Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Naughty Internet children who need a spanking


EDITED TO ADD: The thread on the Gunbroker forums to which reference is made in this post has been deleted by administrative staff there. They doubtless have their own reasons for doing so . . . I suspect one of them is the derision, scorn and contempt being directed at their forums, thanks to the stupidity that thread displayed to the world! I've tried to post there myself, in the hope that it might prompt some of them to think instead of posture and primp, but I don't think it worked . . . {Sigh}


I was hugely amused to see the posing, posturing and pretending going on at the Gunbroker forums over a recent article by Tamara about the 1911 pistol.



Colt M1911A1 pistol (image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)



For those who don't know Tam, let me give you a little background.

  • She's been an active and enthusiastic shooter for at least a couple of decades;
  • She's worked in gun shops;
  • She's collected guns that most of us have never even heard of, let alone seen or handled;
  • She's been a moderator on one of the premier firearms forums on the Internet for over a decade (where she's in charge of the Curios and Relics forum);
  • She was among a handful of the most influential gunbloggers in the US who were invited to participate in a training course with Todd Jarrett at what was then the Blackwater Training Center (now US Training Center) in 2009;
  • She writes regularly about historical and arcane firearms at her second blog, The Arms Room, and has had articles published in firearms periodicals;
  • She's working on a book about firearms, which will include (and expand upon) much of the material she's published online.


In particular, Tamara probably knows more about John Moses Browning's classic 1911 pistol than anyone else I've met. I daresay most people who know both the 1911 and Tamara (and what a fortunate combination that is!) will agree that she's probably among the best-informed people about that weapon in the entire United States, if not the world! (If you're in any doubt about that, check out her blog posts about the 1911.)

You'll understand, therefore, that when some of the Internet's self-pimping poseurs (who consider themselves knowledgeable about firearms, even if no-one else does) disagreed with Tam's recent article about the 1911, and set about trashing her in public, they immediately made themselves laughing-stocks for everyone who does know firearms, and who knows Tamara. These idiots probably couldn't pour pee out of a boot if the instructions were written on the heel. For them to trash-talk an expert like Tamara is equivalent to an illiterate manual laborer being rude about plans drawn up by an engineer!

There have been some indescribably comic moments as we've watched their stupidity displayed to the world. Tam's legion of fans have left some wonderfully funny and supportive comments of their own on her blog, too - and she's enjoying the brouhaha most of all!

Go read their comments, and enjoy!



Peter

P.S.: That's why I'm very sparing in my list of 'Firearms Web Sites I Recommend' in my sidebar. If you want accurate information and well-informed opinion, those are good sites to visit. Clearly, based on the stupidity displayed there today, the Gunbroker forum can't be considered among them!

8 comments:

Julie said...

oh, that was a hilarious read ... poor dainty fingered Tam :)

Tam said...

I'm just an enthusiastic amateur; I learn new stuff every day from the real experts.

If the fanboys over there want to disagree with Hilton Yam, Larry Vickers, and Ken Hackathorn, that's their business. ;)

Anonymous said...

Stupidity has reached critical mass on gunbroker.com.

Gerry

Shrimp said...

Gunbroker is okay for the occasional deal on a firearm, if you know what you're looking for. I didn't even know that they had a forum. I'm kind of proud of that ignorance, now.

I see that the "gun experts" there are the same as the "gun experts" on other forums, and the same as the "gun experts" that hang around in the local gun shop.

It is because of her attitude that she is merely "an enthusiastic amateur" that she knows so much more than the "gun experts" on gunbroker. Or anywhere else, for that matter.

An insane person never questions their sanity. They believe themselves to be sane, and everyone else is crazy. A sane person will certainly have moments of doubt about their sanity.

Similarly, an "expert" never believes that they have something to learn, or that there is something that they might be wrong about.

Thank God Tam's an "amateur." And apparently a homo Glock-lover...

BobG said...

I've been following it for a couple of days now; I didn't know there were so many mall ninjas in one place.

New Jovian Thunderbolt said...

It's the massive and ongoing reading comprehension fail going on over on that forum that worries. From her gender, to her firearm preferences, to her explanation of same, to how many posts BRM has published (4000+ is greater than 1).


And I thought I was a slow head. I blame the public schools.

Anonymous said...

that thread on gb has been comic gold. There is some knowledgeable people that contribute on GB but they are usually over on the Ask The Experts side. The general discussion side is there for entertainment value only. Kevin

Old NFO said...

Good post Peter, not that Tam needs any defense :-) But what you say is VERY true!