Violence or aggression toward hammockers...should we be concerned?

[michigandave]

Thank you! Over the past few years I've become the cranky old "rules guy". I didn't mean to, but when you consistently see people hanging 6 FEET FROM THE RIVER, when the rules (vary by state/location) clearly state you need to be 200 feet away, it just irritates me. Same with lakes. And usually 100 feet off the trail.

No one is special. The rules apply to everyone and are there for a reason. I don't want to give authorities a reason to make them even more strict or ban hammocks altogether. Keeping some distance just makes it more enjoyable for everyone else that wants to get away and enjoy the quiet woods.

Well said and I agree 100%! Don't get me started on seeing a Scout troop set up in the beach grass (after tramping out spots for tents) on N. Manitou Island. Unfortunately, not everyone shares our same values. It does open up a question of whether or not to confront the offending person/group or report the transgression to to the authorities. You never know how people may react...Been there, done that...

[Dead Man]

I've had people approach me and ask a lot of questions, have had a few wanting to lay in my hammock. Only one ever laid in it after I explained no shoes,keys or hip knives. Mostly just curious people.

The uninvited hammock test is a serious peeve for me. "I just wanted to see what it was like." "No problem. Mind if I sleep with your wife?" Wow, that got really personal fast. Probably shouldn't have watched that video.

This is just happenstance. Sad to be sure on all counts but just a coincidence.

[JmBoh]

Sorry,but I can't help but wonder what sort of City Planner puts a soccer field and a War Memorial in the same place?But then again I come from a generation that thinks a cemetary or a war memorial is a holy place of respect for the dead and not somebody's play ground..........

I agree. I don't think I would have been upset over the hammock in the trees as they are a good distance from the memorial itself, but that tent being on the grass 20-30 feet from the memorial..... no good.

[Jetjay]

I wonder if they would have been not as mad if they where the patriotic hammocks from RBTR. Probably not the best place hang though. Looks like they where looking for trouble witch gives hammocks a bad rap.


Jetjay

[zukiguy]

Even though a quick nap or lounging in a hammock is awesome I'm of the opinion (and everyone has one) that it's not appropriate to set up anywhere that you wouldn't consider setting up a tent for the night. This pretty much knocks public parks, memorials, etc. off my list. These types of uses appear to be where the majority of problems and bad press are coming from so it's best to just avoid them.

I don't think a hammock specifically attracts any more attention than another dwelling (tent, canopy, etc) in a campground/forest where you'd expect to see one. However, set up in a heavily used public area just seems like a bad idea. I've been to plenty of historic sites in FL with ancient live oaks and thought "that would be a cool place to hang", but I'd never do it.

[Slugger]

As a veteran, I don't think it was an appropriate place to hang hammocks.....but at the same time it wasn't the raging maniac's place to make up rules as to who can be there and what they do to enjoy the park. He was totally out of line.

[Wanderlost]

I believe hammocks are like anything else: you need show courtesy.

These kids were indeed in the clearing at the memorial (not the soccer fields across the street) because some of the monuments dedicated to veterans were pokespots. This wasn't an isolated incident. The veteran had come by several days in a row telling the kids to have some respect for the memorial. According to some of the reports, he lost it on this particular day because they had hammocks hung around and a pop-up tent to get out of the rain while playing their game. If it were any park, I wouldn't have an objection to that, but this was a Memorial built with donated funds with over 10 monuments situated throughout the park for different wars and causes. It's not a park with a statue in the middle dedicated to a particular something. On the same note, that vet took things too far and from the wrong approach. If he had issues, there were better avenues and sources to utilize to get the awareness he wanted.

In a bigger picture, I don't think it's more harassment or violence towards hammocks in particular. I think it's more a matter of there be proportionately more hammocks around. With a larger amount of hammocks, there will also be a larger number of people who either ignore the rules, don't know the rules, or just are discourteous. It's like with airplanes. You don't hear about the thousand that land safely every day; you hear about the one that had a gravity assisted forced landing. You're hearing about the extreme cases. Folks on these forums and others are testaments to doing things the right way.

[LowTekk]

It really is about decency and respect. I may be a new hanger, but I certainly wouldn't string up my hammock at a war memorial unless the veterans themselves were hosting a hang in remembrance. It kinda reminds me of something I've been noticing in my neighborhood recently. There are all these younger people(I'm 36 by the way) who roam the streets near and even in front of my house blasting their sound systems without any regard for everyone else who lives here. It's a pet peeve of mine, though not for the same reason many would think. I love the old Miami bass scene, and have Techmaster PEB's greatest albums under lock and key. Heck, eight years ago, I had a pair of 10" inch subs in the back of my jeep and rocked them hard, but there was always respect. When I stopped at a traffic light or turned down a residential street, I'd turn it down. Even when I'd forget and just happen to stop right beside a police cruiser while shakin' my guts with sound, I never got a ticket because I'd give a sheepish grin and turn the music way down. At the end of the day, if someone doesn't treat others with the respect he or she wants to be treated with, there's no excuse to act all butt-hurt when somebody inevitably slaps 'em down. It's not just common decency, it's common sense. I don't see myself ever having violent confrontations with people over my hammock for the same reason I never got a noise ordinance ticket. If you make it a habit to respect others, you gain a good reputation. That means whenever you inevitably do either make a legitimate mistake or run into somebody who's carpet even pulled up and left, the community will know who to stand behind.

[Jetjay]

It really is about decency and respect. I may be a new hanger, but I certainly wouldn't string up my hammock at a war memorial unless the veterans themselves were hosting a hang in remembrance. It kinda reminds me of something I've been noticing in my neighborhood recently. There are all these younger people(I'm 36 by the way) who roam the streets near and even in front of my house blasting their sound systems without any regard for everyone else who lives here. It's a pet peeve of mine, though not for the same reason many would think. I love the old Miami bass scene, and have Techmaster PEB's greatest albums under lock and key. Heck, eight years ago, I had a pair of 10" inch subs in the back of my jeep and rocked them hard, but there was always respect. When I stopped at a traffic light or turned down a residential street, I'd turn it down. Even when I'd forget and just happen to stop right beside a police cruiser while shakin' my guts with sound, I never got a ticket because I'd give a sheepish grin and turn the music way down. At the end of the day, if someone doesn't treat others with the respect he or she wants to be treated with, there's no excuse to act all butt-hurt when somebody inevitably slaps 'em down. It's not just common decency, it's common sense. I don't see myself ever having violent confrontations with people over my hammock for the same reason I never got a noise ordinance ticket. If you make it a habit to respect others, you gain a good reputation. That means whenever you inevitably do either make a legitimate mistake or run into somebody who's carpet even pulled up and left, the community will know who to stand behind.

100% agree


Jetjay

[Moonshiner]

As a Vet myself I would not have hung a hammock there, but that guy should have been arrested he was way out of control.