Ever get a weird response by someone viewing your Bonsai?

[Srt8madness]

Gotta love a good necrobump.

I took my dad to a local bonsai show and the first thing he asked people was "how old is the tree", which is what ive found almost everyone immediately asks

 

[hemmy]

Dogs, on the other hand, are sentient creatures and having them genetically selected to display unhealthy traits and reduced life expectancy is way more inhumane than cutting a branch, so the contradiction was strong on that couple.

I was scrolling planning to add this exact comment. It was really the height of hypocrisy! Lol

 

[jradics]

This actually has happened to me twice now, the first time back in 87 when my son was almost 3 years old, but this time it was even more weird. Bach then this lady asked me if I "enjoyed hurting trees" I have my plants with me outside my RV and when I am home I usually am watering or trimming or looking at them, either in the light or if its later with my hat light on. I gets lots of people who stop by and compliment me on them, and say things like I always love to look at "Bon-zais" pronouncing it the wrong way as I know it, I then say I have messed with "Bone-sigh" since I was a child as thats the way I understand it to be pronounced. They are almost always compimentary and ask questions and pick one they like the best etc., its always nice to hear compliments and I enjoy conversation with strangers anyway so its fun for me.

Yesterday this old couple came up walking a standard poodle, the big ones the size of a german shepherd, they had it styled with the hair all trimmed except for the pom-pom on the tail and on the head and the balls of fur on each foot. They walked up smiling and the man said " Oh you keep Bon-zais, you're one of them people who like to torture trees", I smiled as I thought he was joking and was about to say hello when his wife? said " I think its criminal to maim trees, to hack them up and keep them from growing as nature intended them to grow" and then she added " Its kind of like a control freak thing to me, you know like someone who wants everything his own way, truly a sick thing"

I was taken aback to say the least, but, as I am never at a lost for words I blurted out, " You mean like someone who embarrasses their pet by cutting its hair to look like a circus dog" The old woman looked as if she was going to hit me, then she turned and said " Lets go, how rude" and stormed off.

Thats just me, making friends wherever I go.

I would have responded mostly the same way, with maybe a few less savory words. way to go

 

[Cajunrider]

I've run into a few hundred people and only once did I get a similar response to OP. In my case, I just gave an evil smile and said "Yes, I enjoy almost as much as cooking them" to the question whether I enjoyed hurting trees.
PS: If you doubt my enjoyment, check out my decapitation post.

 

[dbonsaiw]

Funny stuff. My neighbor basically asked me the same question, but then again she's an ass and still believes my maples are marijuana trees. Truth be told, I get more weird responses than "normal" ones. "Why are you wasting your time developing trees?" is a typical one. My absolute favorite was when someone commented in front of my wife and kids "Oh, I didn't know you were gay". Because, of course, caring for trees defines one's sexuality more than their choice of spouse.

 

[August]

Funny stuff. My neighbor basically asked me the same question, but then again she's an ass and still believes my maples are marijuana trees. Truth be told, I get more weird responses than "normal" ones. "Why are you wasting your time developing trees?" is a typical one. My absolute favorite was when someone commented in front of my wife and kids "Oh, I didn't know you were gay". Because, of course, caring for trees defines one's sexuality more than their choice of spouse.

David Easterbrook was just dealing with a battle against the algorithmic banning of his posts on tik tok... the AI saw Japanese Maple leaves and instantly categorized them as cannabis and would have his videos flagged and taken down! What a strange world we live in where one plant is so widely feared and stigmatized that others that share any defining features automatically trigger a warning system... whether it's an AI ban-bot or the mind of a bigot

 

[Mike Corazzi]

Funny stuff. My neighbor basically asked me the same question, but then again she's an ass and still believes my maples are marijuana trees. Truth be told, I get more weird responses than "normal" ones. "Why are you wasting your time developing trees?" is a typical one. My absolute favorite was when someone commented in front of my wife and kids "Oh, I didn't know you were gay". Because, of course, caring for trees defines one's sexuality more than their choice of spouse.

A really cool J Maple volunteered in my yard some years ago.
I mean coooolll.... All twisty and with perfect baby branches starting.
Soooooooooooo.... my son shows up and ..thinking he's being smartazz, yanks it out and says

WHAT'S THIS ??? with a big grin on his face.

I was kinda speechless.

 

[bonsaiDerek]

great comeback

 

[rockm]

Trees are natural systems but they don't feel anything. Dogs, on the other hand, are sentient creatures and having them genetically selected to display unhealthy traits and reduced life expectancy is way more inhumane than cutting a branch, so the contradiction was strong on that couple.

I've never used the "do you eat plants?" retort, is just too good so I'll just resort to that one, thanks.

Well, um, make the remark to me about my dog being "inhumanely" genetically selected to be a sick, weird, mistreated, short-live monstrosity and I'll smack you upside the head for being high-handed and mostly wrong That attitude about purebred dogs has unfortunately, become fashionable these days. Look to the left at the dog in my avatar...I've had purebred and rescue bull terrier for as long as I've have bonsai. Over the years, and particularly in the last decade, I've had people accuse me of having a "vicious," "deformed," "monstrosity," of a dog that is feeble and sickly because I can trace its lineage back 15 generations (which, BTW, provides genetic information that is now being used to limit health problems in breed) They imply, like the person accusing bonsaiists of torturing trees, that I'm somehow complicit in some sadistic practice. That view, like the view that bonsai tortures trees, is wildly inaccurate and ill-informed.

So, the take-away of all this is (and sorry to be harsh) don't offer a moralistic opinion on people's legal pass times when you have no real idea of what you're talking about.

BTW, standard poodles are pretty healthy dogs overall. The fact they have odd hair dos is just part of the territory. I don't like poodles much (gun dogs-and poodles were originally bred to be retrievers-- tend to have bland personalities and do everything you tell them to). I'm a terrier guy, but that doesn't make poodles poor unhealthy creatures that are genetically abused.

 

[Adamski77]

This actually has happened to me twice now, the first time back in 87 when my son was almost 3 years old, but this time it was even more weird. Bach then this lady asked me if I "enjoyed hurting trees" I have my plants with me outside my RV and when I am home I usually am watering or trimming or looking at them, either in the light or if its later with my hat light on. I gets lots of people who stop by and compliment me on them, and say things like I always love to look at "Bon-zais" pronouncing it the wrong way as I know it, I then say I have messed with "Bone-sigh" since I was a child as thats the way I understand it to be pronounced. They are almost always compimentary and ask questions and pick one they like the best etc., its always nice to hear compliments and I enjoy conversation with strangers anyway so its fun for me.

Yesterday this old couple came up walking a standard poodle, the big ones the size of a german shepherd, they had it styled with the hair all trimmed except for the pom-pom on the tail and on the head and the balls of fur on each foot. They walked up smiling and the man said " Oh you keep Bon-zais, you're one of them people who like to torture trees", I smiled as I thought he was joking and was about to say hello when his wife? said " I think its criminal to maim trees, to hack them up and keep them from growing as nature intended them to grow" and then she added " Its kind of like a control freak thing to me, you know like someone who wants everything his own way, truly a sick thing"

I was taken aback to say the least, but, as I am never at a lost for words I blurted out, " You mean like someone who embarrasses their pet by cutting its hair to look like a circus dog" The old woman looked as if she was going to hit me, then she turned and said " Lets go, how rude" and stormed off.

Thats just me, making friends wherever I go.

ed

Classic...

I heard recently that my trees are so "round"... took it as a compliment as apparently I managed to get some 3D here

 

[LeatherTree23]

It’s not torture! They’re into pain! *smile and stare at the idiots. Make lots of direct eye contact. Make it weird.*

 

[hemmy]

That attitude about purebred dogs has unfortunately, become fashionable these days. Look to the left at the dog in my avatar...I've had purebred and rescue bull terrier for as long as I've have bonsai.

That’s fair and I’d agree in part. I’m no dog (or bonsai) expert. I’d wager many “purebreds” have a range of genetic diversity from the cross breeding that introduced the traits to make that breed specific. The harm I’m thinking of is the self crossing to amplify recessive traits that also brings deleterious ones (pugs and mastiffs are the same ‘species’). We unwittingly adopted a mutt puppy that is still growing at an alarming rate. Not a purebred, but the size alone may give it problems as it ages.

Edit: “unwittingly”, but as soon as I saw its paws in the shelter I told my wife that it was going to be huge. But alas the puppy eyes had already gotten us.

 

[Michael P]

If someone approached me at my home and started insulting me, I would say, "Leave or I will call the police."

 

[August]

If someone approached me at my home and started insulting me, I would say, "Leave or I will call the police."

I wish this were an option everytime someone parks in our alley, or digs through our trash cans... thankfully I havent had any issues with derelicts insulting my trees or messing with my garden

 

[ShadyStump]

My absolute favorite was when someone commented in front of my wife and kids "Oh, I didn't know you were gay". Because, of course, caring for trees defines one's sexuality more than their choice of spouse.

Not in so many words, but my mom effectively did this to 7 year old me when I said I wanted to grow a bonsai tree. And I mean she tried HARD to talk me out of it, and it was all about boys don't grow stuff.
Me: But farmers grow stuff.
Mom: That's only so they can make money to take care of their family.
Me: But in Brittain bows grow flower and stuff all the time.
Mom: You're not British.
That summer she wouldn't even let me help plant the vegetable garden, only my sisters. Then one day when she couldn't get anyone to help her weed she says to me, "hey, you wanted to help me in the garden before. Why not now?"
"Really, mom? You would let me get in on the fun part, but you think I'm going to help you with chore part?"

My dad just ran over every tree I tried to plant with the lawn mower. So much more frustrating, but far less traumatizing.
Seeing the sorts of things he's gotten into since mom died, I wonder if she didn't make him do it.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

Not in so many words, but my mom effectively did this to 7 year old me when I said I wanted to grow a bonsai tree. And I mean she tried HARD to talk me out of it, and it was all about boys don't grow stuff.
Me: But farmers grow stuff.
Mom: That's only so they can make money to take care of their family.
Me: But in Brittain bows grow flower and stuff all the time.
Mom: You're not British.
That summer she wouldn't even let me help plant the vegetable garden, only my sisters. Then one day when she couldn't get anyone to help her weed she says to me, "hey, you wanted to help me in the garden before. Why not now?"
"Really, mom? You would let me get in on the fun part, but you think I'm going to help you with chore part?"

My dad just ran over every tree I tried to plant with the lawn mower. So much more frustrating, but far less traumatizing.
Seeing the sorts of things he's gotten into since mom died, I wonder if she didn't make him do it.

Looks like maybe your dad was such an asshole that it made your mom mean.
Sad story really.

 

[Mikecheck123]

This actually has happened to me twice now, the first time back in 87 when my son was almost 3 years old, but this time it was even more weird. Bach then this lady asked me if I "enjoyed hurting trees" I have my plants with me outside my RV and when I am home I usually am watering or trimming or looking at them, either in the light or if its later with my hat light on. I gets lots of people who stop by and compliment me on them, and say things like I always love to look at "Bon-zais" pronouncing it the wrong way as I know it, I then say I have messed with "Bone-sigh" since I was a child as thats the way I understand it to be pronounced. They are almost always compimentary and ask questions and pick one they like the best etc., its always nice to hear compliments and I enjoy conversation with strangers anyway so its fun for me.

Yesterday this old couple came up walking a standard poodle, the big ones the size of a german shepherd, they had it styled with the hair all trimmed except for the pom-pom on the tail and on the head and the balls of fur on each foot. They walked up smiling and the man said " Oh you keep Bon-zais, you're one of them people who like to torture trees", I smiled as I thought he was joking and was about to say hello when his wife? said " I think its criminal to maim trees, to hack them up and keep them from growing as nature intended them to grow" and then she added " Its kind of like a control freak thing to me, you know like someone who wants everything his own way, truly a sick thing"

I was taken aback to say the least, but, as I am never at a lost for words I blurted out, " You mean like someone who embarrasses their pet by cutting its hair to look like a circus dog" The old woman looked as if she was going to hit me, then she turned and said " Lets go, how rude" and stormed off.

Thats just me, making friends wherever I go.

ed

Reminds me of my time working on radars in the defense industry. I.e. the most non exciting job you can ever tell someone about.

And yet, every so often someone would say, "you kill BABIES for a living??"

I tried to reassure those folks that we eat all of everything that we kill. But to no avail.

 

[August]

@ShadyStump truly truly heartbreaking and Im so sorry you went through that as a kid. And to still grow up with your passions in mind and follow through as an adult, in spite of the terrible modeling, that is really cool!

Im lucky to have had no interest in plants until after I was out of the house. I used to be passionate about reptile keeping; I wanted to find some way to make that passion into a living when I grew up. My parents were hardly supportive, constantly asking a child how they plan to make a living keeping pets, implying a level of social ostracization if I was going to be a "weird snake kid", neglecting the pets I had when I was away and had asked them to care for them... led to the deaths of many animals and a personal death of a budding passion for herpetology.

I often think I'm better off going down the road I did (less guilt to kill a plant. I still have nightmares about dead reptiles). But I don't often ponder how much bad parenting had to do with that. Reading this opened that up for me to think about, so thank you.

 

[ShadyStump]

Looks like maybe your dad was such an asshole that it made your mom mean.
Sad story really.

Your sexism is showing, dude.
It's a new world. Women can be assholes too now days, and they don't even need a man to make it happen.

 

[jason biggs]

i put 2 awesome baobabs in my shop (dormant , no leaves) and this grumpy old man walks past...

'are they real trees?'

yes.

'no they aren't'

monkey leaves the scene...