So much hate...

I was talking to a friend, today, and the subject of our online car community came up.  My friend, Josh, and I both grew up as part of a couple of major automotive forums that fueled our love for the cars and trucks we own today.  With almost two decades in, "The Scene," we have seen a lot of change come about and a lot of fads come and go.  I'm not sure most of it is for the better.

I'm not sure when it all started, but the internet forums used to be full of people yearning for knowledge and an equal number of people happy to share knowledge.  We did...stuff.  We worked on our vehicles.  We literally poured blood, sweat, and tears into our cars.  People respected other people's work, even if we didn't particularly care for the car at all.  There were some really nice, detailed builds around; even the ones that were on a budget still put a lot of effort into their builds, and it showed.  Nowadays, at the risk of sounding like my grandfather, things are completely different.  Looking at car shows, you see very few true builds.  Many of the cars simply have wheels, coilovers, and a ton of camber (no disrespect to the stance guys, but that's not really a build in my book) and way too much, "Sweet ride, bro."  The sad thing is that the people actually building cars get little respect, or way too much hate because they did something different and didn't follow the crowd.

That brings me me to the hate.  WHY?!  Why can't we just, as enthusiasts, respect what other people enjoy?  To each his own.  If it's not what you like, move along.  It's not nearly as bad at meets and shows as it is on the web, but I think this has more to do with a lack of ability, or guts, to speak to people.  Forums and social media groups (the worst) are so full of keyboard warriors that its ridiculous.  Most of the older crowd that started these forums have long since left, overrun by people who have no clue and respond to pleas for advice with posts like, "Take it to a shop.  You will probably break it more," and, "Well, if your car wasn't a piece of crap, [insert absolute nonsense]," or even, "Your mom."  Seriously?  Why even bother?  You hardly see, "Use the search button," anymore because these people don't even know the knowledge is even there or these things have ever been discussed.  The internet used to be a valuable tool for the most of us to learn, and some of us to pass on our knowledge.  Now, for the most part, it has turned into a circus of sorts.  I never liked the circus.