I mean, seriously. IndyCar fans are like all the Delta's in the video above, sitting around, looking despondent. Yippity yap yap. Buzz buzz buzz pop. All saying the same things in different ways "Oh, the mean mainstream media is making fun of us. Oh, they don't know what they are saying. They are so cruel and are hurting our feelings."
Here's a question: Who gives a shit?
I mean, really. What a Festival of Feeling Sorry for Yourself I'm seeing lately. As my best friend in high school used to say, "Come on, squirt a few (cry)."
Then there are people getting into Twitter arguments based on misreading a fragment of a Tweet from four days ago, popping off an answer, which is itself misinterpreted or otherwise incorrectly received then it's like a Bud Light commercial ... HERE WE GO.
And that GODDAMN MAINSTREAM MEDIA is STILL being mean to us!
It just gets kind of tedious, you know? It's a Festival of Harshing on the blogs and Twitter. And now it's got me bitching about Twitter bitching. It's like a cancer. CONTAGION. There's a line between lamenting adversity and wallowing -- I think some of us blew right over that line sometime last week. From the tone of some of the stuff I read you'd think the author spends his or her days rummaging through a landfill just to find food. LIFE IS SOFA KING HARSH!! Holy shit. Get a grip.
The fact of the matter is, 98% of us have it better than 98% of the rest of the world. The fact that you have access to Twitter to use to bitch is a BIG CLUE that you got nothing to bitch about, really, what with other parts of the world getting 2 hours of electricity on a good day and all. Sorry to disappoint, but there it is. Now, I know, people suffer and die. They have tragedies in their lives. And Twitter can be a good support group. I'm not suggesting people don't share that if they want to. Come on, you know what I'm talking about.
If you're not seriously considering stealing food to feed your kids, ah, maybe temper your weeping and gnashing of the teeth, even if this line at Starbucks is SO SLOW!!! On top of all that, this general pall of victim-hood that's hanging over open-wheel racing is really starting to give me an ulcer.
"This situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody's part. And we're just the guys to do it."
Maybe the futile and stupid gesture is to look on the bright side. Count some blessings. Be glad going out to find food does not involve the word "snipers." Don't get your knickers so twisted all the time. Flip off some haters. Feel free to have some fun and be kind to each other. And forget about your follower count, 'kay?
Hallelujah. Holy Shit. Where's the Tylenol?
Wow. Are people really doing all of that stuff, with the constant moping around Twitter? If so, that makes me pretty happy that I only stop by Twitter for about 15 total minutes every week.
Posted by: The Speedgeek | November 09, 2011 at 08:08 PM
You've done the Lord's work here this night - assuming the Lord is a pragmatic, straight-shooting Realist who doesn't give a shit, which I believe He is.
Posted by: Roy Hobbson | November 09, 2011 at 08:35 PM
Word
Posted by: Marc Bever | November 09, 2011 at 08:43 PM
Pressdog don't give a..., Pressdog just writes whatever he wants.
This week in HoneyBadgerBlogging has been brought you by...
The abysmal Indycar off-season, annnd
the letter F.
Posted by: DZ | November 10, 2011 at 08:46 AM
PS, love the new trophy! "Borg-Wanker"... delicious.
Posted by: DZ | November 10, 2011 at 08:48 AM
Like Speedgeek, I must have missed it. In saying that, I've actually unfollowed many of the "moaners" a good while back.
Like is far, far, far too short constant boo-hooing.
How about...
*the car count for 2012 is looking decent,
*there's a GP on this weekend, as well as the final round of the WRC and the penultimate round of the Sprint Cup.
*the WEC is shaping up for next year.
We could spend eternity mourning Dan Wheldon, but what would it achieve?
And yes Bill, we all live in a very 1st world, surrounded by tragedy that far escapes our imagination.
As for me and my life at the minute, I'm happy enough.
Posted by: Leigh O'Gorman | November 10, 2011 at 11:46 AM
yes, persepective is everything. Is the state of "indycar nation" where I would like for it to be? No, not really. Do I lose sleep over it. Not a bit. So, the mainsteam media is harshing on Indy Car? Didn't know that, and quite frankly, I could give a rats ass.
Posted by: Rob | November 10, 2011 at 12:35 PM
Wow, brilliant riff Bill, thourghly enjoyed your stream of consciousness posting; the second read was even better then the first.
Your comments about the content found on Twitter are kinda why I've been fraidy scared of opening that door.
Well done!
Posted by: GeorgeK | November 10, 2011 at 01:03 PM
Sorry for the grand mal screeching, but ... It's more than the bitching about heinous slow lines at Starbucks is the rampant wallowing in self pity re: open-wheel racing from some people I follow. Also people generally looking for any opportunity to hate on someone. Gets very old. I'm just trying to say "Snap out of it, man."
Posted by: pressdog | November 10, 2011 at 01:55 PM
Oh and the Borg Wanker is brilliant, but not my work. A friend of mine who wishes to remain anonymous made it.
Posted by: pressdog | November 10, 2011 at 01:56 PM
China, bitches!
Posted by: ThatGuy | November 10, 2011 at 05:38 PM
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Posted by: billytheskink | November 11, 2011 at 09:36 AM
To borrow from Sam Axe, a lot of Indycar drivers, team owners, media, and fans are "a bunch of bitchy little girls." And it's not just the whining, it's the condescending I-know-better-than-you and I-told-you-so way they bitch. CART may have invented snark back in the 80's (or earlier, that's as far back as I go) and that's when the sport was on top! It's one of the reasons I started following NASCAR instead in the early 90's.
Much like today's political environment, Indycar needs to find a middle ground between constant bitching and the "our sport" B.S. of NASCAR, otherwise TV ratings may remain at the same level as Congress' approval.
And with that, I'm done bitching (-:
Posted by: Mark | November 11, 2011 at 10:19 AM
You hit it exactly, Mark. #nailedit. On both the Festival of Condescension and the bipolar comments. It's either Pollyanna "EVERYTHING IS GREAT if we just insist that it is!" or "it all SUCKS and always will SUCK and we're doomed." I try for the middle ground, but the extremes harsh me constantly.
Posted by: pressdog | November 12, 2011 at 08:25 AM
Perfectly stated, Mr P'dog: "The fact of the matter is, 98% of us have it better than 98% of the rest of the world. The fact that you have access to Twitter to use to bitch is a BIG CLUE that you got nothing to bitch about, really, what with other parts of the world getting 2 hours of electricity on a good day and all. Sorry to disappoint, but there it is."
Great post and greater perspective. Two thumbs up.
Posted by: Mike R | November 12, 2011 at 06:01 PM
Truth is these days, most people have a bumper crop of spare time on their hands with nothing useful to do with it. Not too many years ago, most of us were much too busy working 60-70 hours a week, or working a second job which left us little or no time for attending to family matters or even playing with our children never mind frivilous activity of any kind. The explosion of data transfer technology has proven to be incredibly useful, in both advanced cultures and especially in 3rd world countries with oppressive regimes. Unfortunately, it has also given every malcontented, gutless, unemployable, tin foil hat wearing, banging their sippy cup on their high chair dirt bag still living home with his/her momma moron, a venue for the advancement of his or her personal screed of the day and running whine-blog. I think that it may be time to put our hands in the air and slowly step away from the crackberry's and I-Pod's, that it's also time to suck it up and get back to doing something useful, like spending time with our family and friends, or for donating some of this extra time we have on our hands in the betterment of our community. IMHO.... BTW... Does anyone really give a flying f-ck that you (or anyone) are stuck at the red light on 5th and main streets at 10:15 am, or that you rode 25 miles on your recumbent bike today. I know I don't.
Posted by: Bent Wickerbill | November 13, 2011 at 06:02 AM
The main stream media ... F'em. They have been anti-IndyCar since before the split. Cavin is good because he is cautious with the facts, as all journalists should be, other than that, IMHO they all have agendas (read somebody paying them something to say the "right" things).
IndyCar racing rocks, always has, always will. Whether a lot of folks get that at any given time is an entirely different topic.
Posted by: Patrick Head | November 15, 2011 at 08:23 AM