Real Heroes Step Up
It’s Veterans Day, a day we celebrate real heroism. It’s a day I think about my son, my daughter and her husband — all of whom are serving with the Air Force and Navy in far flung corners of the globe. But I’m going to talk to you about something that is as diametrically opposed to what my kids do as anything could possibly be.
Internet “Heroes.” You know the type: They spend way more time pounding a keyboard than they ever do under water.
These guys love posting on bulletin boards and forums because it gives them the opportunity to pose and posture without actually having to get in the water. And they are experts on everything — just ask them.
What Internet Heroes love most is to criticize. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you have done, these “experts” are more than happy to tell everybody just why you are wrong and how stupid you are for being so. Everybody but you, that is. You see, actually facing you in direct confrontation requires a level of courage most of these chickenshits lack.
As a Board of Directors, we are sometimes criticized for not spending every waking hour cruising the Internet to see what the “members” are posting on The Deco Stop, Cave Diver Forum, etc. Well, the truth of the matter is, we don’t. Why?
• Part of it is the fact we assume that if a member has a legitimate concern, he or she will take the time to call us on the phone or send us an e-mail.
• A large part of it, though, is the fact many of the people who post on these forums aren’t even CDS members (although they certainly feel free to tell the rest of us what we should be doing).
If you really want to effect change, don’t waste your time posting on bulletin boards. (We don’t.) Go to the source.
• Call or write Jeff Loflin — or the entire Board. Ask questions. Make sure you have your facts straight (before you make yourself look stupid). Express your concerns if you disagree. Suggest alternative solutions to problems.
• If, after having talked to us, you think we haven’t done a good job of responding, then feel free to jump on your favorite discussion board and call us drug peddlers, child pornographers, communists (or, worse, Obama supporters). Just get the facts right.
There is a tendency among those who are ardent forum participants (any forum, for any activity) to feel that what is posted there reflects a consensus of the community as a whole. The fact is, this is seldom true. Most of us have better things to do with our time than live our lives in a virtual fantasy land.
Now, if you really want to make your voice heard, do what real heroes do: Step up.
• Engage those whom you disagree with in direct conversation. Sure, you may not have the audience your favorite bulletin board provides — but if you think you really need one, you may have deeper issues you need to examine.
• It’s a volunteer organization, so start volunteering. Serve on committees, take part in clean ups, staff workshops. Run for office. If you think we pay more attention to those who truly support the organization — even if we disagree with them — you’d be right.
Speaking of volunteering, every Board member is a volunteer. None of us get paid. Most of us have “real” jobs and family obligations. The most any of us can devote to the Section is around a half dozen hours a week. How do you want us to spend that time? Responding to the taunts of a handful of forum participants — or meeting the needs of a majority of the members?
It’s your choice. You can rant and rave and continue to be a pipsqueak hero in a tiny universe — or you can work to bring about real change.
With the exception of one individual (who was appointed to serve out the term of another) every member of the Board of Directors was elected by a majority of the voting members. None of us got here by posturing on bulletin boards or forums. Think about that.