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I guess when you want to be a guide to nerds, you have to be a uber-nerd. There is a degree of mansplain competitiveness amongst hardened <anything> specialist
by ggm 2y ago
I guess when you want to be a guide to nerds, you have to be a uber-nerd. There is a degree of mansplain competitiveness amongst hardened <anything> specialist tourism, people who seek to edgelord it out with the guide over some microfactoid.
That said, there's also the thing that people have a strong sense of connection with bits of history, and this is one of those bits, and it's nice the guides can try to work out where your nth squared great grand-uncles substitute stood, in that amazing charge. Probably over there. near the wall made in 1871 out of the rubble left over when the significant object of this fight was destroyed in a storm.
(seriously I admire docents, they have to work bloody hard to cope with the random stuff people ask. And these guides undoubtedly know their stuff)
- dmckeon 2y agoNot so much at this Gettysburg level, but one of the challenges for volunteer docents is that visitors often volunteer what I call "lore" that is based in myth, folklore, fiction, or folk etymology, and the docent, not having enough time to accurately correct the misinformation, is faced with saying nothing, or "I've heard that too." and moving the tour along. Lore at the level of: "spices can conceal the taste of spoiled meat" and "window glass moves over time, making panes thicker at the bottom." Later, other visitors will defend their misinformation with "Well, someone at <site> said it, so it must be true." Glad to see that NPS has serious standards.
- dgfitz 2y ago> There is a degree of mansplain competitiveness I know a decent handful of women who are also “an uber nerd” about these things. Are they also mansplaining?
- hansvm 2y ago[flagged]
- DiscourseFan 2y agoNo, its a stupid word
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- mjfl 2y agoIsn't it just explaining at some point? Do you consider your tour guide that you traveled to a location and paid for, an obnoxious mansplainer?
- ggm 2y agoThe point here is when you pay for a tour, the guide or docent says something about the 12 calibre guns and some neckbeard up the back says "actually.. they were 11.27 calibre, the foundry in charlottesburg had a bad ruler" you know it's gone downhill. I have literally experienced this going round a bank IT centre in the 70s. Guide says the printers to about 2000 bills a second printing. kid up the back says "It's 2500 I read the brochure"
- canadianfella 2y ago[dead]