HEMI6point1
Nitro Member
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2006
- Messages
- 3,901
- Age
- 42
- Location
- The sunshine state via NY.
This is the lounge, so I figured I would share 3 things that people on other messege boards (non-racing) and offline have said to me.
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1: There is a myth that I get venomous when people disagree with me, and that I will try over and over again to get people to be on the same page with me to the point where it gets annoying.
My take on this: I understand that LOTS of people have opinions different than mine. I respect differences of opinion and welcome them. As they say, "Whatever, you like a different flavor of tea than me. That's cool." It's fine when someone has that attitude. What gets me pissed is when someone outright bashes what I like and also gets to bashing me because I like it.
In that case I will defend what I like, and I am not afraid to get extremely defensive about it. It's not trying to force people to be on the same page. It's called standing up for what you believe in. For example: Let's say I was talking to 2 people about my favorite motorsport, drag racing:
Person one says, "Drag racing is cool, but it's not my cup of tea."
Person two says, "“Drag racing sucks, you go down the ¼ mile only to blow yourself up! I can’t believe you’re wasting your time watching that crap and are actually paying to see it!”
How do you think I would feel about person two?
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2. People seem to have this warped way of thinking that I have to have firsthand experience in something even if it's just to share an observation or share an opinion, otherwise I shouldn't be talking about it.
My take on this: Look, I actually never raced a car down the ¼ mile. Does that mean I can’t comment on the racing I watch? Please! The only time you should have firsthand experience when talking is when giving direct advice, because if you don’t, you’ll sound like a fool. You DON’T have to have a lot of experience in a subject to talk about it. That’s how we people learn, grow, and interact, by talking about stuff! Let's say I was talking about John Force in the 2006 points battle, and I said he'd better start taking advantage of opportunities that are right in front of him:
Person one says: “You’re right about that. If he doesn’t, he’s going to find himself in 2nd place at the end of the year.”
Person two says: “Have you ever driven a funny car at 320mph before? No? Then shut the hell up.”
Person two just made himself look like a jackass.
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3: For some reason I can't be a fan of a female celebrity (whether it be for example a racecar driver or singer, etc) without being accused of being a potential stalker, obsessed or "just liking her for her body."
My take on this: For me, there has to be talent associated with the celebrity's supposed occupation, otherwise she is just another pretty face. For example: Jessica Simpson. I don't think she is that great, to be honest with you. I am a big fan of American Idol's Katharine McPhee, I think she is damn gorgeous and will buy her CD as soon as it comes out. And this is coming from a guy who's CD collection looks like the CD collection of a classic rock station! This is one of those double standard things, BTW: if a woman said that same things as me, it would be OK. Let's say I was talking to two people about Ashley Force:
Person one says, "Yep, she is gorgeous and is one hell of a race car driver. You have good taste."
Person two says, "You don't care that she has the guts to drive a 270mph racecar, you just like her because she is hot. And I can see you standing by her trailer for 3 hours waiting for her to come out. STALKER!"
Again, person two made himself look like a jackass.
---
1: There is a myth that I get venomous when people disagree with me, and that I will try over and over again to get people to be on the same page with me to the point where it gets annoying.
My take on this: I understand that LOTS of people have opinions different than mine. I respect differences of opinion and welcome them. As they say, "Whatever, you like a different flavor of tea than me. That's cool." It's fine when someone has that attitude. What gets me pissed is when someone outright bashes what I like and also gets to bashing me because I like it.
In that case I will defend what I like, and I am not afraid to get extremely defensive about it. It's not trying to force people to be on the same page. It's called standing up for what you believe in. For example: Let's say I was talking to 2 people about my favorite motorsport, drag racing:
Person one says, "Drag racing is cool, but it's not my cup of tea."
Person two says, "“Drag racing sucks, you go down the ¼ mile only to blow yourself up! I can’t believe you’re wasting your time watching that crap and are actually paying to see it!”
How do you think I would feel about person two?
---
2. People seem to have this warped way of thinking that I have to have firsthand experience in something even if it's just to share an observation or share an opinion, otherwise I shouldn't be talking about it.
My take on this: Look, I actually never raced a car down the ¼ mile. Does that mean I can’t comment on the racing I watch? Please! The only time you should have firsthand experience when talking is when giving direct advice, because if you don’t, you’ll sound like a fool. You DON’T have to have a lot of experience in a subject to talk about it. That’s how we people learn, grow, and interact, by talking about stuff! Let's say I was talking about John Force in the 2006 points battle, and I said he'd better start taking advantage of opportunities that are right in front of him:
Person one says: “You’re right about that. If he doesn’t, he’s going to find himself in 2nd place at the end of the year.”
Person two says: “Have you ever driven a funny car at 320mph before? No? Then shut the hell up.”
Person two just made himself look like a jackass.
---
3: For some reason I can't be a fan of a female celebrity (whether it be for example a racecar driver or singer, etc) without being accused of being a potential stalker, obsessed or "just liking her for her body."
My take on this: For me, there has to be talent associated with the celebrity's supposed occupation, otherwise she is just another pretty face. For example: Jessica Simpson. I don't think she is that great, to be honest with you. I am a big fan of American Idol's Katharine McPhee, I think she is damn gorgeous and will buy her CD as soon as it comes out. And this is coming from a guy who's CD collection looks like the CD collection of a classic rock station! This is one of those double standard things, BTW: if a woman said that same things as me, it would be OK. Let's say I was talking to two people about Ashley Force:
Person one says, "Yep, she is gorgeous and is one hell of a race car driver. You have good taste."
Person two says, "You don't care that she has the guts to drive a 270mph racecar, you just like her because she is hot. And I can see you standing by her trailer for 3 hours waiting for her to come out. STALKER!"
Again, person two made himself look like a jackass.
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