Hearse Discrimination

[Stretch]

Back when I first got my green 71 Superior (some of you may remember Slimer) on the road, some friends talked me into bringing it to the local cruise night down on the city Main Street. I never had any grief from the people running it but there were a lot of freaked out spectators and I never got parked away from everyone else. They usually had me parked right in the middle of everything.

The following year I got my black 78 Miller-Meteor (Morgue-Anna) and branched out to going to even more cruise nights in the tri-state area (MA, RI, and CT). I stirred up a lot of comments both negative and posative from people but was never once asked to leave or was not allowed to participate. One week that summer I ever took home a "Cruiser of the Week" award and had a pic of me with the coach in the local paper. That in itself did not set too well with a lot of people but I found out later that one of the reasons why they chose my coach, other than that it was different, was that I never stopped going despite the complaints from some of the others who went and all the crap I took directly to my face.

Both coaches generated their fair share of stupid questions from idiots but I also got a lot of good ones from some people who were genuinly interested in them such as how they were made or about production numbers or other specifics.

Around here, most of the people who run events believe that as long as it is a classic or antique, you should not turned away reguardless if it is a perfect resto or a work in progress... especially if what you have is different from what everyone else has.

[Xavier]

Hi there ! In Europe i noticed that kind of behaviours too. and I think that there is no diffrence between christians, Atheists or muslims.
With the three sort of people I noticed there is comprehensive and Radical people.

There is categories of people :

- the people that do not care of hearses.
- the people that find hearses cool. when they saw you, they come to you and ask lots of questions.
- the people that love old cars, hearse included, but don't find it so cool. They always says " if only it wasn't a hearse " ! " It scares me a little "
- the people that are affraid of hearses because they are stupid, brainless, or "animals " : they act with instinct, without thinking, like their parents teach them.
They belive everything a priest / imam said them, they are scared of everything ( even of a piece of metal like a hearse-shapped car ) and are very violent if they face something that scare them.

There is another distinction to do : the diffrence between old and modern cars. Someone says that he never had any problem with his hearse ! Of course ! It a 1959 !
Everyone loves the 1959 and you could bring one, as dirty and destroyed as a trash, everyone will love it !
Old cars plays in another level, with some people ( generally the old and notorious show car owners, like other said. )

I never been discriminated up to now, but I have only drove my hearse in the streets. I will do my first meeting soon.
A friend did on with his hearse, and a journalist was very enthusiastic to see something diffrent !
But I would take it very badly if someone in a meeting that I paid, told me I have no right to be here.
fuck ! MY HEARSE IS A FUCKIN' SHOW CAR ! and i have no lesson to receive by anyone ( and yes I drive it as often as I could ! but I can't drive it as many as I want, because his to far away from my house ).
There is something that terrify people most is when you have the coffin inside... i don't understand what people can image ! A lot of people are mind-disturbed. They can't separate the object from the concept. Death is not a hearse ! Is that so complicated to understand ? A hearse is an object made by humans to transport dead bodies, and not "death". Death is not a coffin !
I can't understant why they can do the diffrence with ambulances ( people die in ambulances ! ) and not with hearses !

I can tell you the first time I drove my hearse at home :
It was night, and there was youg people outside. when I came with the hearse, they separate into 3 groups :
- the ones that are scared ! ( I can't understand ! It just an object ! ) they run everywhere, shouting.
- the ones that are Doubtful : they stay far from the hearse, asking themselves questions. ( my favorite category, they do not fuck me with boring questions )
- the ones that are litteraly attracted by the car : they came and ask a lot of boring questions, some of us do not touch the hearse because they are scared of evil spirits ( yes ! like peasants in the 16th century ! ), and some want to take a ride ( oh fuck ! ), they are more interessed by the v8.

Then, the parents comes : " i will call the police " ! :/
yes yes... Some people have very strange reactions...
So, I do not let the hearse at my house, but into a secret barn at friend's one. for 3 reasons :
- I don't want to have my car Deteriorated by a mindless fucker.
- I don't wan't to let a hearse in front of people that do not want to see a hearse.
- I understant that people do not like hearse, so i have to do my best to respect others ways of life, if they respect mine : if I haven't a barn, i would put a car cover on it.

[kaptinkaos]

The worst I have gotten so far was at the Charleston Doo Wop and Rod Run street festival last year. I was sitting beside my friends hearse and sometime during the day someone walked up and put a business card on both of our dashes that said "Jesus loves you". LOL. Like my soul needed saving just because I drive a hearse. It seems to me that if someone was right with God they wouldn't fear death, much less a car that only takes an empty shell to the graveyard.

As far as car shows go, I go to quite a few to just hang out and meet a few cool people and make fun of everyone else. I guess I don't fit into either of the catagories discussed here so far. I have in fact spent quite a bit of money on getting my car fixed up. But this was mostly on parts and I did most of the work myself. I didn't do the body or paint work though, because I just don't enjoy that part. However, I did it all for me. I don't give a rat's ass about trophies. I have received a few trophies, mostly top 25 or top 50 which means absolutely nothing. These trophies are mostly ego strokers to get people to come to support the show for whatever charity they are raising money for.

The only trophy I have that means anything at all is the one I got at a local high school to raise money for the band. They gave out 2 trophies that day. One was best of show and one was the band members choice. The kids choose my car for thier trophy, which I thought was pretty cool.

I've won 1st & 2nd place plaques & a best in show trophy, but I go to help out with the fund raisers mainly, winning something is an added bonus. One car show I attend annually setup a specific category for hearses, ambulances, police cars, etc. They setup a service class category. It was because Big Evil & I showed up in a hearse & they didn't fit in a specific class they listed.

I enjoy looking at the older cars & what other people have done, usually you make good contacts or find out parts suppliers that you haven't heard of. But it's the recent string of assholes that are tarnishing it. The bikers, rat rods & T-bucket folks are the nicer ones & talk shop & they don't care what I drive. It's the owners of the cars that have $10,000 paint jobs or have a car that only touch concrete when they roll it off the trailer at the shows or in their garage.

For some reason ambulances, which are way more gruesome in my opinion, seem to be much more well received at car shows. I drove mine around all weekend at Goodguys biggest show of the year and was constantly being stopped for pictures or questions. I never heard any negative comments at all.

I agree, we have an ambulance in the club & have taken it to car shows, it always has gotten positives.

I am hoping to get the chance to use a sentance I have been saving up.........

" no need to get all pissy just because my rust is prettier than your wife".........

[StrayCat]

I am hoping to get the chance to use a sentance I have been saving up.........

" no need to get all pissy just because my rust is prettier than your wife"......... I'll only pull that one out if someone REALLY wants to be a douche nozzle and push the issue. I am always down for a good asswoopin, wether it ends up being my ass wooped in the end or not. Just kinda the sport of it.

As far as odd looks, the current coach usually gets the " Oh hell no he didn't" look. Which is funny as shit in all honesty. Oh and my other favorite...." oh holy shit, dat boy ain't playin"...i have heard this one many times from black women usually. Nothing negative. But show season is just starting as well, and I have just started driving it more often, and replacing broken and worn out parts, so it goes with me to work in Lilburn several times a week. We shall see, we shall see....

[R U INJRD]

For some reason ambulances, which are way more gruesome in my opinion, seem to be much more well received at car shows. I drove mine around all weekend at Goodguys biggest show of the year and was constantly being stopped for pictures or questions. I never heard any negative comments at all.

[Tweek's Turbos]

When I used to take mine around back in NY, it seemed to pull funeral directors out of the woodwork. I think the support them, and basically only them gave got me into the work.

I have taken my buick to car shows and once was flat out told that it wasn't a muscle car and I had no business at the show.

[EternalCombustion]

The worst I have gotten so far was at the Charleston Doo Wop and Rod Run street festival last year. I was sitting beside my friends hearse and sometime during the day someone walked up and put a business card on both of our dashes that said "Jesus loves you". LOL. Like my soul needed saving just because I drive a hearse. It seems to me that if someone was right with God they wouldn't fear death, much less a car that only takes an empty shell to the graveyard.

As far as car shows go, I go to quite a few to just hang out and meet a few cool people and make fun of everyone else. I guess I don't fit into either of the catagories discussed here so far. I have in fact spent quite a bit of money on getting my car fixed up. But this was mostly on parts and I did most of the work myself. I didn't do the body or paint work though, because I just don't enjoy that part. However, I did it all for me. I don't give a rat's ass about trophies. I have received a few trophies, mostly top 25 or top 50 which means absolutely nothing. These trophies are mostly ego strokers to get people to come to support the show for whatever charity they are raising money for.

The only trophy I have that means anything at all is the one I got at a local high school to raise money for the band. They gave out 2 trophies that day. One was best of show and one was the band members choice. The kids choose my car for thier trophy, which I thought was pretty cool.

[ryan_ricks]

i always lollerskate when someone makes the sign of the cross when i drive by. i've noticed it a couple of times

[jlprigmore]

And of course the infamous question "?WHY?" and my one liner response "Why Not!"

[jlprigmore]

Worst thing so far with mine was, at the hotel I was staying at I was asked to move the car by the owners of the hotel because it made a couple uneasy parked right in front of their door. Other than that I few disgusting looks by old people and alot of smiles and thumbs by everyone else.

[dead ed]

Damn, I was gonna enter my first car show, with my hearse, next weekend. It's at a restaurant/bar. If they don't let me enter, I'll just park it there and go in for a bite to eat and a drink. My wife has a handi man permit, I can park right up front.

[ryan_ricks]

yeah, i would love to make an appearance at hearse con

[Zachary]

not to be a snob, but unless someone is one of my hearse friends, generally a cool person, or one of my scene friends, i don't want them looking at my coach, touching it, or even breathing on it.

stupid muggles

I think that for me it depends more on the person and how the ask they approach me. Two people can ask an identical question and it takes me zero seconds flat to know if one of them is being a fuck or not. I think the thing about car shows is, I don't generally like to be trapped somewhere I can't get out of and where I am surrounded by people. Plus, I really have no interest in regular cars at all. I can appreciate what they are but the only car that ever comes close to rocking as much as a hearse are the early 60's Mercury's with the Breezeway windows, so really all the other cars at a show could be any old tin can with a $10,000 paint job to me.

Hearse shows are a different deal though for me because I am surrounded by other hearse owners and it's a lot more on my level. For the most part people at those shows aren't spending absurd amounts on paint, most are daily drivers and very few get uppity about how much better their cars are.

[BIGEVIL]

Not a real car? No, a "Smart" is not a real car.
My coach has been torn down since last Halloween doing renovations. But I still try to take it around the block a few times. 99.9% of the time I get a "thumbs up". The last few car shows I did, people were curious and asked a few dumb questions, but no one was offended.
Kap, I think it is just a phase. Most people have always loved our cars. We have always been a hit where ever we go. I'll be parking BIGEVIL right next to you soon after the paint is done. He who laughs last......

[ryan_ricks]

not to be a snob, but unless someone is one of my hearse friends, generally a cool person, or one of my scene friends, i don't want them looking at my coach, touching it, or even breathing on it.

stupid muggles