Norms for recreational off road use - posted on WD forum

The initial post is great, but it is what follows that scares me off the the WD forum, lest I too get labelled as part of society's idiot fringe.

The total lack of emotional intelligence displayed in their posts shows the poor quality culture they have allowed to evolve through weak leadership in the moderators...or lack of moderators.

 I have no doubt there are great people with integrity and esprit dde rider corps amongst the WD forum members, but why do they tolerate the idiot fringe who post in 'the name of keeping it light'.

By association, they too pick up the label, fairly or unfairly.

Won't someone with lots of patience go and clean up their lack of ethical quality and culture.

They allow the once few idiot fringe to find a home and proliferate and spoil what was and could be a really nice forum for outdooor adventure sport lovers. they downgrade it to where more n more of the idiot fringe migrate to for their fix of idocy.

Andy, I couldn't agree with you more...

Me, I prefer freedom of expression... even if expressing ignorance.

Cheers

(The other) Charl Smit

I believe that as a fraternity, we would like to attract quality people into our midst.

People who make a positive contribution and who have a positive nature.

People with integrity and with ethics.  Ridicule has no place on a forum.

And freedom of expression is paramount.

But it is the quality of people that determine whether you earn and deserve respect.

Leadership is determined by your following.

few people following, then not a good leader

Lots of following you are a good leader.

But effective quality leadership is determining by the quality of that following.

If you have lots of rabble following  (ala WD) then you are just another good leader with ineffective quality leadership.

Where one wants to be is  to provide good consistent leadership that attracts a following of quality people who can express themselves without slating persons, or degrading the threads with slants on  individuals or stupid puerile comments.

Case in question:

A new bike owner asked the forum what the plastic dust cap covering a hole on the side frame was for.

It took 5 posts of puerile shit like "If you don;t know you can't own a bike" or If your finger fits, you can ride the bike" before some intelligence was displayed and the rider was informed that it was a power socket for a Hela plug.

I rest my case.

Responsible forum moderators should not allow a ridicule culture or a slating, swearing culture to develop.

The only good point is that all the riff-raff our moderator takes off this forum migrate over to WD where they find a welcome gaggle of puerile replies to feed off and to feed on and so find their home.

I'm on both local aviation forums and 4x4 forums. all of the ones I frequent by lurking or posting have moderators that deal with swearing, puerile misfits and personal attacks.

Thankfully.

But WD gives the world the impression that motorbike enthusiasts are a bunch of immature beer swilling woman lusting retards that need the anonymity of a forum to vent their bile.

Watch my lips.

a day will come where the WD will wake up to this and clean up their act.

Thats a 100% dead cert.

I never want to ever hear a WD say a bad thing about Malema, because by tolerating the idiot fringe postings on their forum, they support the very stuff Malema appeals to in people- the uneducated idiot fringe.

While you make some valid points, I think you're wrong on so many counts i don't know where to start.

Where does it say WD have to be leaders in anything?

You tend to overlook that most WDs know each other in the real world, and like friends often do, they insult and tease each other.

There is very little fun to be had on this forum.. and that is one of the appealing things about WD, its a place you can hang out and talk shit while you're supposed to be working.

The informative posts there are very informative, but like any large forum you've got to sometimes wade through the crap. Thats part and parcel of the world wide web. Thats a consequence of free speech.

And don't think for a second that the site isn't moderated. It is.
Personal insults are not allowed, and people often get banned for doing so. 

The owners of WD don't give a damn what the outside world thinks of them. They are not here to be role models for other people. They are not here to present any type of motorcyclist image good or bad. That is not their credo. They are not a club or organization of any sort

Every forum is different, just cause they don't live up to your expectations of what a forum should be, or how it should be run, doesn't make it a bad forum.

It just means its not a place for you.

Wise man once say: If you want to run with the dogs, you can't cry like a puppy.

Well cloud that gives me lots of hope.

Thanks for that.

however, the posts in question were started well but derailed by puerile derision of an individual and no moderation has done a thing which insinuates the moderator condones this type of stupid posting.

There is chiding on another- which I do to my colleagues badger, oH and other and there is attacking- which we thankfully and most other forums do not allow.

Here is an open attack on a parliament member who we hope to get to see to it our roads stay open.

Go figure cloud,

Moderators must moderate.

Withi9n hours there will be a link to this post on the WD forum and maybe a moderator will call me.

Here's hoping.....

But I won't hold my breath

an example of a perfect thread:

http://www.wilddog.za.net/forum/index.php?topic=67655.0

The thread you're talking about obviously involves some politician or someone that a few posters obviously don't like. I don't really see the big deal.

Some threads work. Some don't.

This is a family forum.  How would you like it if someone's children saw this and started calling their friends purile?

If you don't clean up your act I'm going to banish you to WD and force you to ride a KTM!

I think we're focusing on the negative here.

sure there is a lot of rubbish and... er... uh... negative stuff on WD, but there is also excellent stuff.

WD is not a club, doesn't have a charter, and yet it is undoubtedly a community that does reall cool things.

Think of PAW, and Wild Dogs for Wild Dogs, and the campaigns they've joined, and memorial rides they've organized. And I'm sure there's more... oh yeah, training days, and tech days.

Yeah, as a mod on that site I know there is a lot of purile rubbish sometimes, but I choose to look at the other side of the coin.

The interwebs is a big place, room enough for everybody.

But interestingly enough the WD site is extremely popular .Many people , myself included , enjoy the banter and jesting on the WD site , because we can let our hair down and not worry what others think of us.  This site is more clean and informative, but the WD site has a greater element of fun  . Each forum has its place , but I don't think the Wilddogs are rabble and purile (sic).  Its members are actually good upstanding citizens , when you meet them in person , but they simply like to let their hair down and relax when they chat on their forum.   Even if the fun includes digs and sarcasm and some below the belt humour , many people clearly enjoy that, even the recipients    . The Mods are great in allowing quite a wide degree of liberty .  Granted it's not everyone's cup of tea , but the people are sterling.  When you need anything they , like the good people of this forum , cannot do enough for you . I enjoy both forums very much .

Leaders who exhibited a sense of humour, fun and banter include the likes of Arch Bischop Desmond "Call me Arch" Tutu, Nelson Mandela, Ronald Regan, Richard Branson, Valentino Rossi... Those who exhibit, /had little or none: Hitler Bob Mugabe,P W, Verwoed, Edgar J Hoover, Richard Nixion, Gaddffi, Max Biaggi.....interesting!!!

Those with little or no mirth seemed to only bring supression and pain into this world...

Ps: Hennie, that Pink builders helmet you gave me at the fun Club meeting( will have to cherish meetings like those,there may not be another for a while...), is being put to good use, thanks!!

So long, I'm off to Wilddogs to see a bit of banter....I've already been labled loony so no harm can come from a visit.

I've met and ridden with a lot of WD guys ... all great, so the fact that the banter can become a bit like a bunch of guys in the barracks doesn't necessarily reflect the characters of all the members.

On many occasions I've seen posts of individuals in trouble or needing help and the banter disappears and the Wilddogs rally around and the help is there.  People even ride hundreds of Km to go and help someone.

All in all its a good community with a culture of pushing each other's buttons to get a reaction (in some cases), and as with this forum there are some who are opinionated and not very tolerant.

I'd say the positives far outweigh the negatives.

Peruseing this thread again over a morning cup of Darjeeling tea ( may the Rooibos loony fringe not have Charles delete this) whilst my Mac does updates,what comes to mind Andy, is that : a member posted a serious issue in sincerity, in less than 5 posts (x1) in fact it was hijacked, with a post containing poor grammar, spelling and foul language and ranting and bad mouthing others WD forum and members intelligence......this is Perfect for membership of Wilddogs... not even newby status....Forum Whore gold class and a credit of 7000 posts,.....  perhaps Cloud and Pete would vouch for you?

A beautiful thread to read (with pics) there is about a dog (puppy) which was knocked down....caught and taken to a vet, some of the members, opened wallets and paid for the ops and all needed, a new home was found too,....many of the contributers are the biggest banterers!!!!

You need to be a member ( and an idiot, I'm told) to see the thread as it is in the Jou Ma section.

No Neil Darjeeling tea is bad for you ,   Rooibos tea is much healthier , just kidding .

Very well said Neil ( and Pete ) about the WD forum  , and yes esp that puppy thread was beautiful.  A WD found a huskey with a broken leg who had been run over on the N2 , and he picked it up and cared for it and paid for the dog to have an op , and within days about R7,000 was collected to pay for the op and more, and one of the other WD members adopted him. Interestingly enough the rescuer , adopter and main visitor , all three had KTM 's  .

If one leaves one's over- sensitivities at home, the WD is a great forum for banter and has a wealth of information too.

Andyman - did you just Hijack my thread while I've been working???!!  This would not be tolerated on WD forum!

I am not quiet sure, if this is a hijack, as I don't have the time nor the intelligence to read all the rambling!  I am sure GAW would agree that I could find some drugs to help you out!

Sorry Rhian.

I did just that.

sent you a PM about two hours before your recent post though.

LOL, both threads, here and on WD, hi-jacked.

Obviously people aren't really that interested in some regulation or other about off-road use.

Well we are and it was a topic on the agenda of the Committee meeting Friday 1st April.

However, we already have two members, both currently invovled in this devlopment through their 4x4 tour guide interets, we are in the loop. and monitoring the processes currenlty on the table iro off-road usage.

Hey how did I get involved in this hijack...........

I have only ever suggested drugs for your personal use ;-)  What did you have in mind tho'  ;-}

Well, I enjoy the following W D sections and derive immense pleasure from them,

Trip reports, Guys going through Namibia with the kid, wife on her own bike into REMOTE areas, Africa and so the list goes on.

Photos

Workshop, Some very clever folk there with practical experience,  oh and several other sectors.

OK GAW! but Methylphenidate may be the drug of choice here - I am sure these must be spelling errors as I cannot find a meaning for interets!

Oh yes and purile is actually  PUERILE  - Did the Pedant notice this?

A bit of an update to my earlier post .."Leadership"...the cartoonists often say that people write my gags for them.

Well in the above, I mentioned Max Biaggi and Rossi, well....Max had an incident with ?? on track, and after the race sought ?? out and proceeded to attack him,.....Later Max B apologised for his behaviour.

The very next MotoGP race, Rossi has an incident with Casey Stoner,taking him out...he,Rossi goes to Stoner to apologise! (Rossi did keep his helmet on when he went, though!!)

The apple seldom falls far from the tree!

Oh Rynet, I have had a Rooibos or x2 'tween then and now, and a fair few green teas with jasmine at Wanthai!

Andy - you just reminded me why I hardly ever post on this forum. I am a purile member of the Wild dog forum. Through that I have made some of the best friends I have had in a long time.

Trek 'n bietjie daai stok uit jou **** uit, meneer.

Just want to thank you for this thread. It has made my Tuesday very entertaining.

Wow,what an interesting and vast response to this thread,spreading as it did to another forum.

This thread has made me take stock of things, in terms of what are the consequences of actions, good vs evil, positive vs negative,... all in the vein of a... garbage in garbage out kind of way.

I really was most suprised when I initially posted the early piece on humour and the likes of Tutu and then Hitler as until then I had never given these issues much thought in that way. it was only in reading it to check spelling and punctuation that i saw what came out of my fingers.

Now looking at it a bit more it is not surprising that the very post criticising banter, purile comments etc etc would cause that very thing.

Bin laden brought much pain to his own peoples, as did Bob M, Verwoed and all those who try to stamp out things.

Humour as always been a salve, an antidote to pain, insult someone, and if they don't react in a like manner they turn neutralise the negative with jesting and banter. The other use for humour or jests was to highlight human folly....the king's jester whose functin it was to highlight the selfishness, greed and all the other human follies in the king or the king's ministers to prevent actions leading to the downfall of the kingdom....

It appears to me that all of the  Hitler, Bob Stalin group did not countanence humour around them and brought ruin to themselves and to those around/ subject to them.

This morning I had a beautiful experience of the complete opposite.

I came into town and pick up my staff from the station in Adderley street, they arrive @ +- 7h30 - 7h45 trains dependant.

At the Adderley/ Riebeek? st robots I saw plenty traffic/ police cars parked where I usually wait. I drove towards the area where I usually wait, with only one gap and in front of "my spot" and  the ministerial black BMW's and others...there was a momentary negitive vibe rising in me seeing a possible problem, fortunately I left the feeling and pulled in to park, a traffic officer came across telling me to move on, I resigned myself to this and was about to pull out, when i called him..after telling him I needed to pick-up my staff. He was most polite saying that for security reasons, as the deputy president was inside I could not park there and suggested the other side of Adderley St....I went around, parked, and headed for Kentucky at the Station to buy a cuppucino...crossing the road I met him again and complimented him on his politenes we exchanged a few words, and I walked with a happy heart to get a cuppcino.....I suddenly bought x2 and gave him one....

This incident was just joyous, yet could have so easily gone the other way...if i had been irritated with him, trigering him to being short and officious with me it could have been a bad day in paradise.

Peace does not come from war only more war....peace, oh that was there all the time, and appears when the war stops!