If somebody else bought a different gun than you, it might mean that you bought the wrong one. But you wouldn't waste your hard-earned cash on the wrong gun, so that obviously means that the other guy bought the wrong one. And is a (stuck-up gun snob/idiot cheapskate), to boot!
In a discussion elsewhere, someone pointed out that it was the same on camera forums and bicycle forums and...
Think about it: Joe Schmoe wants to get a bicycle. He does his research, determines how much he can afford, heads down to the bike shop, chats with the sales clerk, sits on a few bikes... and then invests $800+ dollars of his identity into a chunk of aluminum, steel, and rubber.
So when he gets on the bike forum and someone tells him his Crankrailleur 2000 is garbage and he should have bought a ShockStumper 750, what's he supposed to think?
- He was too dumb to do his research right?
- He's not rich enough to buy a decent enough bike to get into the club?
- He was so gullible that he let the salesman talk him into a bad purchase?
- The other guys on this forum are just stupid snobs who don't know a good bike when they see one and spent too much on their worthless crap?
(h/t to ToddG)
30 comments:
Spot on! Same can be said of pretty much any product, but it does seem that (besides guns) cameras, bikes, and also climbing gear...and for the very expensive toys, new-manufactured fire trucks...rabid fandom sometimes brings with it some pretty bad manners to the table.
Still, I would pay good money to see a die-hard Yeti fan call someone else a "Home-Trek-lover" on a bike forum. Especially if the Trek rider was a well-recognized - but unknown to the Yeti fan - long-time mountain bike blogger.
Very true, people usually try and justify what the have bought and when they ask you or anyone else they want conformation not advice.
I think the fact that this needs to be pointed out shows a failure in our collective thinking about "things" and "purchases."
It's not just that they put $800 of their identity into their new Blastomatic. It's that they just traded somewhere between one and two weeks of their life for that hunk of steel and plastic, weeks that they can never get back. It very literally *is* part of their life.
Guns, cars, houses, wives, the list of applicable things goes on and on and on and on.
I like good enough.
I always know which gadget, piece of equipment or vehicle is the best, cutting edge and must have! - it's the one I didn't buy. Works every time (Betamax anybody?). :-(
As the ancient story goes, the Scot bought a horse. A critic said "That horse has glanders."
The Scot had never heard of that horse disease but replied, "If the glanders is good the horse has glanders enough, but if the glanders be bad the horse has not the glanders at all.
Stranger
Awesome.
One reason I'm not a gun snob - I know that any decent gun I pick up will be more accurate than me.
I've seen real shooters (pistol champs, SF snipers, etc...) pick up what I consider a mediocre gun, and do things I assumed impossible.
No matter what gun, I use, I will forever be little better than average. No matter what bike I ride, I'll never win the Tour de France.
Y'know, Todd posted that and endorses what he says...
... after labeling CZ pistols as "Pintos" (and not the horsey kind either).
All gun biases are stupid.
Except mine, of course.
Exurban Kevin,
This isn't some big squishy group hug to say that all guns are equally reliable and accurate.
There are guns that are more likely to be sucky than others.
Cameras, guns, bikes, etc. ain't nothing until you listen to a bunch of old men discussing their golf club selection...
Unless you are in the top 10% of golfers in the world that thousands you spend on new clubs would be better spent on lessons. For most golfers the difference between a $500 dollar set of clubs and a $2000 set of clubs is the loose wing-nut on the end of the shafts.
This is a lot like the old audiofile arguments over speakers, amps, pre-amps, etc. Now days most folks shove a set of $7 earbuds in their ears and live with the hollow 128 kbps mp3s we call music.
My son, who cowboy action shoots was complaining the other day that we needed to "slick up" several of our guns. Or get better models. I told him "When you can regularly out shoot me with these guns (which we share) I will consider your request. Until then, your shooting problems are NOT the guns."
The concept is known as "synthetic happiness", and it's scientifically proven that it convincing yourself that what you got is the best and others suck actually does make you happier.
http://www.virtualprofessors.com/synthetic-happiness-is-real-happiness
http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_gilbert_asks_why_are_we_happy.html
This topic comes up every few months on some gun blog or another. I post a link to this 2004 video, and then it comes up again in a few months as though it's shocking and new.
It seems stupid to all of you, because you don't care about that particular "X vs. Y". But, in general, you all either do the same thing with things in your life or you're generally miserably unhappy people.
If you want some real insight into how much we are all full of shit about nearly everything we think, do, and believe, go spend some time reading this site (and/or the book).
http://youarenotsosmart.com/
Tam,
Seth Godin had something similar to say,
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2012/04/if-your-happiness-is-based-on-always-getting-a-little-more-than-youve-got.html
And, you make a gross assumption, too. "This isn't some big squishy group hug to say that all guns are equally reliable and accurate."
You are assuming that someone buys a gun to be reliable. Some don't. Some people buy a gun or other item simply because it was for sale. Or available, or cheap, or pretty, or because X has one.
The "right" gun might be one like Grandpa had. Or like Fess Parker boasted on the Disney program as Old Betsy.
Not everyone invests in tools to be useful. I have a pipe fitter friend that spends himself blind on the niftiest tools, that he might use once or maybe twice. I have been to his "sell out everything" auctions three times in the last nine years. I suspect another one might be about due.
Me, I like to think that the right firearm is the one that is only just enough gun to meet my needs, is versatile enough to protect my livestock, is reasonably accurate, reasonably dependable f I use reasonable ammunition. The last one was a .22 rifle. I liked the point that Dickson made in his "Wolf and Iron" novel, about the less noise a gun makes, the fewer people, after the SHTF, you notify that there is someone with something worth stealing (like a gun, food, clothes, etc.).
Plus, you see far fewer national headlines about "ZOMG, wacko gun nut had two .22 rifles and over 150 rounds ammo in his closet!"
Yee haw!
I'm comfortable enough in my masculinity not to worry about what you think of my penis enhancer.
(Well, isn't that all a gun is good for according to some folk?)
My already low self esteem lets me buy whatever the heck I want. :D
Tam, I think you know entirely too much about Teh Humans, more than is good for you. Beware! This kind of knowledge can lead to Heavy Drinking, or Church Attendance!
(I do both.)
Very insightful. I grow tired of people's obsession with having "the best". The best piano will not make me the best pianist.
I am glad I don't really invest any "identity" in my use-goods.
(Though, that said - Leica snobs?
Bunch of pretentious gits.)
At our BUG match I had 9 new shooters out of my squad of 15. At least 5 told me they really liked their FILL IN THE BLANK pistol because of FILL IN THE BLANK.
After 8 stages all 5 came back grumbling to some degree. None of the 5 had put more than 100 rounds down range before and were not really happy with the pistol.
Reality tends to bite you in the ass about your choice.
Gerry
I likes my Beretta 92FS INOX and don't care what anyone else thinks about it.
I defend my choice of arm(s) in that I believe it durable, accurate and a bargain, the company is long standing with excellent customer service, it's been proven again and again, etc. However I still reserve the right to point at certain pistols, rifles, shoguns, etc and laugh aloud based on suck factor and personal experience.
Sold my TAG long ago and bought a nice Timex. John Cameron Swayze and I agree, it's a fine doohickey.
I recant my earlier statement. I never have and never would laugh at a Shogun, nor be so rude as to point.
Tam - When people are arguing guns, it's not the guns that they're defending, but their own self-worth as demonstrated through the quality of the decisions that they've made.
This needs to be engraved on a hunk of marble somewhere, with the only change being that a general "things they've bought" should be substituted for "guns".
My group size consoles me about shooting a mere Glock 19 while others on the range bang away with their Sigs and Kimbers and Colts and Desert Eagles and so on. And when even glancing across the lanes and seeing them throwing 45 rounds at a quarter per shot into scatterplots on their paper targets is not enough, I get out my $150 bought-used Browning Buckmark 22 and make even smaller groups for an even lower cost.
Take that, shooters of better guns than mine!
Guitar players can be very bad about this. Fortunately can play rings around most-to-all using the POS Strat I built myself. And cycle better on my 70s Nishiki I found for $50. And group better with an old 1898 model Mauser. Less money, more work. Wins every time.
I like the Glock 19. But in a month it might be the Kaiser .357 or the Willy Wonka .44 Special. Meh.
When people are arguing guns, it's not the guns that they're defending, but their own self-worth as demonstrated through the quality of the decisions that they've made.
Also demonstrating their superiority because they can afford to spend more money than the next guy, etc etc.
Note: I'll stipulate that a Kimber will show better fit and finish than a Rock Island Armory out of the box. However, I'm still trying to figure out the market niche for a $4,750 GI model 1911 other other than complete buttheads.
http://cabotgun.com/better-than-custom-1911-pistols/gi-classic-1911-prescision-gun/
The Four Noble Truths
I'm smart than you... nani nani boo boo.
Ps. My shit dont stick either.
All goes back to those reviews of 'ZOMG-I-just-took-my-new-XYZ-to-the-range-and-put-a-whole-box-through-it-and-only-had-3-ftf-and-5-ftj-it's-da-best-EVER!'
And nice shooting by the Mrs. at the end there. Better than most I run into on the range!
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