Locals Take Frustrations to Facebook for a Laugh

We've all been there — That wildly frustrating moment on line next to an impatient customer. That encounter over a parking space that leaves you shaking your head, wondering, "How many more days until Labor Day?"

The all-too-familiar feelings were what Springs native James Cuomo tapped into when he created a Facebook group aptly called: D--che Spotter.

The group, which started at the end of last summer, took an entire off-season to catch on. Then, Memorial Day 2013 hit, and local Facebook users, tired of bad drivers and the way hipsters dress, among other aggravations that comes with summer in the Hamptons, took to the page in force to share their grievances — with photos so fellow readers get a complete picture.

In simple terms, Cuomo said, members post their "idea of what a d-------g is."

"I just figured instead of screaming out my window and getting out of my car, and stuff like that, we'd just have a laugh out on the Internet," Cuomo said by phone on Wednesday.

The 26-year-old said the page's name describes "the arrogant people that come out here," those who are rude and self-centered. The page calls out the type who "put themselves through a traffic light to get a cup of coffee." He's seen it happen.

With just 200 followers at the end of summer 2012, Cuomo said he thought the page was a flop. He even considered deleting it. As of Thursday night, there were 903 members — 600 of them joined since last month, he said.

People are just starting to realize that they can share their frustrations with other empathizing locals in real time, he said.

On the Fourth of July one woman posted a picture of a man standing in the middle of the street next to a Hampton Jitney with the caption: "City person trying to talk Jitney driver to let them on the bus in the middle of bumper to bumper traffic.... Mtk is not burger king u dont get everything ur way."

Earlier on Thursday, another woman uploaded a photo of a BMW sport utility vehicle parallel parked over three diagonal parking spaces. Another posted a signed credit card receipt from Sunset Beach on Shelter Island — a $433 tab and the customer left no tip, the poster claimed.

Cuomo said he felt compelled to snap a picture of incidents happening around town that were making him mad after a man wearing "a poncho like you see in the old westerns" cut in front of a long line of people at Starbuck's. "That was probably one of the first pictures that was on there," he said.

In recent weeks, Cuomo said he's received some feedback that the group is a form of cyber bullying. "I don't really see it that way. If that were the case Tosh.0 wouldn't be on. South Park, Family Guy, all those shows — it wouldn't even exist," he said.

His friends, neighbors, and family, including his mother, think it's a riot, and he has no plans of deleting the group.

Cuomo insists that the page was created merely as an outlet for frustrations, a place to visit for a good laugh. "It's supposed to just be for fun. It's not supposed to be cruel or mean," he said.

There are some boundaries. Cuomo said he doesn't allow references to people's sexuality or race. "You don't need to promote your insecurities on this site," he said, adding that he has taken some posts that crossed those lines.

Asked if any of the subjects of the posts have asked for their photos to be deleted, he said there haven't been yet. Would he delete the post if someone was mortified? "If that was the case, I wouldn't take it down," he said.