MOPED ARMY

No one has replied yet? Why? This isn't a troll post, Bryan is just voicing a well-spoken opinion.

So, if I'm going to be among the first to dive in, let me first say that the "bears and cubs" post in reply to Jerry's strange questions about Moped Army was just about the greatest response to a question of that sort that I've ever seen. I don't want to look at that thread again, so I'll just say a quick "Props" to whoever posted it.

Bryan, have you looked at the internet lately? When it was first coined, the "internet" was supposed to be a word that encompassed email, usenet, BBSs, and the world wide web. Now, all of those things are pretty much the same thing, and they're all filled with porn.

Some of it's harder to identify than the "you know it when you see it" kind of porn - it's like porn of the mind (and I'd like to ask you to never quote me on that).

The illusion of anonymity makes people say some really weird, stupid, offensive things. If I had a twelve year old child now, I wouldn't _want_ to let them use the computer at all. Using a computer to make a living, though, makes me know that it is a necessary skill, and one that is only gained through taking psychological risks.

So, I re-read this, and find that I haven't been able to gather my thoughts together as well as you did before posting. Let's try a summary:

A group of people get a watermelon, and they cut it up into slices. Some people eat their watermelon, and spit out the seeds. Some people eat the seeds too (weirdos...). Some people complain about all the seeds, and other people just end up saying "Fuck this watermelon!" One guy suggests that they do just that.

Welcome to the age of the internet, where people share. Too much, sometimes.

i drank some cranberry juice, woke up and my butt was bleeding...

Hmm. I agree with many of your points Bry. Your always a level headed , observant guy. I think its important to keep in mind though that the general forum is what it is, and that most of the info and exchange of knowlege goes on in the repair forum and the performance tuning boards.

I especially agree with the comment about a lack of hetero comments, but I believe that becuase most of them could be taken seriously when most of the gay talk is just joking chatter.

There is a higher level of talk about gay this and gay that lately , but the cause of this is where we will probably diverge in opinion.

All the gay talk , I think, has always been here - I think its a result of younger kids and others who listen to shouts of "your a homo" on thier mopeds all day, and , for good or bad it's been a part of male culture, not just moped culture for years. I rarely ride for over an hour and go without hearing the word FAG or homo at least once. I can see why the subject comes up for moped riders. People have been calling people "gay' and "fag" forever as an insult for years, but man, they sure do do it more when your on a moped. Part of just accepting it is part of riding or you will never get anywhere.

I agree it gets awful boring to read over and over, but im not so sure you can insulate a 12 year old from it. My childhood friends and associates had 34 or more variations of calling someone gay and man they used em with a vengence on anyone they could hurl em at. And Al Gore had not invented the internet yet.

It probably goes back 6000 years or more. I'm not saying its great or bad, but Its just always been there. Im sure most of us can see why its such a powerful insult - it provokes instant defence and reaction, probably always has. For many, joking about being gay takes the barb out of the insult.

Also , I think some people just find it funny, and maybe as people mature and have different priorities, it becomes less and less funny. I wonder if its just a component of general forum dynamics then real life. I havent been to a rally, but I know many of the KHZ guys and have ridden with them and they dont appear to be obsessed with any of that talk. Rather nice. Mostly they just ride and talk about points and carb jets.

Lastly, to get to my point in which we will probably disagree:

I don't believe for the most part that people do things without a reason.

I don't believe that Jerry posted that question as a inquiry to get an answer to his confusion. I think it's a deliberate attempt to stir up shit and prove his point. He already knows that the gig is up on Moped army with him being a big alpha male here, and that everyone has figured out he for the most part isn't real, and that he wont be able to regain the status of the Jerry of last year, who many people respected and listened to for the most part. So, rather then politely exit or just enjoy the forum, he is deliberately doing what everybody else seems to do when the go down in flames here - He is posting and replying to many threads with a deliberate attempt to fan the flames and bring the worst out in everyone and to fufill his self filled propecy , which is :

_'Moped army posters on the general forum are preoccupied with gay talk"_

Well they werent half as preoccupied about it a month ago until somone intentionally went and rang the town bell like the hunchback. In some ways, perhaps it fufills some need for him to be able to leave when everybody calls him gay and responds with gay remarks. Then he's proven himself right.

But at the end of the day, i dont believe for one single second that Jerry posted that because he wanted to know an answer to a sociologic question about gay moped riders.

He did it simply and purely to go down in flames.

No pun intended. And now the gf is riddled with gay remarks. He got exactly what he wanted.

Just my 45 cents.

_Well they werent half as preoccupied about it a month ago until somone intentionally went and rang the town bell like the hunchback_

well said, lol.

Yeah im old too.

I believe taken out of context, Jerry's question is fair. But its not an isolated question. Before he made it he dropped the same question in several different threads. It's not a question, its BAIT. ( not bear or cub bail LOL )

He doesnt want to know the answer, and several people - Linda comes to mind, have explained "moped culture" and other stuff to im before. These are not real questions , they are an attempt at provoking exaclty the kinda of infantile comments you refer to Bry.

He is not posting to learn anything, and quite frankly probably thinks he knows everything anyway. He is just trying to be as irritating as possible without mentioning tomos oil injection.

I also think that the demographic here has changed as even 3 years ago mopeds were for 27 year old hipsters and 38 year old people facinated with wierd things and now tons and tons of really young kids - as in under 16, are getting into the scene. A few are really cool, but most of them are the souce of much of the bullshit.

Whatcha gonna do, as bobby once said "the times they are a changin"

it is imperative for your well being that you guys stop taking the internet so serious

I have to agree with Brendan and not to come off sounding like a douche but things change and if you/jerry/anyone doesn't like it you should just stop coming here. Posts talking about how bad things are aren't any more moped related that feces in a toilet - and spending all that time complaining makes you look like a complainer that doesn't have enough smarts to stop doing something that's obviously not working for them anymore.

I'm just sayin

I like this forum more than the boat and woodworking forum...they are very dry and no personality. I would rather talk to a young forum than a bunch of old foagies.

this forum is a living breathing entity. I plan to stay and join in on the fun.

LAME site...just checked it out.

MA is much more sweet

If you ask me, the General Forum is the best part of this site. I'm always watching the Buy/Sell, contributing to the Repair forum and learning lots from Performance, but all the stupidity of the Gen Forum is what keeps me coming back, it's what keeps this place entertaining. It's why I haven't logged in to MRA in a month and yet I'm browsing this site from my phone constantly throughout my day.

I've been on some nasty boards, this ain't a bad place at all. It's just not a place where older gentlemen feel comfortable, mostly because of the way younger people embrace irony; whether it's through sarcastic remarks or non-sequitur youtube responses.

And Bry, I don't get why you can't be "associated" with this site just because you want to get into Ed. Admin. I'm a pastor at a church and I work primarily with kids, and it's true I wouldn't advise them to use this site, but I wouldn't invite them over to my house to watch movies with my friends either. I'm not trying to talk down to you, I think that setting boundaries and personal disciplines are great, but part of those boundaries should be keeping your work and your life separate, and making it clear to the kids you are not their peer. Kids who want to do everything you do won't just be a problem if they see you having a beer or smoking a cigarette, even if you're the most straightlaced teetotaler on the planet those kids who want to be on a buddy level with you will still try to overstep their bounds by ratting on other kids or thinking they deserve special treatment.

Keep your work professional, and don't drive drunk or buy pot or anything that could publicly shame the institution you're associated with. But any job that would prohibit you (or pander to parents who want to prohibit you) from engaging in conversation with a group of people they dislike is probably a shitty job anyway.

have you ever read another "general" forum? we have much less NSFW stuff and gay jokes.

Agreed. Grow your own.

;)

This is a good discussion. Everyone else has already made a lot of good points, but I’m sure I can still think of something to add… I promise to keep this under 1000 words. :)

I’ve only been on this forum for about a year. That’s certainly not as long as some of you, but at least I’ve lasted more than one or two months. In the time I’ve been here, I can’t say that I’ve really noticed too many changes, although that’s probably because I was too confused by all the moped vocabulary for the first 4+ months to be able to have a solid basis for comparison.

Gayness and the ages

I think the gay argument is more of a generational gap than anything else. Yes, obviously some of it boils down to maturity (or the lack thereof), but I blame it more on different expectations in different age groups. I’ve got 15 new best friends for the next 4.5 months, three of whom are gay. In the 22 days I’ve know them, being gay has come up A LOT… like pretty much every day we’re together. And no, we aren’t sitting around having philosophical conversations about homosexuality. There are raunchy gay jokes, raunchy heterosexual jokes, good-natured fun poking, and a lot of laughs and camaraderie. It’s both a part of _what we talk about_ and a part of the _way we talk._ Given the way many people on this board post, I get the impression that this is not an isolated phenomenon.

I agree that too many times, people respond with dumb commentary like "you’re gay" or "suck my dick" rather than providing useful information, a legitimate argument, or hell, even a legitimate insult. (Come on people, if you want to insult someone, at least be more creative about it than "that’s gay.") Anymore, though, I just ignore those posts. They’re a dime-a-dozen, and they’re no longer funny or interesting. They serve to succinctly document someone’s viewpoint on a subject and nothing more. However, they’re not something to get your panties in a wad about. They’re not intended to be a rude or derogatory commentary on gay people. That’s simply how many of us young’uns talk to each other, and we’re posting like we talk. If you don’t like that or It makes you uncomfortable, I’m sorry, but if it seems strange to you that your grandparents get all flustered when they hear the words "fart" or "sex," then perhaps you have some basis for understanding how different generations have different "acceptable" ways of expressing themselves.

Gayness and mopeds

A moped is as gay as the rider wants it to be. I thought Saabsonnetguy summed up the world’s viewpoint on mopeds and gayness well: "In the eyes of the mainstream you ride a sissy girly bike, thus you must be lacking in the masculinity department." I’ve never been called "gay," "fag," or "homo" when I’m on my moped, but I think that’s because I’m a girl. BY DEFINITION I’m lacking in the masculinity department; riding a "sissy girl’s bike" is par for the course.

So why do some moped riders embrace the perception of the masses? I can’t say. I don’t think my mopeds are particularly gay, but I can certainly see why the uneducated masses think so. Perhaps they embrace the perception because they think it’s funny, or because that’s their way of reveling in the delicious irony that something so cool is considered so silly by the general population. If you want real answers, you’ll have to wait for someone who thinks their moped is gay to respond.

On the forums

Bryan makes an excellent point about members complaining about how lame the general forum is. Guys, really, it’s getting old. I’m happy for all of you that you’ve found a bunch of totally awesome moped friends to hang around with, and it’s great that you’ve been accepted into the realms of membership. So you have your own private forums? That’s cool too. I’m sure that must be nice to have a choice not to deal with all of us riff-raff and noobs who clutter up the general forum. However, could you please keep your good fortune and gaiety to yourselves? I like the general forum, trolls, riff-raff, noobs, homosexuality, and all. Hearing you put it down all the time is pissing me off, especially when you’re constantly comparing it to your incredible and uncontaminated members-only forums.

Lastly, Bryan, I hope that you don’t mean to imply that you’ll be leaving the forums as soon as you start looking for a job. Any employer should know that you are responsible for your words and your words alone – NOT for the graphic, sexual, profane, or derogatory comments that those around you leave. Since your posts have always been helpful, logical, and free of graphic content, I think the only thing you have to worry about is an employer wondering about your sanity after they see those pictures of how many mopeds you had in your garage. :)

As a general note to everyone: be the change you wish to see in the world. Don’t like gay jokes and sexual comments? Don’t participate, don’t respond. I realize I’m preaching to the choir, but perhaps setting a different example will do some good.

Y’all got lucky. That’s only like, 856 words.

Hey now,

What is so gay about a sweatpants boners anyway?

Sweatpants boners are not gay are TOTALLY NORMAL. Feel free to experiment as you see fit.

Dean, I would expect no less of a response from you. lol

Joe, I didn't say that it sucks. For the last time, I still like it here but these are my pet peeves. Why is everyone getting so pissed off at me? Most people don't like everything about their partner but they don't dump them just because of one thing. It's a love/hate thing.

Linda, for once I outworded you on a post!