The Latest Rant… Are All Geocachers Assholes?

I have been asked to answer one simple question from from someone from out side of our game…”Are all geocachers assholes?”

At the time I was asked this, my first immediate thought was “No”. For the most part all the cachers I have met in person seemed very nice.  I have met no more assholes in this sport than I have in any other, so let us examine this idea a bit further and see if we can see both sides to the story.

First off, we must determine what exactly an asshole is when it comes to geocaching, these people are not easily recognizable so I have made up some neck signs that say “I am an asshole cacher” on them to hang around these peoples’ necks. Here are some things I think we can all agree on certain things that would qualify someone in our sport as being one.

The List…

1. Rude.

We live in a polite society. There is no excuse for not using manners in this day and age. We were all taught them, we all use them, but for some reason  when it comes to communicating with other users in our sport, some cachers seem to lose the ability to be polite. This makes them assholes. “here’s your sign”

2. Condescending.

Telling other users things like how many finds you have or caches you own, can be seen as “thumbing your nose” at other players. As far as I am concerned, all players are at level pegging in this game. The fact that you have 10 times the finds I do does not make you superior to me or others, but the fact you pointed it out makes you an asshole “Here’s your sign”

3. Disregard for environment, public or private property.

Yep, without a doubt…”here’s your sign”

4. Sticklers for the rules.

Players who delete found logs of finders who found themselves with out a pen to sign and took a picture instead.  Cache owners who delete logs because they had not met the ALR in the cache description to the owners satisfaction.  Since any ALR in a cache description is only optional (according to groundspeak), you just wind up looking like an asshole, so you might as well take one of my signs while your at it.

5. Inconsideration for other players.

Taking all the swag, not putting a cache back where you found it, or bothering to re hide the cache properly. Yep,… you get it… “here’s your sign”

6. Inconsideration to the public.

Telling  muggles to “get lost”, dealing with property owner concerns rudely, or trashing a public area.  These are the assholes who give our sport a bad  rap, it already is in danger of being banned in some areas because of these assholes, so.. “here’s your sign”

7.  Giving advice that was not asked for.

The found log on a cache page is for recording your experience in finding a cache.  Leaving critique or a link to the groundspeak guidelines and rules, is not your place. If someone wants your advice they will ask for it, until you can get this through your thick head, please wear this sign around your neck it will make it easier for all of us to identify you. “here’s your sign”

Now to be fair, and try to see the other point of view, I can imagine most players who are assholes don’t even realize what they are doing is rude and disrespectful. These people have had no training on how to deal with the public politely, and as far as they were concerned they were only being direct, not rude and condescending. Well, others did so.., “here’s your sign”

Geocaching is a user based sport,  and quite frankly being rude in it is rather a stupid thing to do.  The Bitchy Cacher NEVER responds to any contact from another cacher that is being an asshole.  Their caches and any future ones they put out are on my ignore list and will stay there with one of my signs pasted over top. I will not let these people get me down or ruin my game, they are simply ignored. If they persist they are reported to Groundspeak for harassment.

So I will end this blog with the original question I was asked, “Are all geocachers assholes?”  No, not all,  some, but no larger percentage than any other group of people or profession out there.  Feel free if you run into an asshole during your caching career to send them a link to my blog with the title in the heading “here’s your sign”