Laurie, I can't but help think that it has progressed to the stage where it is not fun. It may have started off as light hearted banter but I think that it may have developed to the stage where it has become a bit personal. Looking at it purely from one side of the fence if you constantly get told that you are an old fart and what you do is crap then the natural reaction is to respond in kind. This can lead to an escalation of "insults" where it is no longer fun. I think we could all take a step back and remember that there are actually people involved and that offense could be had on both sides. I think we could all afford call it quits.
Frant

damn by the time I typed that and removed the expletives when I referred to User.. I was no longer first

I agree with Frant that it's all got a bit personal, a bit like the kiter was down and us poleys were taking advantage and kicking the boots in. But he kept bouncing back up. I'd ask user if he's taken offence at the thread, if he has then delete it, if not, then ..."ready to rumble!"

easty said...

I agree with Frant that it's all got a bit personal, a bit like the kiter was down and us poleys were taking advantage and kicking the boots in. But he kept bouncing back up. I'd ask user if he's taken offence at the thread, if he has then delete it, if not, then ..."ready to rumble!"

Ah! A voice of reason!

I'm with Frant - it might've been fun to start with, but it degenerated. I stopped bothering to read it at about page 4 somewhere.

Nothing against a bit of jovial elbow in the ribs banter, but there needs to be a clear line somewhere, and someone to shoot firmly speak to the trespassers. (Which laurie has now done apparently)

As far as I can tell, user was little more than an excited little boy throwing stones at the 'crusty old' wasps nest.. to great effect.. and he was smart enough to stay far enough away not to get stung.

frant said...

Laurie, I can't but help think that it has progressed to the stage where it is not fun. It may have started off as light hearted banter but I think that it may have developed to the stage where it has become a bit personal. Looking at it purely from one side of the fence if you constantly get told that you are an old fart and what you do is crap then the natural reaction is to respond in kind. This can lead to an escalation of "insults" where it is no longer fun. I think we could all take a step back and remember that there are actually people involved and that offense could be had on both sides. I think we could all afford call it quits.
Frant

I'll retract this one Laurie. Not sure if I am in a frenzy or I have misread the posts about windsurfing being a dying sport and inferior to kiting (paraphrased by me to mean that windsurfers are old farts and windsurfing is crap). Clearly user has no sense of anybodies feelings so as far as I'm concerned reintroduce Mark Australias avatar suggestion.

I must say that having a light hearted dig at kiting and visa versa is all a bit of harmless fun.

I am not so sure that having a go at individual members is 'fun' even if it is intended that way.

While User seems to take it all in his stride and give as well as he gets, some members may take offence. Things then get said typed in the heat of the moment and then who knows where it can lead.

The other thing to concider is that perhaps new members to the forum wont see it as just a bit of fun and then will be a bit hesitant to participate in case they get on someones bad side.

just a bit of a laugh.

Personally it seemed a lot less disturbing than Mark's Avatars. I found it amusing at first but quickly lost interest as I'm sure was the case for most.
If some want to continue baiting each other , I see no harm. It keeps them amused during the windless autumn but I suspect most have moved on long ago.

laurie said...

The windsurfing fraternity have always been solid in their conviction and not bothered by pimps, trolls or kiters.

It's not about the winning,
it's how you play the internet game-show that matters....
preferably with grace.
Some poleys need to learn the finer points.
But anyway,
When you have a website that hosts both polesurfing and kiting together,
back to back,
as next door neighbours so to speak.....
you are bound to have some forum incidents from time to time.
Sometimes neighbours just don't see eye to eye.
Ex-poleys over-stoked with their kiting passion can be as irritating as a mouthy reformed smoker in the tobacco huddle at a shopping centre entry door.

I wonder if there are any other forums around that combine the two windfreak sports ?

Yeah bring it on! Usenet killfile style

Laurie? please?

I have to say this,

The escalations come from User stirring the pot and not even trying to be informative or funny, even when he is wrong and knows it, User has done this many times and still gets away with it, we dont need it and it drags the forum down.

My 2c worth.

LUSER

It sounds like some people are not happy with the sledging.
As I have said before, sledging is a favorite Australian pastime for when things get dull and boring, and so long as it's not done spitefully or vindictively then there is no harm in it.
Nobody is immune. You do it to your best mates.
The only areas that are "no go" zones are your wife, your kids, and your dog. (probably in reverse order)

Some of the sledging has an element of truth to it and I sometimes recognise myself in the descriptions. This amuses me more than offends me.

I'm in the group that User and others most commonly sledge, old and well worn, dragging the dregs out of my beaten up old dogs body with a bit of bogging back and forwards on not too wild and windy days.
I'm not offended by it at all. (the sledging that is. I am offended that I am old and worn out but it's still better than the alternative. )

On this forum most of us use screen names, thus when someone is sledged, it is for the most part anonymous.
I would not agree to any serious slandering if it was directed towards a proper named person, but I never see that here.

Consistent with this, I think the thread to find a new avatar for User is one of the funniest I have seen for a long time and unless he is particularly thin skinned, I think he would probably agree.
I can't imagine he is thin skinned because he keeps coming back for another caning.

I agree that many people might get tired of it after a while, but when they do, it's really easy not to click on the heading. It's not like anyone is forced to tune in. There are lots of threads that I have a quick look at and then don't go back to. I suggest they do the same.

It would be a bit sad to find all the forum sanitised to the point of boredom to avoid offence to the overly sensitive.

SUMMARY
Things are fine as they stand so long as the posts are not obviously meant to be spiteful and/or vindictive or directed towards a known person.

Laurie, I think your original assessment;
" I've been following the "user" topic with interest, and from where I stood it looked like some good to & fro banter. The windsurfing fraternity have always been solid in their conviction and not bothered by pimps, trolls or kiters.

There's no wind, and I saw it as everybody having fun?"
is spot on so in my view, leave as is.

Hahahahahah.LOL ! RFLMAO ! etc etc.

Just read Mark's post. Heheheheh!

He states
" The first post from Fast Eddy was simply "this will be on TV here is the link" then a couple of guys basically said wow, that can't be good publicity for kiters.
No insults against kiters at all "

The first post was titled "Kiter RAGDOLLED etc.

The next 4 posts were more along the lines of " I Luuuve this stuff! "

and "funny s*** !

Another classic example of twisting the truth. You are trying to make it sound like " Hey guys ,there is some kitesurfing on telly tonight"

If you are going to bag kiters expect some bagging back !

Sounds like you all need a good session.

Laurie,please put some green arrows on the wind charts !

(We will be happy with some yellow ones !)