Why post "who cares?"

So-as not to derail my own thread more, I'll ask this question here, where it belongs.

Those of you who enter threads mostly or entirely to post "who cares?" about the original question and/or to suggest that folks are wasting their time discussing the issue ... why do you do this? Some of you even go so far as to first post "who cares?" and then, later, join in. Others first put in their own $.02 and then, later, say "who cares?" I really don't get this. You must know that it won't stop the discussion. So what's your goal?

Who cares.

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First Rally: 2001
Driver (7), Co-Driver (44)
Drivers (16)
Clerk (10), Official (7), Volunteer (4)
Cars Built (1), Engines Built (0) Cages Built (0)
Last Updated, January 4, 2015

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john vanlandingham
Blame is for idiots. losers.

By that I mean the motivation is usually really obvious when people try and derail or stifle a threat thread.

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First Rally: 2001
Driver (7), Co-Driver (44)
Drivers (16)
Clerk (10), Official (7), Volunteer (4)
Cars Built (1), Engines Built (0) Cages Built (0)
Last Updated, January 4, 2015

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john vanlandingham
Blame is for idiots. losers.

Because sometimes a who cares MIGHT be read by a newbie who then says, "oh, not everyone thinks this is important" or "this person I respect thinks this is pointless" or "someone doesn't care" and then MAYBE they'll realize it's not worth the mental wankfest 99% of the time and maybe focus on something of actual relevance and importance.
It's like the news focusing on gay marriage. It's really not important and it's really just a way to distract the populace from the real issues. So threads like worrying about what a center diff in a WRC car that only maybe 0.01% of will ever touch much less utilize is just a waste and a distraction.

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Grant Hughes

Is there a forum that focuses on motorsports technology, and specifically, in rally?

If so, then that might be a great place to discuss it. Though, I do enjoy a techno-talk every now and again. Like the suspension thread. There's some good info there.

Grant is pretty much spot on. Some of us are just here to be amused by the drama llamas and be snarky and trollolollol because rally has become out of reach unless you don't have a family.

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Andrew Steere
Lyndeborough, NH
KB1PJY

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NoCoast
Because sometimes a who cares MIGHT be read by a newbie who then says, "oh, not everyone thinks this is important" or "this person I respect thinks this is pointless" or "someone doesn't care" and then MAYBE they'll realize it's not worth the mental wankfest 99% of the time and maybe focus on something of actual relevance and importance.

In short: you are attempting to teach using sarcasm.

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NoCoast
It's like the news focusing on gay marriage. It's really not important ....[snip]

In short: "if it doesn't matter to me, it shouldn't matter to anyone."

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Iowa999
In short: "if it doesn't matter to me, it shouldn't matter to anyone."

Close but remove the focus on the individual.
As I referenced in the 0.01% comment, it's not that it "doesn't matter to me" it's more that it doesn't matter to nearly everyone and thus is wasted effort.

Look at it from a research journal perspective. There are journals with high impact factors that only take research that is important and they have a review process for that. The shitty articles might still get published, they'll just be in more obscure journals with no impact factor so they really have limited effect. There is no peer review here so sometimes those with more experience have to make efforts to guide people correctly.

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Grant Hughes

If you want to bring research into it, then let me give you some tips as a past/current Associate Editor of two tier-one journals. If you write a review that says, in effect, "who cares?" I'm going to ignore you, send you fewer paper to review, and never vote that you be put on an editorial board; this will damage your career. In contrast, if you wrote (the equivalent of) "Block's car has an active planetary center with a hand-brake fly-off, but I don't think that you should be thinking about that because (a) his transmission costs more than your first car (and tow-rig) should, (b) you won't be driving an Open-class car any time soon, and (c) there are lots of other things that you ought to be thinking about, instead," I will not only go out of my way to thank you for being very helpful (to me and the authors) and send you more stuff to review, but I'll help move you onto the editorial board as soon as possible; your career will be enhanced.

To be clear, if your goal is to teach me or any lurkers something, responding "who cares?" isn't anywhere close to the most effective way to achieve said goal. Answer the question, to get the person to take you seriously, and then say why they should not be thinking about the issue.

But you knew this. You know that sarcasm doesn't work.

As to the self-centered version of "who cares?" I was mostly reacting to your example. It was a terrible choice. Some folks take civil rights - even the rights of people other than themselves - a bit more seriously. The only positive that I got out of what you wrote was a bit more sympathy for some of my more extreme feminist friends. I could almost feel my fingers starting to type the word "privilege" - that's how distasteful I found what you wrote.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/02/2014 07:49PM by Iowa999.

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Iowa999
If you want to bring research into it, then let me give you some tips as a past/current Associate Editor of two tier-one journals. If you write a review that says, in effect, "who cares?" I'm going to ignore you, send you fewer paper to review, and never vote that you be put on an editorial board; this will damage your career. In contrast, if you wrote (the equivalent of) "Block's car has an active planetary center with a hand-brake fly-off, but I don't think that you should be thinking about that because (a) his transmission costs more than your first car (and tow-rig) should, (b) you won't be driving an Open-class car any time soon, and (c) there are lots of other things that you ought to be thinking about, instead," I will not only go out of my way to thank you for being very helpful (to me and the authors) and send you more stuff to review, but I'll help move you onto the editorial board as soon as possible; your career will be enhanced.

To be clear, if your goal is to teach me or any lurkers something, responding "who cares?" isn't anywhere close to the most effective way to achieve said goal. Answer the question, to get the person to take you seriously, and then say why they should not be thinking about the issue.

But you knew this. You know that sarcasm doesn't work.

As to the self-centered version of "who cares?" I was mostly reacting to your example. It was a terrible choice. Some folks take civil rights - even the rights of people other than themselves - a bit more seriously. The only positive that I got out of what you wrote was a bit more sympathy for some of my more extreme feminist friends. I could almost feel my fingers starting to type the word "privilege" - that's how distasteful I found what you wrote.

I don't think you understand this forum although your posts far outnumber mine, this is a forum for grassroots rally and people who like to play in the dirt. Most people want to hear about what they can do and what they are doing not listening to someone contemplate what BIG teams do with their HUGE budget. If you would like to have these questions answered honestly and learn more about this environment you should call JVL, not text, not whine in a new thread, but call that man and listen.

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Foard Cleveland
Blue Branch Rally Team
http://www.performancefriction.com

The first part makes sense to me. I agree that this was not the right place to ask that particular question, even if it is a place where folks might know the answer.

The suggestion that I should call JVL to ask him what kind of driveline is in Ken Block's car proves that you have the kind of sense of humor that I absolutely adore.

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Iowa999
The first part makes sense to me. I agree that this was not the right place to ask that particular question, even if it is a place where folks might know the answer.

The suggestion that I should call JVL to ask him what kind of driveline is in Ken Block's car proves that you have the kind of sense of humor that I absolutely adore.

I bet he could give you a better description than you believe and actually teach you something about the sport.

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Foard Cleveland
Blue Branch Rally Team
http://www.performancefriction.com

Thank you for inferring that I want to know more about the sport. I've looked up "poseur wanker" in several dictionaries and that possibility was never mentioned.

Who fives a guck what diff Pastrami, Block, Richard, Antione, Leo, or MDHiggins runs (shit, I can't remember which one is in the VTSC Subie)?

They all have more money invested in rally than anybody in this forum cares to think about, and with the exception of Block, their "investments" in rally are probably a rounding error in Sebastien Loeb's per event budget (is he even rallying anymore? I haven't been paying attention).

Unless you have a high-eight or nine-figure fortune to squander, or you're an engineer trying to make a living squandering said fortunes on motorsport, the reality is IT DOESN'T MATTER. Build a basic package of something you like and are familiar with, and aside from obvious problems, just drive the hell out of it for a couple years. I watch cone-squishers change ten things between their two minutes of seat time each week and just want to cry (my dad got addicted after I took him to an otter cross…I've seen this in action).

Nobody gets enough seat time squishing cones in a YEAR to even be able to THINK of changing anything beyond the brain numbingly obvious (an inch of toe out is bad, mmm..kay? I tap the brakes with my pinky toe and the rears lock)…yet they're swapping springs and sway bars and changing alignments all at once chasing the ultimate setup. There are a few individuals who excel at the otter cross discipline, but 99% of participants in every form of motorsport need to spend more time practicing at getting the most out of what they have before blowing their wad of cash on the super-trick gear.

The latest Grassroots Motorsports magazine had a column by JG Pasterjak that compared competitive pistol shooting with otter cross, and he kind of had the conclusion that most people in both sports had more equipment than they had the talent to use to its full potential.

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Andrew Steere
Lyndeborough, NH
KB1PJY

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Iowa999
Thank you for inferring that I want to know more about the sport. I've looked up "poseur wanker" in several dictionaries and that possibility was never mentioned.

Do you even rally a car or do you just enjoy trying to act like a driver?

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Foard Cleveland
Blue Branch Rally Team
http://www.performancefriction.com