Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Sociological impact of changing cars, the Dude-nod

So I'm driving around a borrowed truck that a kind friend lent me. It's a diesel, full sized Ford, raised high enough that I see the roofs of most SUV's. It is a big bastard.

In one day of driving, I've received no less than 3 Dude-nods, and 2 Old-guy mini-waves. I never got these driving a Subaru outback.

The Dude-nods came from mid-30's working types, rough work clothes, also in trucks. A couple occured in a Home Despot (no that isn't a typo) parking lot. At first I didn't know what was going on, but then I realized -- it was the truck.

Next were the old-guy mini-waves. Maybe you've seen this, the four-fingers raised off the steering wheel in acknowledgment of a courtesy. The old-guy normally has over-sized glasses on, probably a blue baseball cap and an ill-fitting vest of some sort -- either Carhart or down. You let them in the lane of traffic, and they give the mini-wave. I never got the mini-wave when I drove the Subaru, and I didn't drive any differently. I let folks into traffic, and abided (abode?) turn signals, and stopped with plenty of room so pedestrians knew it was safe to cross. But never did I get the Dude-nod or the Old-guy mini-wave.

Who knew.

Enjoy your random sociological realizations,

Bp

15 comments:

Iciyapi Tate said...

LOL, enjoy your dudeness my friend.. and no offense but the subaru is kind of a NW lesbian car. sorry to all my lesbian sistahs out there, but you know it's true

Bpaul said...

I'm a lesbian, so that works.

:-)

(waits for lightning from the PC gods/goddesses)

Bentley said...

HAH.
Man, you should see the reactions i get in the Accent.. i get a lot of "looks of encouragement" when I'm dodging through traffic. It's both funny and demeaning :P

(Note: This until they see the FSM Jesus fish on the back of my car, then i get scowls and the finger)

Iciyapi Tate said...

bah to the pc gods and goddesses.

Anonymous said...

I guess I get the hippie nod...I have always driven VW buses, I get the wave, the 'joint between the fingers' and the peace sign.

Anonymous said...

what about the dread nods, dude?

Anonymous said...

It is interesting to observe the diffusion of social phenomena through the broad geography of North America. What you refer to as the 'old guy mono-wave' was first noted by missionaries attempting to bring civilization to Texas and Oklahoma. It was performed by the indinginous peoples of that region by touching the first (or first and second) fingers of one hand to the brim of a John Deere or Caterpillar cap; ritual held that the other hand be used to steer their primitive, hydrocarbon propelled transports.

Resident clans resisting attempts to introduce literacy led to dispersion of the former inhabitatns of the region; lack of large farm equipment in the urban areas of the Pacific NBorthwest gave rise to the use of non-native headgear (caps worn by the cult of the so-called Seattle Mariners have been observed in the wild [see Smithson, "The Adoption of non-Native Headdress in the Redneck Diaspora", Smithsonian magazine, April 1996, p. 16]), and single-digit variations indication kinship, performed using the first digit, or hostility, by extension of the second, have also been recorded [Philips, "Finger-Based Communication Among the Dipsersed Aboriginals of the Souther Great Plains", Nature, December 2004]).

There still remain areas where social norms mandate aloofness and indifference. This author has not observed a single instance of kinship gestures in the Puget Sound region, while the hostile variation appears to be almost universal.

Other variations of the aggressive form include the so-called "Hey! Waddaya Doin?" variant observed in the lower Hudson River Valley of New York and New Jersey. This version involves one of two gestures: the rapid flicking of all four fingers of one hand outward from beneath the chin, or the shaking of an elevated hand with all digits closed back towards the palm. While no instances of such behavior are documented in the literature, the oral and electronic traditions of the region attribute these gestures to dieties referred to as "the Fonz" or "Vinnie Barbarino"; in the latter case the 'r' sounds are often replaced by 'ah' sounds in regional dialects.

----

Bpaul, you should consult the following (watch all the way to the end of the clip):
http://southpark.comedycentral.com/video_by_episode.jhtml?episodeId=103592



(Also, for total random hilarious silliness: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9IlZ8K5Iz4

Bpaul said...

Bentley, "looks of encouragement" line cracked me up!

Rider, I used to drive a VW bus, much solidarity there, waves and nods and mini-waves all.

DD, I have never seen the dread-nod sir -- sounds dire :-)

Stud, that was freaking hilarious. It amuses me to no end, as well, that you are such a south park fan.

Iciyapi Tate said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Iciyapi Tate said...

Love the hippie wave, I really miss my old VW van....

Bpaul said...

You gotta love no editing in comments eh?

hehe

Anonymous said...

I once had the opportunity to drive an unmarked COP car one day in Washington County and I got the COP WAVE! I also delighted in driving on US 26 at 54 mph and staring at nonchalant non-looker-backers as they crept by at 57 mph. Asians and Mexicans zipped by at a blissfully ignorant 70m mph. Suggestion: if you ever drive that Ford F-150 again—borrow my Cowboy Hat! YEE_HAW!

endy said...

"dude-nod"

LOLLAQ LOLLAQ LOLLAQ LOLLAQ
(laughing out loud literally, and quietly)

You crack me up!

Bpaul said...

My only problem with the phrase was whether to hyphenate it.

Dudenod holds some appeal as well.

Glad you liked it sir, good to see you around.

4 said...

I used to get a jeep wave when I had a Wrangler. I'd usually stick my thumb to my nose and wiggle my fingers and the other jeepsters.