So who IS well-respected in this little slice of the internet? It's subjective, isn't it? And for that matter, what does it matter that a person is/isn't respected on an internet forum? It's all very petty. I don't consider being here for a long time a claim to fame or being worthy of respect; all it means is that I've seen the overall culture of the boards change for the worse as time passes, and it's disappointing because it adversely affects enjoyment of these forums.

For example, for all the people that like to bag on brucelee, I for one respect him for the way he looked out for me to his own detriment back at Mt. Hammy '04, but lots of people wouldn't know about it because 1.) they weren't around in '04, 2.) they've never met Daniel in person, or 3.) they've seen him in person but didn't bother introducing themselves and actually talking to him. Without these experiences, a certain part of BAIC culture and history is lost upon these folks, perhaps in exchange for some entertainment value I suppose.

All the long-time members have seen the way this forum's been going downhill, hell I'm sure that even you've been around long enough to see it. Different people react differently to these negative changes: some quit the forums, some start fighting fire with fire (i.e. screwing around and parroting the riff-raff), some take a "good ol' days" attitude, some pontificate aloud regarding these changes, and so on.

There's no hard and fast rule about when one can or can't be a "pompous jackass", American society just doesn't work that way and you know it. I guess with the boards as big as they are now, the chances of any two given members meeting each other face-to-face is exponentially lower than it was even just five years ago, let alone a full decade ago. And I guess that's why people so readily post irrelevant drivel or e-thug each other here these days. On top of that, who's to say who's a pompous jackass? The standard is once again subjective. I'm told that I sound like one but that I am not one; what is there that I can say about that?

 

It's an inside joke between the two of us that I do believe has been lost upon you. Besides, when I have I ever granted creative titles like "pompous jackass" to him?

 

I thought the "this is sarcasm" comments were, well, sarcastic, but I guess they were needed.

Anyways, on a serious note, here is my theory on the clashing, and why it happens.

When i-club first started (at the split) it was a group of like-minded individuals. Due to the small population, the people it attracted shared the same views. As the population grows however, the differences in opinions grow exponentially. Eventually you get to where we are today.

Here we have a very large population of individuals. Some of us share similar opinions, others don't. Some people differ on small subjects, some on larger ones. In the big picture what we have is many many many people united by one POINTLESS trait; we all have Subarus (in theory). We have nothing else really in common, it is the Subarus that brought us together. Then we're expected to act like because of this common trait we're all going to get along? Put 1,000 monkeys in a room and eventually they'll write Shakespeare, but you're also going to have blood and **** all over the walls.

Nope. You have people like you and I. You can't stand that I call people out on their BS. I can't stand what a pompous jackass you sound like. In person, if we ever even met, there might be one sentence exchanged but then we'd both go "**** this guy, he's a dumbass." Yet because of the damn Subarus we both keep coming back to the same place.

It'll happen over and over again. It doesn't matter how often the community splits, eventually the differences in opinion are going to grow and grow to a boiling point.

Community isn't even the right word for what i-club is.

As for BL. I met him before I moved up here, at a BAM. Didn't have any other interaction with him until I did move up here though. We hung out a few times at a few different gatherings. I see a completely different person in person vs. online, and those kinds of people just aren't stable. Knowing the attention-whoring he does online isn't the same as the BL in real life makes them even more a pile of BS. For he and I though, we both have come to a mature parting of ways and keep the "needling" in private (no homo), and I do respect him for that.

 

daniel you better build the motor ..... how are you going to feel when your evo gets smoked by my forester? I wont race another subaru but evo's are fair game!

 

oh and choku - avatar looks to be jailbait but one sometimes can not tell...i met a girl in japan who looked 14 but was in her 30s haha

 

This thread blows

 

ba-dum. psh.