trouble with Seattle rooms... Super expensive..

Any suggestions?

[Bri]

There's a hostel on Vashon Island, about $12 a night, but getting on well, you're not driving, so it's like $5 a person for the ferry. Other than that, I haven't found much in WA state (used to live there in Federal Way). If you're looking for a place in Vancouver, the campbie(sp?) street hostel in gastown is really good, but the showers suck! Bring some flip flops, crocs, or whatever. People told me before I went there that gastown is a bad part of town, but I didn't find anything near bad when I was there in the summer so I guess that Canuks' idea of bad varies greatly from Washingtonians'.

If you can, spend a week or less in Seattle, and then go straight to B.C. there's someone up there on the board named BCMTNBKA, who's oddly enough also I believe chinese decent (not that that makes a damn bit of difference) who would probably be happy to show you around.

[frehocc]

Thanks

I've read the reviews, and vancouver and seattle are both great places to live.

bTW, which place is cheaper to rent a room, Vancouver or Seattle?







Or maybe I should rent a place near Nigaria falls for a month..

[SkirtDude]

deleted

[frehocc]

assume conversion done

ie, 1cad=1.1usd

So 500 Vancouver works out to 550 usd.

[AMM]

I wouldn't bother about trying for a snappy comeback unless you're intimately familiar with your immediate surroundings, and this goes doubly for when you're involved with officials...

Actually, it's a good idea for any of us skirt-wearing men to think up some "come-backs," just not the "snappy" kind.

If you're wearing a skirt, you never know when someone will ask you why you're wearing a skirt, and it's useful to have a few answers prepared for each situation. Otherwise, unless you're more comfortable about it than most of us are, you're liable to respond in a way that could come off as defensive or inappropriate.

I have a couple of guidelines I follow when coming up with answers:

1. Don't give people more information than they really want (a.k.a. TMI = Too Much Information.) Less is more. For example, if it's hot, a simple, "It's a lot more comfortable in this hot weather" is enough, you don't have to give the medical details.

2. Start out assuming that people will accept your skirts, however awkwardly they may have approached you. You just need to help them see you as a "regular guy" who is just wearing some unusual clothing.

3. What you actually say isn't all that important, it's the way you talk to them. They want to feel it's OK to ask you about it, and to reassure themselves that you aren't a dangerous weirdo.

4. The best response to hostile comments is to ignore them. If you're in a situation where saying nothing at all is not a possibility, answer simply and concretely, ignoring the hostile wording. For example, if someone asks you, "what are you wearing that skirt for, are you some kind of fag?", a simple "no" will suffice. (It might be a little more complicated if you're gay.)