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AggieDave

Too much "as the prop turns"

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Ok, I want to start this thread by saying that I'm guilty of it too, but our quiet little community is becoming more and more split. I remember when I came to dropzone.com a little over 2 years ago and the commradary that I found, but through a conversation with a friend tonight, we both noticed that the community has become very split. With different factions pushed against each other, talking behind other people's backs and other general unkindness going around.

Maybe its just the seemingly unending sting of bad things happening in the sport this year putting people on edge, maybe its the general unrest in the world at this point, hell maybe its all the fires going around, who knows; either way it seems that we need to take a step back and realize that we're all skydivers, we're all fellow human beings and in the end we do care about each other.

*dz.com group hug* :)
--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

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Sorry to have read this.... I guess I am on the outside looking in for I've never really seen it coming. yeah, there's the cliques but I didn't realize that they turning on each other. And yeah, As the prop turns is always there, but I always felt that was an individual thing that was done "so n so, did so n so" BS which I kinda let slide in one ear n out the other....
Regardless, I feel like everyone here is a member of my family and I love all ya all (that IS the plural, right?)



c'mon, sing it!!! "We are Family!!" hehehe....
I promise not to TP Davis under canopy.. I promise not to TP Davis under canopy.. eat sushi, get smoochieTTK#1

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Dave:

i'm kind of glad you brought that up. i've tried to say it a few times, but have been lambasted myself. this situation has caused me to be VERY CAREFUL what i say. which shouldn't have to be. i think everyone should read the forum rules, and etiquette, and try the're best to abide by them, then we wouldn't have so much of this B.S. going on.

but, having said all of that, this is a "macho" sport, and everyone tries to be the baddest, fastests, and most popular, because if your none of the aforementioned, your not in th "IT" crowd. i didn't invent the "IT" crowd, it invented itself. a lot of this "as the prop turns" crap gets started (in my opinion) because of rumours, and rhetoric, and a lot of it gets started through pm's, and a lot of it in the pub. which brings me to the culmanation of my point..."don't drink, and posts" this has happened a few times in here, and then the next day, everybody's apologizing.

just last week, i appealed for a more "kinder, gentler" atmosphere. it seems to have calmed down a lot. but when you go to the drop zone, the cliques are apparent, the "lines are drawn" ray charles could see it.

if i can tone it down, so can everyone else. and i hope i don't get torched for this, but if i do, it's just me, speaking my mind. (which does get me in a lot of trouble)

*dz.com group hug*:)Take Care:
--Richard--
"We Will Not Be Shaken By Thugs, And Terroist"

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It's not just like that here , it's everywhere , on every forum like this . There is no need for it and it will never stop as long as people are involved . It is becoming like this in the work place too , it's called human nature and it sucks . Everyone wants to be the one in the spotlight and the ones that aren't fuck with the ones that are . People are not happy unless they are fucking with someone elses life or their reputation . Everyone has to be politically correct and I for one refuse to be . I have seen dramatic changes in the attitudes of people entering this sport in the last five years or so . It is to the point that I dot not even like most of the dropzones that I used to go to or the people for that matter . I thought when I retired that I would travel the country and jump at differant places but now I would rather go base jump so I dont have to deal with as many nasty people .


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we both noticed that the community has become very split. With different factions pushed against each other, talking behind other people's backs and other general unkindness going around.



The beauty of a large dropzone is they have large planes. Large planes require a large number of people to fly. For this reason, it's easier to get on a load at a large DZ than a small DZ. Anonymity is a good thing, sometimes.

Cliques at small DZ's are tighter than at large ones. The smaller the DZ, the tighter the clique. And if you don't believe it, you're probably in one.

Want to do something different this weekend? Go to the DZ with the goal of meeting or jumping with two different people this weekend. Who knows, you might like it.:)
Shit happens. And it usually happens because of physics.

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*dz.com group hug*



Me, me [jumping up and down, waving hands in the air] Me, me . . . over here!!

Any time the prop isn't turning in your direction, and you feel like you're not in the "IT" crowd, I volunteer a big ol' hug for you! (A girls gotta do, what a girls gotta do!):ph34r:

Diva

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"Cliques at small DZ's are tighter than at large ones. The smaller the DZ, the tighter the clique."

---------------------------------------------------------

Not necessarily true. The clicks are still there at large DZ's and they are just as tight, you just don't notice them as much because of the larger number of people.

I really like the idea of meeting two new people this weekend. It's what life is all about.

As for "As the Prop Turns", bare in mind, this forum is far more friendly and kind than REC.SKYDIVING. I stopped posting over there years ago unless it's something I absolutely have to say.
I don't think I've ever posted anything on there that I didn't get flamed for.

We have a great group of people here and even though I don't post a lot here either (I don't believe in talking if I can't find something truly useful to say), I feel like I know each of you and think that in a pinch I could count on any of you even though I've only met a small handful of you in person.


Rhonda

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Oh yeah, we're lightyears ahead of wreck-dot, that's for sure. What I'm talking about is the change over the past couple years on the site. This is the best skydiving site on the net, I just didn't like where I saw it going.:)
--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

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(I don't believe in talking if I can't find something truly useful to say),



Damn, i wish someone could teach me to do that. I really try to stop talking but the words just keep coming out.....

___________________________________________
meow

I get a Mike hug! I get a Mike hug!

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Well, I've never been one to side with cliques. My problem is that I love and hate everyone equally. It's a real dilemma. I'll give you the shirt off my back, until you cut me off in traffic. Then I want to see your corpse lying at my feet with your eyes missing. 5 minutes after that I'd love you all over again.
I can hang out, jump with anybody. Better or worse skydivers than me... I don't care. How the jump goes is not important. Everybody lands safe, who cares how many points were turned? Life is short, have fun, play hard, party naked, nobody gets hurt.
Egotistical skygods I have no use for.

JJ
JJ

"Call me Darth Balls"

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I was just thinking. Several times lately I have had to tell people that they COULDN'T go on a jump with me. It's really starting to make me feel bad but it is a valid safety concern. The times in question lately have been Spaceball jumps so I have no problem telling someone they can't go. It does take a certain skill level to safely be on a ball jump. I'm just barely there myself. I fear people may start to see me as "Stuck up" or "Cliqueish" I certainly hope not.....I really am just trying to be safe. [:/]

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Safety is a concern, in that I have no probelm denying someone a jump or limiting myself. What I take offense at is skygods not lowering themselves to teach others. It's not like anyone is born with 1000 jumps under their belt. We prosper as a community by sharing our knowledge. I rarely do RW jumps anymore, mostly because of that cliqueish community. I'm not opposed to a group of people wanting to jump together alot, because they found a groove or a zone. But not every jump can be a 10 pt 20 way.
Most of the RW I do now is at LP with a load organizer named Mad John. The loads are a riot whether they go good or not. The man is awesome, takes all skill levels and safety is his biggest concern. He will run an all low timer jump sometimes and limit to high level jumpers occasionally to.
My last 100 or so jumps have been entirely devoted to freefly. Lots of skill to learn, and most of those jumps are solo. I don't mind paying for coaching, but by far and away more freefliers are willing to teach low timers, than RW jumpers.
mho
JJ
JJ

"Call me Darth Balls"

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I agree, DZ.com is light years ahead of rec.dot. I stopped reading rec.dot because I saw way too many people go off, really go off, on a new jumper for asking a question.

Funny thing is, you meet some of those rec.dot people and confront them, they run and hide.

Can we still talk about who is sleeping with who?:ph34r:


Judy W.
Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

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Can we still talk about who is sleeping with who?




Unfortunately, I haven't been the subject of any of that gossip lately......dammitt....:D That made it all the more tough to tell an old girlfriend that I STILL don't want to talk to her when she called last night. I was proud of myself for not caving in though!!! :D:D

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