Half-minds

How often have you been embarrassed by, or embarrassed, due to the public actions of a pack at an On In?  Does being a hasher give one the license to act in ways not normally acceptable?  Food for thought.

I love this rant.  It speaks to me, as it should speak to you.  It has been unedited (even the spelling of 'behaviour') and is a pleasure to present for your reading pleasure. 

Thank you, H2Ho.

Watergate

If you polled 100 half-minds and asked them to name their favorite thing about hashing, you’d probably get 100 different answers - and many people would have trouble singling out just one thing. But I think the most answers could be grouped into one of the following four subject areas:

• Beer
• Friends
• Travel
• Delusions of fitness

Now while I wouldn’t disagree with the list above - in my opinion, one of the most admirable characteristics of the hash is that it fosters an environment that is, for the most part, non-exclusionary. People from every walk of life, at various levels of fitness, old and young, skinny FRBs to DFLing fat boys, are all accepted. What is equally important is that most hash activities are non-compulsory. What I mean by this is that you don’t have to participate just to fit in.

You can run the midnight naked hash if you want to, but it’s by no means obligatory. I have never hashed naked myself and I don’t think I ever will. This is a personal choice - and I have never felt the need to justify this decision or been made to feel like less of a hasher for it.

And then there’s the drinking… Most hashers drink beer, some drink hard liquor, and then there are those who don’t drink alcohol at all. And even though many would consider beer to be one of the cornerstones on which hashing was built, those who don’t drink are still thought of as full-fledged hashers.

In short, you are accepted for who you are.

But nothing is ever that simple, is it? The reality is that the hashing world accepts you for who you are up to a certain point. If you’re a groping drunk who follows harriettes around, forces them to dance with you, expects them to sleep with you, and generally harasses them – then it goes without saying that you are not going to be accepted. And chances are that sooner or later you’re going to be told to change your behaviour to meet the minimum standards of human decency or get the hell out of Dodge. And why is this kind of behaviour unacceptable? After all, isn’t this harrier just being himself? And isn’t that what hashing is all about? Being yourself? The answer is obvious, even to a half-mind. Individual behaviour is fine so long as it does not infringe on the right of other hashers to feel at home in the same, shared environment.

So the rules of hashing seem pretty clear. Be yourself. Participate in the activities you enjoy. Don’t act in a way that makes others feel unwelcome or uncomfortable.

Here comes the double standard…

What amazes me is that the same level of tolerance and consideration that hashers eagerly demonstrate towards each other is not always extended to civilians (i.e. the non-hashers we encounter on our trails and at our On Ins).

Contrary to what some may think, wearing a hash t-shirt is not a passport to public idiocy and rudeness. It does not automatically mean you’re entitled to act like a complete ass, that the rules of common courtesy suddenly don’t apply to you, that it’s OK to swear excessively in public places when children are around, or that you have the right to make “regulars” feel uncomfortable in their own bar. And I certainly don’t buy the non-conformist argument (e.g. “We’re the hash, so people just need deal with how we’re behaving or leave.”). All this comment does is allow individual hashers to absolve themselves of responsibility by deferring to the group. After all, if all of my friends are doing it then it must be OK, right? Wrong (You’re not in high school anymore). Every so often, I find myself at an On In where I wish I could change my clothes, blend into the background, and forget that I’m a hasher.

To those who disagree or think I’m being square, I would put the following question… When you behave in a way that intimidates, disgusts and/or angers civilians, what exactly are you getting out of it? If you genuinely enjoy acting like a Neanderthal and just haven’t noticed how this behaviour affect others, then I would suggest that you pay more attention to the reactions of civilians the next time you’re in a public place. However if any part of you gets a perverse joy out of repulsing “normal people”, then that is an entirely different matter and I sure as hell don’t think it’s what Gispert had in mind when he laced up his running shoes.

So here’s what I’m advocating… Limit the true hash behaviour to hash only venues. Maybe you believe that you chose the hash, or maybe you think that the hash chose you. Whichever the case, civilians are not so lucky. They do not decide to put up with our behaviour – instead, it’s usually forced upon them. Remember, we expect civilians to share a lot with us. We expect them to share sidewalks, bars, beaches, and parks. Sometimes we even expect them to “share” their own private property. Isn’t it only fair that we give them a little something in return?