I was never...

When I was a kid, we used to rent houses at the shore. This was way before era of Airbnb or Vrbo or other home sharing apps. In the beginning we stayed for a week. The next year I believe we stayed for 2 weeks. And after that we would stay for a month (4 weeks, sometimes 5 depending on how the month landed).  For homeowners in that particular area of the Jersey shore that would have made us what many people called Bennys. (B = Bayonne, new = Elizabeth, N =Newark, NY = New York City; farther south at the NJ Shore we would have been Shoobies, but let’s not get into that.)  It wasn’t that we were from any of those particular areas, but it reflected what the locals considered the type of people who only came down for a short period of time. More importantly what they were actually referring to were people who didn't care for/about the area.

 For those 20 plus years that we didn't own on a home at the shore, where we were not considered locals, I would say we were never Benny's. That's because no matter how long we were there, we always respected the area. We didn't leave trash on the beach. We had our beach badges (required in the town). We didn't set up chairs on the beach and leave them there for hours with no one there. We respected our neighbors and our neighborhood. There were no loud parties. We shopped in local stores and we're never (well almost never) obnoxious. So even though we were occasionally looked down upon as Bennys, I think we will never truly Bennys. As a matter of fact if you use the word to describe someone who is not respectful of the land/community, that I would say many of the people who live there now, not just for the summer but year-round, would qualify as a Benny. Why? Because they don't have respect for the land and sea or even their neighbors. They build higher and higher; one trying to top each other. They don't take into consideration or care that they're building on (shifting) sand. They are selfish and only worry about the view and how they're home looks now. They don’t care or think about how their actions might affect the island in the years to come. 

 These are the people who will probably lose their homes in the future. Although they might not even care. Some of these people have so much money (or at least I assume they do because how can you afford a multi-million dollar house with the knowledge that it could very easily be washed away in next door) that in their minds the rules don’t apply to them.  And that includes the rules of nature. (Which you can’t ignore no matter how hard you try.)  Storms are becoming more frequent and more fierce. Climate change is a real thing no matter how much you want to deny it. Building large homes on a fragile strip of land is not the wisest idea, but that seems not to matter.

 That is one of the reasons that I sold my parents’ house. I couldn't deal with the stress. I couldn't deal with the cost. And I didn't like the fact that many people who live there didn't have respect for the land and water (bay and ocean) or for their neighbors. (I’m not talking about someone's skin color, gender, sexual orientation, religion etc., I'm talking about mindset. There were too many selfish uncaring people and it hurt me to see what my section of the shore had become.)

 Now, I am still legally a resident of New Jersey, but I do spend most of my time in the Poconos. I specifically looked for an area then relatively rural and not very populated. Here I would be considered a Front Plater. What is a Front Plater? Well technically it refers to somebody from New Jersey, since our cars have front and back license plates. Actually I always assumed that was the case for whole cars, but apparently not. In Pennsylvania you only need to have plates on the back of your car. Doesn't make sense to me but…. I am technically I am Front Plater. A registered driver from New Jersey. My car screams it out and so does my license plate, registration, and insurance. 

 However like my former “designation” as Benny, I really don't feel like I am truly a Front Plater. Why?  Because when people in this area scream about Front Platers (and they do scream), they're not talking about where the driver and its occupants are from really, they are talking about their lack of respect for the land. They are talking about people who come stay at an Airbnb that maybe can house 8 to 10 people and yet there are dozens crammed in to a small space. (I’m serious!) They are talking about the people who have parties, loud music, and set all fireworks at all hours of the day and night. About people who leave their trash all over the side of the road. Who don't show respect to the many state park that are protected. Swimming/bathing in rivers that are meant for fishing. (Once again I have to let you know that I am completely serious!)  Again it's not about a person's nationality, religion, etc., it is about how you treat the land and respect those around you. 

 You may call me a Front Plater, but I will never be one. You may have called me a Benny, but I was never one. I have too much respect for this earth to be such a person. Not to get all religious (but here I go), God put us on this planet to care and nurture for it. And that is what I try to do. It is what we ALL should try to do. If we did there would be no Bennys, there would be no Front Platers, and we wouldn't be in the kind of trouble that we are currently in. We wouldn't be denying what is happening right in front of us. Instead we would be working together to ensure that future generations could call this planet Earth they're home. We would work together to make this planet a better place that we can all live in, we would care for the world and all its people as best we could. 

 Wherever you are, don't be a Benny. Don't be a Front Plater. Be a good human being.