R-pod Owners Forum Homepage

This site is free to use.
Donations benefit a non-profit Girls Softball organization

Forum Home Forum Home > R-pod Discussion Forums > Miscellaneous / Off-topic
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed: Humans - Chapter II
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Calendar   Register Register  Login Login

Topic ClosedHumans - Chapter II

 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <123
Author
Message
DavMar View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 04 Aug 2017
Location: Lexington, NC
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 592
Direct Link To This Post Topic: Humans - Chapter II
    Posted: 07 Jan 2019 at 12:44pm
+1 lostagain .... very well said.

Unfortunately I have found in my life that most people are "sheep" and they tend to often to follow the "lions" that are on top be it the business world or in politics. Which is why its important we all pick wisely those who shall lead and the masses follow. Which IMHO has sadly been very absent recently. 

I also don't want to get into an immigration debate here but lostagain last paragraph of his post struck a cord with me. The family dynamics he found in South America are not just relegated to people from Latin America. I am just a second generation American on my paternal side and remember the same family structure among my own family and their friends who also emigrated. I find it very disturbing for some Americans to denigrate and try to make scapegoats of newly arrived immigrants for doing the same now.    
Dave & Marlene J with Zoey the
wonder dog.
2017 Rpod 180
2016 Toyota Tacoma SR5 4x4
Lexington, NC
Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest Group
Guest Group
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Jan 2019 at 2:32pm
Originally posted by lostagain



but to venture into that area that can get pretty political/religious, so I'll keep my fingers off the keyboard.





I thank you for that. We (all of us) need to resist the temptation to take this discussion into political or religious matters. We all know that we don't address these very personal/individual convictions/opinions here on the forum.

I've enjoyed reading everyone's comments. They are thought provoking. I submit, however, that the parks have not changed, nor the visitors. The only thing that has changed is that there is not a legion of paid personnel and volunteers to clean up after us, try to prevent and repair vandalism and, insure the campsite that we reserved (months ago) will be available/vacant when we get there (assuming the facility has not closed). This doesn't strike me as a "leadership" issue. Instead, it is a "servant" issue - there are none. There's no money to pay the servants so, they are gone and no volunteer(s) can carry the load alone.   IMHO, these parks could just about run themselves - IF (repeat IF) we all would simply do the right thing(s).

Back to Top
offgrid View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 23 Jul 2018
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5290
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Jan 2019 at 3:08pm
My summer college job was being one of those "servants" - I was a Park Aid working for the CSDP (California State Dept of Parks). Had to dump the garbage and clean the bathrooms (not so fun) but also got to clear and construct trails and park facilities (very fun). 

That was in the '70's. Some people trashed the parks back then, most didn't. Today some people trash the parks, most don't. Overall I think park visitors' behavior is better these days. 

And the bad actors weren't necessarily who you might think. Sorry if this offends any of you who are into Scouting, but the very worst experiences I had back then were with maintaining group camps used by the Boy Scouts. And some of the best experiences. It all depended on their troop leaders (there's that pesky leadership and respect again). 

I will also say this, if I kept my bathrooms and campgrounds clean they tended to stay clean. If I didn't keep on top of them they went downhill really quickly. Folks don't seem to feel very responsible for increasing an existing mess. Oh well, everyone else is doing it... Again, leadership and respect. Or call it social pressure. 

And the campgrounds never took care of themselves, I can assure you, unless there were no campers there.
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
Back to Top
lostagain View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 06 Sep 2016
Location: Quaker Hill, CT
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2583
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Jan 2019 at 3:54pm
Sadly, that is too true of the Scouts.  I remember a recent report where Scout leaders in Utah, pushed a balance rock off it's base in a national park.  Totally clueless about the significance of the act.  No, Scouting has not kept up with the realization that what we do to our environment has lasting consequences.
Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
Sonoma 167RB
Our Pod 172
2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost
Back to Top
GlueGuy View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 15 May 2017
Location: N. California
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2624
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Jan 2019 at 5:00pm
Originally posted by lostagain

Sadly, that is too true of the Scouts.  I remember a recent report where Scout leaders in Utah, pushed a balance rock off it's base in a national park.  Totally clueless about the significance of the act.  No, Scouting has not kept up with the realization that what we do to our environment has lasting consequences.
I remember that incident. Really ticked me off at the time. Thanks for reminding me; it's the sort of thing you don't want to forget.
bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River
2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost
Back to Top
mcarter View Drop Down
podders Helping podders - pHp
podders Helping podders - pHp
Avatar

Joined: 07 Apr 2016
Location: Greenbrier, TN
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3419
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Jan 2019 at 5:10pm
Me too, as an former scout I was embarrassed. Remember when we used to wear out uniforms to school:)
Mike Carter
2015 178
" I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability."
Back to Top
offgrid View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 23 Jul 2018
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5290
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Jan 2019 at 7:34am
I certainly didn't mean to start a trash the Boy Scouts discussion. 

Like every other large organization made up of actual humans, it's a mixed bag. After my extremely negative experience with the first scout troop (I won't describe in a public forum the things they did) in my group camp I expected the worst and recall being astounded at how well behaved the next troop was. That just points out the fallacy in lumping categories of people together based on limited experience. 

Thats why its called prejudice: "Prejudice is an affective feeling towards a person or group member based solely on that person's group membership."

1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
Back to Top
lostagain View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 06 Sep 2016
Location: Quaker Hill, CT
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2583
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Jan 2019 at 8:30am
I agree that it isn't the BSA as an organization that is problematical, though they do need to do some self examinations.  Scouting be it BSA or GSA is made up of human beings and they can choose to be focused on helping the kids become loving, caring, generous members of their community or they can carry on the prejudices and selfish conduct that some leaders take into the organization with them.  

My personal experience with the BSA was that it taught me principles of personal responsibility, a love of and responsibility for nature and the need to protect it, the value of being a member of a community and putting the community ahead of your own selfish interests.  The leaders of the troop were not high falutin' but just regular working dads who liked kids and shared their values.  

Sadly, my son's experience in scouting did not turn out well.  The troop leaders allowed nearly uncontrolled hazing, they were arrogant and conceited with no sense of community spirit.  He didn't stay long.  My daughter, until her move to CRLA (a California legal aid group) was chief fund raiser for GSA in the Alameda County Council.  My granddaughters are all girl scouts.  I have to say I was wowed by the quality of their program.  The have done incredible things and are having an experience much more similar to what I experienced as a child, only better.  

So, like with any organization, the character of its membership and, more importantly, leadership will make it what it is, for better or worse.  We're all humans.


Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
Sonoma 167RB
Our Pod 172
2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <123

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Bulletin Board Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 9.64
Copyright ©2001-2009 Web Wiz