Does TT reflect society?

“Just curious to see what you all think... we seem to have our share of whacko right-wingers, radical leftwingers, uneducated people, people full of them selves, etc., etc., etc!

Do you think the TT crowd reflects our general society? Why or why not?”

“It reflects a segment of society. Not everyone spends their day switching between work and hanging out in a chat room all day.”

“I was curious to see if y'all thought the crowd here accurately reflected society - are the % of TT'rs who are righties, lefties, greenies, who-caresies, etc., representative of society as a whole? If you work in an office, as an example, are there similar #'s of folks who lean the way TT'rs lean?

Just off the top of my head, I would THINK that TT'rs would be a little more "Green", since we all to some extent have to appreciate the benefits of our environment!
last edited: 7/10/07 2:41:48 PM”

“I think we are representative of a classy part of society...hopefully (as I found years ago) we can argue and fight all we want here...but the arguments end at the trailhead.”

“You forgot the sociopaths who collect weapons.

Just a coincidence, I'm sure.”

“Classy? Trailhead leaving or not, I'm not certainn that is the right word to describe this group.”

“LOL
Get Real.”

“I don't know anyone in metro DC who is right of the Dems, and all are green. So I guess TT does not reflect society at all?”

“As a native of D.C. and the metro area I can tell you that Bearmagnet is full of crap.

Ya dang hick!”

“I really don't know how to characterize the kind of person who sticks around here. Most of us are at least a little odd, but still decent and good people.

I'm not sure "classy" is the right word, but I agree with XL's basic sentiment. Sometimes I want to kick his butt back and forth across the fuego threads - but I have no doubt he'd have my back and be glad to lend a hand on the trail and I'd sure try to do the same for him.”

“Hick IQ = 100/ N, where N=number of guns owned. Oh, if you include trolls, you have fairly large sampling on TT. This site definitely has the 'American Dream' buried somewhere deap within it, but uncovering it may take some special skills. Ya dang hick!”

“Actually your average Hiker/outdoor person tends (or so I have experienced) to be pretty easy going and willing to help. I don't know if we all see sorta a Karma thing or just that we realize the thin line of humanity that requires we all work together to survive.”

“I think we're a rather self-sufficient slice of society that is very good at dealing with what we got. Kinda tough to enjoy a backpacking trip otherwise, no?

Most of us probably had to learn how to work a computer and surf around the web after our primary school age, so that might say something about our education level. Just thinking about the extra complexity of accessing TrailTalk as opposed to going to a backpackers' club meeting in town somewhere says something too. I think any Internet community has a collectively higher education level than many other groups that only exist in the physical world.

Otherwise, it's just like politics at the dinner table. Everyone gets a turn on the soapbox, and everyone gets to throw stones at the guy on the soapbox. But at the end of the day, no one really gets hurt (usually, but it's all in good fun) and the hope is that we all walk away a little bit smarter.”

“Overheard recently:

"The problem with using the Web as a model for what's really going on is that on the Web, Ron Paul is a presidential front runner and Serenity is the greatest science fiction movie ever made."”

“Any Asian-Americans here? Any African-Americans here?”

“Wanderer hit the nail on the head. TT is as lilly white as the Klan.”

“It has been my experience that the people who post here don't even represent TT much less the real world.”

“Trailhead leaving or not, I'm not certainn that is the right word to describe this group.”

New B
1:00:50 PM

thats because you havent met/hiked with any tt'ers in person, its hardly fair for a person like you, who has been around for just a few months, to judge the interactions of people who have known each other for years. like jesus said, walk a mile in my shoes...”

“Serenity is the greatest science fiction movie ever made."”

people think that? really? hmmmm the tv show it was based on (firefly) couldve been the greatest sci-fi tv show ever, but the movie? nah”

“Any Asian-Americans here? Any African-Americans here?”
wanderer
6:44:16 PM
7/10/07
ignore this user

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

“Wanderer hit the nail on the head. TT is as lilly white as the Klan.”
bacpac
6:48:27 PM
7/10/07


Then why ask? Maybe a better, more appropriate question would be does TT represent the general hiking, bp, camping community?

Would one ask a Hockey forum if they represent society in general?”

““Any Asian-Americans here? Any African-Americans here?”
wanderer
6:44:16 PM
7/10/07

Not many in the backpacking community. My son, after hiking a few hundred AT miles started calling it "A pale nation trail."”

““It has been my experience that the people who post here don't even represent TT much less the real world.”

Agreed!”

“I'm not convinced. In fact, you emphasized my train of thought. Anybody can be classy over a weekend getaway. It takes a truly classy person to be classy when temptation pulls them in the other direction. You couldn't resist just now calling me a childish name instead of addressing me by my name. That's the opposite of classy. It's the wrong word. Still not convinced? http://www.thebackpacker.com/trailtalk/thread/39967,-1.php

I'm sure under certain conditions this group is fun, cool, hip, adhesive, bonded, chill, hardcore, softcore, neato, groovie, and even da bomb, but 'classy' isn't the right word.”

“It has been my experience that the people who post here don't even represent TT much less the real world

so, what trailtalkers dont represent trailtalkers? how does that work?

im guessing you mean trailtalkers dont represent thebackpacker.com as a whole (since we are such a teeny tiny part of the eliseverse), and with that i would wholeheartedly agree, especially when it comes to the people ive met in person on dozens of group hikes. we here on tt can be ʎɥɔʇıq, petty, arrogant, argumentative, and downright ugly, but every person ive hiked with has been truly awesome. i think its because alot of the tt regs are lucky to get a handful of bagnights per year, and so have a case of the grumpies because of it. so get off your tail, and get on the trail!
last edited: 7/10/07 10:39:46 PM”

“why do you keep coming here if you think we're so horrible? ive seen nothing but negativity from you, COREY B

youre all pissed off because i called you "new". youre gonna need a thicker skin around here, bub”

“Ok, I forgot "truly awesome", but classy isn't the word. Did you read your list? None of those things describe "classy". Sorry, yoy don;t get to be classy on Friday night and Saturday and be labeled classy. Rhe discussion is about the real world, andthat isn't tge real world. I agree, in makebelieveland you can get away with that, but not in the "real" society.”

“and why are you pulling up a thread from two thousand and freaking five? oh wait of course

welcome back, s-rge”

“why is cb arguing with himself?”

“Lol! Nothig but negativity? I called you out ONCE. Noth9ng is wrong with the thickness od my skin. Is your trying to get a rise out of me "classy"? You're in a fantasy world.”

“That thread is on my main trailtalk page. 2005?”

“the thread starts in 2005. clicking on your link takes you to the start of the thread

and so a bunch of pics of girls in bikinis makes us not classy? whatever

youve been nothing but pissy with me, and with other people. your first post on this thread was to say how we're not classy

~dismisses troll with a wave of the hand~”

“but whatever. ill give you the benefit of the doubt. you were a model citizen on trailtalk.

from here on out, i expect you to show us the way to be "classy" hop to it!”

“For the record, this site and the people (as a whole) are great. Crashbang, don;t make a mountain out of a molehill. Why the drama here? Goidnight.”

“It takes a truly classy person to be classy when temptation pulls them in the other direction.

Agreed. This has been one thing I've been trying to improve but can't always manage to shut my mouth. I can only think of maybe one of two people (old TTers) who were less than perfectly great on the trail and most I'd hike with in a heartbeat. This is why I said most people here don't even reflect TT, because they are not the same on the trail as they are here.”

“Gee what is "normal society"? Heck I see both sides...the really nice (I guess you COULD call it that) and the worst the world has to offer. I perfer to hang out where I prefer.”

“Don;t doubt for a second that is true. Im just saying that IMO you don't get to be classy 2 out of 7 days/week and wear the title. Not saying you cant slip up once in a while, but you gotta admit the behavior on here is classless at an unusually high rate. Its one reason I don't post often, but I'm certain you're right that many of these same peopke csn be civil in a face-to-face.

I hope people understand that I think this "world" on trailtalk is great, and the people. It and they (overall) are just far from classy.

dead horse! =)
last edited: 7/11/07 7:04:32 AM”

“"I think any Internet community has a collectively higher education level than many other groups that only exist in the physical world."

Higher than say, what, a bowling league??”

“For the record, this site and the people (as a whole) are great


the behavior on here is classless at an unusually high rate

wow. you wake up the next morning and do a complete 180 about face. nice job

you don't get to be classy 2 out of 7 days/week and wear the title

im not talking about 2 days out of 7. so many, many of us have gone out of the way to help each other out. i have heard of, and been the recipient of, many acts of kindness, including putting people up for several nights, people going out of the way to give rides, send care packages when someone is sick, etc etc etc. many of us have spent a week or weeks together, helped each other out on the trail, given each other gear, etc etc etc ive put people up for the night that i never met before, and vice versa. ive been treated to an elegant meal, and have bought meals for others etc etc etc. so dont go thinking that im meaning that we're just nice to each other on the weekends because we're physically in each others presence. it goes beyond that. we actually care for each other

im a man who believes that actions speak louder than words. what about you corey? the actions of this group of people show them to have big hearts. so before you judge us, know us”

“My respect for Society used to be 70/30.

Now it's 30/70.



What really cracks me up is the DiTech commercial: "People are smart!"

Anybody buying that?”

“Individuals are smart...People as a group are stupid....(MIB)”

“1. About face? Not at all.

2. Kind/nice does not = "classy". Maybe thw word classy is confusing you? Hookers can be generous, but it doesn't make them classy.”

“aahhhhh unearned condescenscion

thats classy”

“id rather hang out with a kind and generous hooker than than an unkind tightwad of whatever occupation that you might consider "classy"”

“This is why I said most people here don't even reflect TT, because they are not the same on the trail as they are here.”
Nigal
4:39:48 AM
7/11/07


so very true”

“like in real life, ewker is a 400 pound transvestite with bad breath and a creepy glass eye”

“a lot of people, like myself, post from work...i care and am pretty passionate about the things discussed on the fuego threads but don't want to put the time and effort into posting long thought out responses”

“shhhh, don't tell

how is everything in Korea, got laid yet”

“nobody cares what some cornpone from indeeanner thinks anyway”

“no korean tang yet, but on the bright side, ewk, no dog soup, either”

“just cat head soup eh”