Taking a step back..

Team4LongGun

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Far be it from me to be the voice of reason, give the benefit of the doubt, not rush to anger etc. I am NOT holier than thou, and usually am the one people shake their head over when it comes to going zero to 100 without all the facts.

However……I have noticed a surge here lately that is negative, confrontational, finger pointing, bashing, and when you boil it down, not very welcoming or fun.

Now I am not speaking of the self appointed experts-you know who we are talking about, given any niche, they show up in gallant form and speaketh from the mountain top (see what I did there) archery, long range, fitness, packs-yes there are even pack “experts”….those guys are Rockslide lifers, and have unofficially taken on that roll and for the most part give great info, albeit sometimes a little conceited, snarky and or “my way is the ONLY way!”


I am referring to the general pulse of this place here. Is there no sense of comraderie? Notice I said sense. I realize with the internet we will see all types. But what happened to POLICING YOUR OWN? I am NOT speaking of the mods. I am speaking to the regular forum member who enjoys reading, contributing and sharing info, tips and giving advice.

What is acceptable in “our” rockslide community? Why I will be happy to tell you. What you tolerate. If there is a jackwagon that just lurks/trolls and is just a real turd, why is it tolerated? A lesson it took me 43 years to grasp was the old “less is more”. Why argue with an imbecile? See a really stupid thread with no real purpose? Keep moving and let it die. Believe it or not, there are some grown arse men sitting at their computer wishing to do nothing more than rile you or I up, and seemingly get their kicks from it. Don’t give the squeaky wheel the oil.

Again, I by no means am preaching here, I have fallen victim a few times. Usually in the evening after a few beers I’ll decide that in leu of being able to punch said idiot, I let it fly and usually always regret giving in.

Not every thread needs to take a turn for the worse. We already have that thread, regarding that topic, and everyone chimed in! LETS MOVE ON!

From my standpoint, and this is just straight raw truth-there are some regulars that I truly can’t get on board with just about anything they say. But last time I checked, I don’t get paid to try and change their mind or argue with them at every available chance. I shake my head, wonder how in the world they gained those views and move on.

On the flip side, there are some solid members I seem to not hear so much from lately, whether it be their frustration with the silly “what do you think of this guy” threads, or the bickering that is really not enjoyable to read.

There are much more enjoyable threads to read that highlight our passion for the outdoors, hunting, family, etc. that seem to be slipping away. My suggestion is merely to send it up the flagpole in hopes some regulars can help reel it back in.

The humble Jarhead, over and out.



Oh, one last thing-since we are in the trust tree 😁, can someone post a poll for me as I don’t know how. A simple yes or no-

SHOULD ALL NEW MEMBERS BE GIVEN A FRIENDLY WELCOME EMAIL THAT OH SO ELOQUENTLY MENTIONS THEIR FIRST POST TO NOT BE ABOUT UNIT XX, AND A SUPER FRIENDLY EXPLANATION?
 

CoStick

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Hunting demographics have expanded greatly while tolerance for others have diminished. Expect it to get worse.
 

KBC

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BC
I have to agree. I remember when I first joined this forum it was one of the best places on the internet. I read threads on here about religion and politics and was shocked at how polite everyone was even though there were many disagreements. I think it made me a better member since there were so many great examples of how people should act.

On a personal note, I try and only post things I would actually say to someone's face. I think if everyone did that we would once again be on the best forums out there.
 

Marble

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Drop anything and everything political......problem solved.
Yes please. Then more tech, gear and outdoor image related threads.
Hunting demographics have expanded greatly while tolerance for others have diminished. Expect it to get worse.
Very true. To each their own and to add to that, others perspectives often lead me to understand why I do or don't agree with them, or why they feel the way they do. I enjoy hearing the rational of people and how they come to their decisions or thoughts processes.
I still miss the two big meme's threads...
Me too. Very funny!
To many people haven't been punched in the mouth yet.
And yes. My son who is 19, acts like he's this big bad ass and does all his strutting around. He talks about getting in fights and "beating someone's ass" but I know it's all BS.

Some day he'll have a real story with some marks to remember it by.

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Marbles

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Prediction, this will turn into the very type of thread it is hoping to discourage. Rather than turning a critical eye inward too many will take it as an invitation to find fault in others.

I hope to be proven wrong, but unfortunately there are already posts on this thread that support that prediction.

For myself, there is already a lot of crap I write, then don't post or heavily modify before posting because it does not meet standards.

I also try and hit like when people put in effort to give solid advice on gear or hunting. It does not appear those type of posts get many likes in proportion to posts that serve less purpose, but resonate emotionally.
 

Rich M

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Couple more local forums I frequent are in their death throes. If it wasn't for bored old guys, they'd be dead.

Not so sure what the next step is.
 

Schaaf

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Meh, I think its just the offseason. Like said above, if a few grumpy fellas went scouting, it would really help.
 

fatlander

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It’s a sign of the times. The age of the Internet being everywhere, all the time. We’re all too familiar, and therefore too concerned, with the business of others. Technology, via social media, YouTube, forums (to a degree), iridium satellite networks, 5G, etc. have steadily encroached on the places we all go to escape the rest of the world.

To further exasperate the problem, we’ve created the hunting “industry”. There are guys that have followings on this site, and else where, that openly have conversations about their riffs with others in “the industry”. That kind of drama spreads like the ripples from a rock being thrown in a lake. Not saying they’re right or wrong, all I’m saying is it plays to our one side vs the other tribalism. Which ultimately gets us to “you’re an idiot because you like/have XXX equipment. YYY equipment is better because Johnny Hunting says so, and Billy Backpacker that peddles XXX is a tool.”


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Joined
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Drop anything and everything political......problem solved.
I cringe when I see politically motivated discussion on here.

I come here for hunting related stuff. I don’t care about Trump this or Biden that, Democrats this or Republicans that. Leave that shit on Facebook or whatever your chosen political discussion forum is and let’s keep this about hunting.
 

Q child

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I agree with the general sentiment of this thread. This place gets pretty freakin weird sometimes.
Also, thanks for your service Team4LongGun.
 

Kilboars

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On a personal note, I try and only post things I would actually say to someone's face. I think if everyone did that we would once again be on the best forums out there.


I was just going to post the same. Amen.

I don’t notice so much here but on other forums you’d get guys that only posted on the political threads and never on hunting.


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mproberts

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Jun 18, 2015
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I don’t notice so much here but on other forums you’d get guys that only posted on the political threads and never on hunting.
That has gotten way worse on here over the last couple years. You can go through certain users posting histories and see they literally do nothing but argue and sell/buy in the classified section. Not sure if RS policies created that issue or not.. and no idea how to fix it but just something I noticed.
 

Poser

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The most noticeable problematic trends to me are

1. people complaining about people complaining

2. “If you don’t think exactly like I think, you are my sworn enemy”

The people who align both of those attributes are severely insufferable people to interact with and we have a contingency of them.
 
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EastMT

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I know and am friends with great people of both political persuasions. I’ve learned that no matter how much you argue, throw your “facts” out there, you aren’t able to even convince close friends you grew up with to switch to your position.

How the heck do you expect to change some random strange dudes mind on the web? Waste of time, have a little humor, be kind, make a smart comment here and there. Have a little fun.

Also, if there was a button to make the phone smack somebody when you pushed it like saying something rude in a bar, people would be a lot nicer. There’s a few comments that would have earned an eye dot for anywhere in person, and that’s the problem, easy to be brave on a 3” keyboard.

Mainly just shut up about politics. Both sides have room for criticism, if you think your side doesn’t then you are the same people telling the teacher your child is an angel and it’s all the teachers fault. Sometimes you gotta smack your own on the butt too.
 
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