Reading Between the Lines

            When out and about in unfamiliar territory it is easy to make assumptions about the area you are in, the people that inhabit that area, and their way of life.  By doing this you can simplify the situation and feel as if you understand what is going on so you know the appropriate way to act.  These assumptions travelers tend to make can result in false understandings, as the generalizations are based on incorrect simplifications. 

  

The Dockhouse on the Beaufort waterfront where a live band performs at night.

            I found this out one night at the Dockhouse in Beaufort, NC, a bar that is a ten minute walk from the Marine Lab.  While inside the bar area I overheard a brief conversation between two locals.  The one middle-aged man in crab-smelling jeans barked at the other man in clothes that had seen better days too “put your phone away, you look like a tourist.”  From this comment and my knowledge of how tourists overrun the area during the summer and displace the permanent residents, it is easy to believe that all locals resent tourists and those who visit their area.   Added to the conversation I had just overhead, I could plainly see how all the locals sat in one group, while the tourists, wearing their yacht club attire, drank on the waterfront and listened to the live band. 

My stereotype that the locals resented the tourists was broken when a friend from the area who works at the Marine Lab introduced me to a local fisherman, as I was interested in clamming.  After our brief conversation about where I should rake, I asked him about the differences between the way the town was now and the summer.  I could tell by the way he looked to phrase his words that he found the summertime to be crowed and overrun with people. However, as we talked more about how nice the establishment we were at was, he seemed to understand that it would not be possible were it not for the boost to the economy the tourists generated. 

Making unsupported assumptions can impede understanding and lead to inaccurate evaluations.  At the Dockhouse I learned it is important to read each situation differently so preconceived notions will not impede my vision of the situation at hand.