by Ray Kuntz wrote in "Get some help":
> continue to lurk or are simply gone.
at a train wreck out of waning, morbid curiosity.
Once upon a time we could debate WSing topics, even OT stuff, here
passionately, rationally, civilly and impersonally. That was fun and
educational, and gave good stoke. But in the past 2-3 years the forum has
been hijacked by character assassins who (these aren't debatable; they're
straight from the archives):
*** newbies asking old questions,
put down people who don't shred Jalama,
insist any gear they don't sell is cra,
pitch their gear and attack others' sales pitches,
try to control or even block others' passionate, impersonal debate of
WSing topics,
ask for advice then attack earnest responders,
incessantly call others liars and bigots but can never back it up with
facts,
*** anyone with ideas, politics, or life experiences different from
theirs,
claim they know more about our personal and professional lives than we do,
pursue people to unrelated forums to continue their unilateral flame wars,
glorify their self-admitted vendettas by saying they're "calling BS" on
their targets,
can't support their accusations with facts,
simply switch attacks when shot down by facts, and
repeatedly demonstrate their preference for personal flame wars over
rational discourse and for fighting rather than resolving.
By itself, such behavior merely reflects on the attackers, not on their
targets, and is readily solved with PLONKS. The problem is that their venom
has poisoned the well and permeated the forum with people who silently
tolerate, thus enable, and often even emulate their vile behavior. I've
really been surprised at some of the people who have stooped to this
behavior recently, such as the implication last month that I distorted Bart'
s injury circumstances. I've really been surprised at some of the people who
have stooped to this behavior recently, such as the implication last month
that I distorted Bart's injury story. Another stalked me into another forum
to *** me there, and I even have reason to believe another intervened
with a windsurfing industry job offer to me.
We all occasionally DO jerky things unintentionally, but WARHOLE and the two
Wills (aka the three W's), their gullible groupies, and many of their clones
have demonstrated that they ARE pre***ly jerks, thinly cloaked in
calculated, "kewl" facades. IMO, their behavior here has poisoned what was
once an oasis of information, enjoyment, and debate, has driven off many
lurkers and newbies who see just another alt.fordvchevy.fu, and thus does
far more harm TO windsurfing than they do FOR it. I don't play their
children's games, and consider life too short and sweet to waste it on
people who do. (Think West Point Honor Code with the addition of the word,
"abuse".) Didn't anyone notice that when someone praised this group's
civility a few months ago, not one person agreed? Has no one noticed that
even national elections are recoiling from such hate-filed, intolerant
people? Does anyone think WARHOLE's alleged nice treatment of paying
customers and sailing buds makes up for his putrid behavior here?
It was disgusting seeing the W's and others repeatedly and freely flame
people who confined their discussion to the issues, and seeing only 3 or 4
people speak out against them. Everyone else ignored or even joined in the
ad hominem even after Bill stuck to his fins rather than stooping to respond
to WARHOLE in vitriolic kind, when WARHOLE stomped what he considered a dumb
newby question, when Will V specifically asked for my comments on jumping
then called my stoked, instructive, responsive riff "vomit", and when
WARHOLE revealed and ripped into Pete's personal life. WARHOLE and many of
his copycats constantly accused me of factual exaggeration, lying, flaming,
bigotry, and/or making stuff up, even after I rationally and impersonally
disproved endless WARHOLE ad hominem lies with FACTS, some even straight
from the Surfingsports website. In fact, the closest I've come in >20,000
posts to factual misrepresentation is some ***dude's counterclaim against
my lifetime Texas resident brother's statement about a point in Texas law.
I responded to two years of flames with topical facts, logic, and opinions
as long as the group still meant something to me, but ultimately its
disgusting pack behavior destroyed my respect for and interest in what was
once a great group. Some others whose names we seldom see any more expressed
the same revulsion when they left. If WARHOLE & Assoc. want to call our
departure from r.w a victory, they're welcome. IMO, however, it's the FORUM
this behavior has beaten down, not the many individuals who have switched
off their endless personal harangues.
You people are welcome to wallow compliantly in such vitriol. But when I saw
that the WARHOLE mentality still pervaded r.w when I visited again after my
forced absence last winter, I removed my rec.w link from my browser, banned
my rec.w tee shirts to my garage and backyard where the public can't see
them, and just lost interest.
I'm through battling such myths as: there is only one way to get into the
foot straps, the right boom height for shredding never allows resting the
boom on the board tail, you can't weight your mastfoot without walking up to
it and stepping on it, cams are necessary, we can't maintain full beam reach
speed throughout an entire jibe, and the only way to windsurf on lakes is in
straight lines. Drink your Koolade and believe them.
Kudos, admiration, and, frankly, amazement for Pete, Ray, and Bill for
expressing opposition to the WARHOLE School of Debate, and a greasy,
dribbling, lumpy Bronx cheer to those who support it.
Mike Fick
No more \m/ ; you have to EARN that.