‘Shoobie Tuesday will not be tolerated on Brigantine Beach and is banned, effective immediately. Anybody bad-mouthing our valued visitors & 2nd home owners will be shunned. Grumpy old drunks posting negative comments on Facebook will also be dealt with accordingly.’ (satire)
Kinda wish those statements came from someone with some power. But hey, we wanted to throw that out there.
Here’s a related comment we just received from “Lisa in PA”.
We rent a house in Brigantine every year for a week. We have been doing this since our children were very small. We put several thousand dollars of our hard earned money into your town every year.
After we returned from our vacation in 2011, I saw some Brigantine sites on Facebook and “Liked” or “Joined” them because I really love it there…and that’s where it happened. It was a bunch of locals calling people like us “Shoobies” and telling us to go home. The remarks made about people who vacation there turned my stomach.
And you seemed so friendly! We did not come back in 2012.
If you want to make some extra money…maybe you should keep your people in check and remember where a lot of your money comes from. Too bad. It was my favorite little town and really looked forward to going there every year.
Thankfully, this kind of nonsense is on the decline in Brigantine.
That very small, but vocal group of town idiots would like to have Brigantine return to 1972.
Just in case you missed it, read about our Brigantine FOOT incident a few years back. Funny how some acted as if it was no big deal.
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Sorry to read of your FB experiences. I share similar sentiments regarding the good, bad, and ugly of Brigantine. My family owns a second home and spend most of the Spring and Summer in Brigantine. Otherwise they visit often throughout the entire year. In addition they own rental propety leasing to year-round residents. A sidenote, several years ago they were treated unfairly by the Zoning Board. However prevailed in Superior Court setting a precedence for future developers.
Please understand that the local are a minority in Brigantine — a beautiful beach town transformed into a NJ treasure primarily as a result of tourism and part-time residents. A handful of locals blemish the reputation of the entire town. Brigantine residents and especially the leadership must put an end to this mentality as quickly as possible.
I agree with this comment. My husband and I are second homeowners and we pay property taxes just like full time residents. Show some respect please.
Last summer, after searching many years for the right place, town, etc., we completed our bucket list and purchased our little condo in Brigantine. We hope to summer there for many years and look forward to retire there too. Everyone we met this summer was wonderful. Our heart is in Brigantine.
It wasn’t until Sandy hit that we realized some of the inner feelings some towns people feel to us “Shoobies”. The comments made by some over this extremely trying time for all of us cut very deep. We tried to understand that this was an emotional time for all. But it is hard to set aside the cruelty.
We love our town. And hope that these momentary lapses in judgement are just temporary.
Get off it already folks… Shoobies or be it WEB’s…. The word Shoobie has been a term/word used in the town of Brigantine for the better part of 50+ years. The word is derived from tourists who visited the island and brought their lunch in shoe boxes to the beach rather than eating and spending money to support seasonal establishments such as Chick’s Restaurant, Custard Corner, Pizza Palace, etc…. The fact is if you were not born and raised in Brigantine you are not a local and thus considered a transient SHOOBIE. Try moving to another state and tell people where you are from and they say, you’re from New Jersey. Sam thing in my book. So if you visit or rent face the fact that you are a SHOOBIE. If you own then you own whether it’s just for the summer months or not. The fact is you are not a true Brigantiner! Shoobie Tuesday will fade away I’m sure some day, especially as the new takes its place and that is Brigantine Day. So WOLBEM to you all… Get busy living or get busy dying.
This comment represents a very, very small but vocal ANTI-‘SHOOBIE’ group that is growing more irrelevant by the minute. Most full-time Brigantine residents are embarrassed by these nit-wits.
Brigantine is made up of approx 70% 2nd home owners.
Being “born” in Brigantine is very nice, but not critical in loving & caring for this island.
FYI…. BrigantineNOW.com was created to represent ALL who love Brigantine: full-time residents, 2nd home owners, business owners, visitors and wildlife.
Thru out my life no matter where I have vacationed, out of towners are referred to as shoobies. We all know it’s a derogatory term but it remains just the same. Many of us can ignore it or accept it with pride. And there will always be that small group that insists on its use. It is what it is and we are who we are. I’m sure those shoebox lunch travelers of long ago didn’t mean to be singled out. It was probably because of economic times that they did what they did.
Keep in mind, Brian, that just because a term was coined 50+ years ago doesn’t mean it is correct for today’s use.
And yes, we pay our taxes but we do not interfere with the political workings of the island. We accept that the year round residents vote and have all our interests at heart when they do.
BUT, it wasn’t until Superstorm Sandy hit, that we realized how cruel this small group of bullies are and how vocal they can be. Everyone’s emotions ran high for a very long time as we awaited news that we could return to our homes. It didn’t matter if we lived on Brigantine year round or just summers. We were all in the same situation hoping our beloved Brigantine survived.
I and members of my family experienced the loss this disaster brought forth at home. But Brigantine was always on our mind. Trapped (and I mean trapped) in our situation, the internet was our only lifeline for Brigantine news. To be beat-down by this minority at what felt like every chance they could increased the emotional toll on all of us.
There was even a post on Tripadvisor for the review of a restaurant that used this term in the title. Now is this the type of tourism we want the world to see? Currently, its use has become as bad as the “FOOT” controversy some time ago. Take a look at some of the facebook, twitter etc., postings and you’ll see what’s now out there for all to read.
I believe that we have come to a time where the use of “shoobies” needs to end or be quieted so that we all can heal, mend and rebuild. All of us take our Pride in Homeownership very seriously. I would like to suggest that we begin by renaming “Shoobie Tuesday” to “Brigantine Day”. It should be a yearly celebration for the towns people of the end of another wonderful summer season and not a day to pick fun at valued neighbors.
We are all Brigantine!!
Brian, only a true old school islander would use and understand “WOLBEM”. CHEERS for bringing it back, now we just need the Barrel to print up the stickers again
The things I’ve read today are crushing but won’t stop our family from vacationing in Brigantine. You may want to know that we who vacation (for 40 years) love Brigantine as much as you do…yes we do….cried as hard and sent money, clothes and packages when Sandy hit. You are welcome.
I live in Brigantine year round and really love the small town quiet community, and I enjoy when 2nd homeowners are here in the summmer or just vacationers. They bring kids, smiles and extra money to our local businesses. I have yet to see them cause harm or travel issues, and most of the summer we see more people riding bikes through town. I really hope you continue coming to Brigantine. Its safe, our police officers are always willing to help and most of them have families of their own and enjoy keeping everyone safe. Our Fire and EMS are efficient and arrive on scene within minutes of emergencies. And our new city manager brings a wealth of experience and new opportunities for everyone. Come back and think of buying a home here, or living make this your permanent residence. A great place to raise your kids!
we grew up up in brigantine, my great aunt had a small house and every summer we came down and spent weeks in your town and on your beaches! we rented in other shore points but cames back when my brother bought a house and we rented in sea isle; but your lovely town and the memories brought us back. we purchase a house and do not feel like we are “shoobies” because like everyone else we pay taxes and enjoy our house all year long; but are not entitled to all the freebies that
residents get. so don’t call us shoobies because we pay taxes just like all the rest; but yet we have to pay to raise our house but you get it all for free. where is the justice there?
Just out of curiosity, what “freebies” are you referring to? Am I missing something?
Making fun of tourists is an age old tradition in every shore community, many of which hold “Adios Touristas” celebrations and the like. Brigantine is no exception and never has been. You may be able to find one instance of a tourist claiming this is their reason not to come to Brigantine anymore, but the sad truth of the matter is that many other shore communities have many more family oriented activities to attract tourists with and we are losing our tourist business to them more for this reason than because tourists get made fun of behind their backs. With the current economic situation fewer people can afford to take their families on vacation so those that can afford to are going places that offer entertainment for members of their families of all ages.
Brigantine’s political climate 20 to 30 years ago, that made it impossible for family oriented entertainment businesses to survive, is the reason why our city no longer has activities like the trampolines, arcades or an amusement pier. These things did not disappear recently nor did they disappear overnight. The tourists that once flocked to our shore town are not going to miraculously reappear if a handful of locals are prevented from having a party once a year.
Brigantine is no longer a place for people of modest income to raise their families, let alone take them on vacation. Claiming to ban certain activities without the authority to back it up or threatening to deal with people “accordingly” for exercising their first amendment rights is not going to change anything. I, for one, am not impressed by threats made by the author of an article who isn’t proud enough of what he or she has written to sign their name to it as the author.
Publishing this article draws attention to a situation that you want to go away with as little attention as possible. People have been discussing this situation one on one, without publicity, in the hopes of curtailing it as much as possible for several years now. Publishing an article on the topic draws unwanted attention to it and does the cause more harm than good which is why I will not be sharing this in any manor that will bring it to the attention of anyone that hasn’t already read this article.
David A. Holmes
Proud Local Since 1961