A Slappy Thought…some things to ponder

[Slappy]

Is the generation that now holds the light strong enough to fight the fight? It is up to true Duners to spread the word, to educate on what is right, and just, in the eyes of Mother Glamis.  It’s not about you, it’s about what she provides for us as a Community.  That must be respected and taught to those who don’t know.  

 

[HozayKwarvo]

Beautiful pic Slappy and a good question indeed. I have no doubt that they are strong enough... their numbers are more and technology has made communication, support, and a call to action tenfold easier than it used to be... it has also created more noise and distraction at the same time though. One of the main issues at hand is the same one that we have faced with every generation and every off-road recreation area in the US, the egos and internal divisions that prevent the entire community from working together instead of in opposition to each other.

Buggies vs quads, Gecko vs washers, SxS vs everyone, hard pack vs sand, like much of current society many focus on what makes us different instead of what makes us the same. Many areas have died and been boarded up due to this... too busy infighting and divided they weren't strong enough to take on the white coats! We have been fortunate that there has been a group strong enough to take them on and maintain what we have, even getting some acreage reopened - which is no small feat in any recreation area.

There are plenty out there, new and old, that want to do the right thing and protect and and serve the area that we know and love. They need leadership, guidance, and support in their efforts and we - the entire dune community - collectively need to work together as a cohesive society to respect and protect her.

I have faith that we can do it and am committed to doing my part to make it happen.

 

[Slappy]

Beautiful pic Slappy and a good question indeed. I have no doubt that they are strong enough... their numbers are more and technology has made communication, support, and a call to action tenfold easier than it used to be... it has also created more noise and distraction at the same time though. One of the main issues at hand is the same one that we have faced with every generation and every off-road recreation area in the US, the egos and internal divisions that prevent the entire community from working together instead of in opposition to each other.

Buggies vs quads, Gecko vs washers, SxS vs everyone, hard pack vs sand, like much of current society many focus on what makes us different instead of what makes us the same. Many areas have died and been boarded up due to this... too busy infighting and divided they weren't strong enough to take on the white coats! We have been fortunate that there has been a group strong enough to take them on and maintain what we have, even getting some acreage reopened - which is no small feat in any recreation area.

There are plenty out there, new and old, that want to do the right thing and protect and and serve the area that we know and love. They need leadership, guidance, and support in their efforts and we - the entire dune community - collectively need to work together as a cohesive society to respect and protect her.

I have faith that we can do it and am committed to doing my part to make it happen.

Well said Hozay, and Slap has faith sir.  That post is going into the the McScrappbook.

 

[Crusty]

The biggest battle we have always faced is percentages, the number of Dune Advocates vs Empathetic Duners.

If we can utilize the popular Social Media platforms in use today by our kids, to promote the issues and challenges that need to be addressed in keeping our public land open for our recreation....then we can win.

There are some popular Social Media platform these days that get a ton of hits, likes, shares, etc. But their message feeds narcissistic behaviors and sells their products or boosts their social media platform for sponsorship dollars.

Some people will say, well didn't GD sell t-shirts, have sponsors, etc.? Yup. But it was always just to keep the light on, in hopes that a person with the right mindset and love of Glamis would find likeminded individuals and families.

Where discussions and education could take place for the betterment of everyone in Glamis. 

ASA needs a revamping plain and simple.

These "Whips" folks are out to be popular, that's all that drive$ those kind of folks.

Do YOU know who SLAPPY is? Have YOU ever MET HIM?

Exactly.

Eff those clowns that want to ride the coattails of others and claim events, etc that others started. It happens, because nothing is truly original, somebody has done something in the history of man before us....but yeah, eff those guys :lol:  … kudos to those like @Mac that called them out.

 

[Cookie]

It is sad for sure, my father taught me at a very young age how to camp and take care of the desert and his dad taught him as well.  I was lucky to get that experience from him.  What we are seeing now are 1st generation off roaders, they have not been taught the respect that is needed to keep our riding areas open.  This isn't just in the sand, but it is in hard pack and mountains as well.  Yes some are trying, but the masses are uneducated and don't see the big picture, I call them Consumables.  They like to consume and not give back.  Giving back doesn't mean participating in a clean up once a year, giving back is being a steward of the places you love everyday all day.  This will be the demise of off roading as we see it.

How do we connect with these Gen 1's?  Not sure, pretty hard to have a normal conversation on Facebook without someone derailing it into a hate conversation.  

FYI, I have been on this site since the beginning, I have never camped with anyone from here, I have met a few people in passing over the years, never met up at SSS for the picture,..........that being said, this is part of my Glamis family.  This site is more than information, it is like-minded people that care for the Outdoors that just happen to off road in Glamis.

 

[Mac]

whip sites....  Ghay azz sites that only serves to stroke their egos and circle jerk with their buddies.

 

[HozayKwarvo]

These "Whips" folks are out to be popular, that's all that drive$ those kind of folks.

@Crusty I'd argue that this is exactly the problem I mentioned above. Assumptions, generalizations, and alienating a large part of our community with these prejudices. That Us vs Them mentality is what will continue to fester and erode our community. "We" call them "new school" and assume their character and intent, "they" call "us" "old school" and assume character and intent. Both are talking about lumping hundreds or thousands of duners into each group and judging them based on what?

Take individuals and individual issues and deal with them individually. We've got to stop this mass division within the community and realize WE (duners new and old) are multi-generational and multi-platform. Is the goal for one platform to prevail over the other or is the goal to maintain our sport and riding areas?

Like it or not, technology and other platforms are here. Many of us have spent ~20 years here at this one place and developed life long friends and families in the confines of this board. That said, many of the users in Glamis now wouldn't know a message board if it slapped them in the face at the Oscars and have never and will never come here... it doesn't make them less worthy or less likely to recreate responsibly, it's just different and they need the same education and understanding that most share here.

While it's "easier" to reach more people It's harder to get the message across when 10k+ people when most are on socials for hits, likes, clicks and would rather like a carnage pic than read 5 paragraphs about rules and regs or a how-to post. That doesn't mean it isn't worth doing though and it's time to think outside of the norms to get the message out and promote responsible recreation.

I'm all for a good ribbing and friendly competition but flat out infighting and disdain only fracture our community and weaken our potential to do good. Let's save that energy and redirect it towards those that would jeopardize our way of life.

“We arrive and depart this life alone. Every moment in-between is a unique opportunity to experience as much love and belonging as we can possibly muster. Instead we obsess over petty differences and turn our backs on those we are supposed to love.”

 

[Crusty]

I knew calling out certain groups would not be popular, I wrote what I did a few times before posting it and yes, I'm generalizing those folks based on what they post on Social Media. It should stop, no argument there.

I feel though you missed my point on Dune Advocates vs Empathetic Duners and platforms the current advocate groups should try to use.

I'm all in favor of using whatever platforms that work, I'm not stuck to a message board format at all - that does not work now, but is a great repository of knowledge folks can pull from.

 

[HozayKwarvo]

I feel though you missed my point on Dune Advocates vs Empathetic Duners and platforms the current advocate groups should try to use.

I am 110% onboard with this message. That issue transcends generations and platforms alike and is a problem with all forms of recreation, not just off-roading and not just the dunes. While everyone has the right to stick their head in the sand, stay uninformed, not get involved, etc. that is exactly what is and will be the death of recreation areas... not having a large enough army to fight, not having an informed user group that works to maintain access... we'll never get 100% of the users on board, it's an impossibility... but we need the majority and those with the platforms/followers to carry the message and (using the ASA's tag-line) unite, inform, and mobilize the users to do the right thing.

 

[77charger]

The biggest battle we have always faced is percentages, the number of Dune Advocates vs Empathetic Duners.

If we can utilize the popular Social Media platforms in use today by our kids, to promote the issues and challenges that need to be addressed in keeping our public land open for our recreation....then we can win.

There are some popular Social Media platform these days that get a ton of hits, likes, shares, etc. But their message feeds narcissistic behaviors and sells their products or boosts their social media platform for sponsorship dollars.

Some people will say, well didn't GD sell t-shirts, have sponsors, etc.? Yup. But it was always just to keep the light on, in hopes that a person with the right mindset and love of Glamis would find likeminded individuals and families.

Where discussions and education could take place for the betterment of everyone in Glamis. 

ASA needs a revamping plain and simple.

These "Whips" folks are out to be popular, that's all that drive$ those kind of folks.

Do YOU know who SLAPPY is? Have YOU ever MET HIM?

Exactly.

Eff those clowns that want to ride the coattails of others and claim events, etc that others started. It happens, because nothing is truly original, somebody has done something in the history of man before us....but yeah, eff those guys :lol:  … kudos to those like @Mac that called them out.

Well said I’ve met more genuine duners off here.