Saturday, June 11, 2011

appropros of something

I'm neither thin-skinned nor particularly sensitive, but I've been getting offended by the VHF radio chatter lately in NY harbor. There's way too much cursing, complaining and general bitchery going on these past few months.

Given a long enough timeline, it's possible to identify Chatty Cathys on the squawk box. Generally speaking, the most foul mouthed crybabies have local accents, and this is interesting to me in that New Yorkers have a reputation for being tough, yet if one were to listen to the VHF in NY harbor, you'd hear a lot of cussing, complaining about people who aren't working at the moment, and crying and wailing about having to work. This last part offends the living shit out of me, as there's plenty of professionals out there who would give their left nut to be making a couple hundred bucks a day corralling scows, moving barges and assisting ships, and yet like a bunch of hysterical 13-year-old girls, the radio chatter consists of calling people who aren't there bad names, complaining about having to work, and lots of 'fucken' (The NY way of saying Fucking, I guess) as adjective, verb, and noun. This is where I miss the radio discipline of Boston Harbor, where if you talk non-business for more than 30 seconds, people will all start clicking the mikes and 'stepping' on you until you get the idea and quiet down, and then curse you once you do for being disruptive.
Anyhow, like I said, I'm not thin skinned. I have a foul mouth myself when my wife's not around. I also try to be professional at work, and calling my deckhand a 'fatherless faggot' on the VHF for refusing to jump a 6-foot gap between two barges at night is a little over the top. I simply wish that someone would release some AIDS and rabid bats (who also have AIDS) in the wheelhouse of the double handful of whiny bitches who can't shut the hell up for 2 minutes and do their goddamned job without getting on the VHF and telling the world their stupid, undereducated opinions about everything. I don't want to hear it, New York. STFU and do your job, and use the VHF as a tool, not a fucken' pacifier, you big babies, you.

7 comments:

doubletrouble said...

Other than that, I presume you have no strong feelings?

wv: "looter"- well, you know...

Heath J said...

Same nonsense from the Union bitches over the CB around here.

I don't feel sorry for the lazy bastards either. Cry me a river about no one wanting to pay you 30 bucks an hour to sit on yer arse.

bigsoxfan said...

You have noticed a certain Congressional type from one of the NY districts is a bat leg hair from being indicted on charges of chatting up a seventeen year old in the state of Delaware? Just be happy they offering to sell your thier younger brothers. I'm assuming the sister' are already on the market. Damn, New York does suck.

Weer'd Beard said...

I know one of your previous vocations, but around the Portland Waterfront the Bug-catchers have always been known as the first and the loudest to bitch and complain.

Dunno if you encountered any of that when you were picking bugs.

Paul, Dammit! said...

Weer'd, that's where I developed my intolerance for radio chatter. After about 30 seconds, everyone would start making kissy noises and pressing the mic. Unless someone was talking about bait issues or the price, of course.

eastriver said...

Bravo. NYH is not the only place, but I do wish they'd all stop whining, at least on the VHF...

Anonymous said...

Bitching and whining exists in all harbors, you are noticing it more in NY because there are alot more boats in NY moving daily than anywhere else. It gets worse now with the fishing boats and such out there for the summer. The one thing I loved about working on oil barges was I can turn the damn radio off, so that is a option for you.