Kvinbrwr's last post was dead on right. The Forum has morphed into a different community from when I first joined which wasn't that long ago.
The entire tone on ther Forum was different when I joined. I bought my first Joss West from Jim Murphy on this Forum and everything went great. During the buying process, Jim's thread listing on AZ received lots of posts and some were mine. There wasn't any criticing the cue or the price or anything like that. People weren't inclined to find fault with a thread versus posting just how they felt about the thread without disrespecting another or mocking them.
I am not using my initial cue purchase on the Forum as a mirror for how everything was taking place on the Forum at that time. Of course, there was bickering and battles occurring between Forum members. It wasn't a perfect community but I can tell you this. The Forum was a happier, more congenial, helpful community, or so it appeared to me. People didn't criticize or chastise each other on a personal level like today. Let's confront the stark truth.....there's some very untasteful. horrible narrative being exchanged nowadays.
I am not without blood on my hands but I am doing my best not to engage in verbal warfare. When you can stand stand toe to toe with your opponent and look the person squarely in the eye before you say anything or even do anything, that's the manly, brave thing to do. But to attack someone who's not even in the same room with you with written words that essentially represent a personal attack, well that's just cowardly. If I want to punch the other guy, I send him a PM message to keep it off the public Forum.
The problem with that is some cowards will respond back to you on the Forum board by cutting and pasting the original PM message you sent only to that person. So even when you try and keep an argument one on one, some cowards will resort to using the aforementioned tactic as a way of trying to drum up support and rally others against you for a private message that was never intended to be viewed by the general Forum. That's just chicken-shit and it's happened to me three time so far. I have those "3" member names written down and the day will come where I'll return the favor to these fellows threefold if you catch my drift. I learned a long time ago it doesn't pay to get mad at anyone........just make sure you get even.
Now not every author of a dissenting post is a coward but you can clearly spot those that are by their chosen words. When the exchange of posts between members degrade to a vendetta using slanderous, condemnable terms, well the Forum has a cancer that needs treatment quickly. I read a post yesterday where a member called the other member a fag. Come on.... is there any decency? What's next? Where is this community heading?
Anyway, that's how I see things....the last couple of years the Forum has gone downhill and I blame and hold the Forum Owner and the Forum Moderators for the current state of affairs. The new Forum rules enacted the first of the year that aren't being followed. Maybe the Moderators are confronted by a seemingly impossible task. Nonetheless, they need to enforce the rules a lot more vigorously because the Forum is sufferring from what's happening nowadays, If this continues, the Forum will be just a graveyard of its former self.
Matt B.
Matt, i apologize to you and the forum community about my comments, however when i am being attacked verbally thru a thread being called a POS, and an Asshole, i must defend myself as a man.
There is always someone hiding behind there computer, and playing the judge, jury and executioner, i also agree that this forum in the last few years has changed, as the market has as well.
I never intended for the buyer on this deal or any deal that i have done to go bad, on this particular deal i was contacted off AZ and introduced to the buyer via a friend of mine, and this had nothing to do with AZ. if i were to post the text messages from the buyer, you would see i have tried to make
this right.
I asked him to just send back my cue, and we would trade back. He said he has changed the cue and tips, and didn't want to do that.
I will send him a Predator shaft, as i am a good guy and like i said before i have done hundreds of transactions any many of them are with people on this forum.
You have to understand my position, he asked me for the other shaft i told him the shaft was being inspected for warranty replacement and i didn't have it in my possession, not to mention it doesn't match the cue and he said and i quote " don't worry about it, i will get a tiger shaft and have Ariel match it to the cue, Later Bud "
So you have to see my surprise when i find he has left me negative ITRADER and started a " Beware " post.
After reading the post, i told him if he wanted the other shaft thats fine he could have it, however he must clean up what he started. I asked him to call Mike Howerton and ask that the Itrader be removed, also that he states in the post we are working it out, after he gets his shaft, he would leave positive Itrader.
I have been apart of this site for longer than most people, and if i was the BAD seller i am being made out to be, i wouldn't be here.
I just get so tired, of the so called " Forum Police " making crazy comments and coming to ridiculous conclusions, not to mention all the name calling and backbiting is just crazy, what happened to the old days where you would just take it outside if you had a problem....
Chris
