I just broke my new rule about arguing with idiots on the internet (it seemed like a good idea at the time, although I was thinking specifically about politics and religion when I made that promise, so I’m technically still OK). Some dufus on a Yahoo group for old Pontiac’s opined that he wouldn’t attend a car show that charged more than 5 bucks entry fee to display his car.
Really? Having more than one car is, by almost any stretch, an almost unimaginable luxury to a HUGE percentage of the world’s population (not counting, I guess, residents of Detroit, the UK, or China), and this clown thinks he’s being ripped off to have to pay to show off his ride? Seriously?
This same guy is, in my experience, the same guy who bitches if he doesn’t carry home a cheesy trophy for his tacky, over-embellished piece of crap, sets in a lawn chair behind the car acting superior. This same guy probably also complains about the cost of gas for his (totally unneccessary) trip to the show, the cost of an Italian sausage once he gets there, having to wait to get in, or that he couldn’t get his power-parking spot once he rolled in. And, he probably didn’t build it himself either, and complains about how much he spent, brow-beat the poor sap who built it for him out of any profit on the job, then bad-mouths the guy at every opportunity.
Ignore the fact that these shows contribute, donate, or otherwise support a variety of worthwhile charities, scholarship funds, social programs, and their community at large, just try to cover costs, spend thousands of dollars, and countless hours of free time to organize and set up, this guy thinks he’s OWED a favor to display his POS. Give me a freak’n break.
Of course, I unloaded on him on the message board. It felt good, and makes up for holding my tongue on FB when somebody asks me if I belive in Angels, support tax breaks for millionaires, and brags about having eaten three meals a day at Chick-Fil-A.
There, I feel better now.
Cool McCool's Garage 
Brian, I was with you a 100%……..until the last paragraph……what is FB?
Brian, Brian here; I concur, although every once in I while I can’t stand it anymore and end up blasting some one, be it my bro for his vitriolic diatribes that make Hitler look like a liberal, the people who insist that the most asinine statements are true because “it was on the internet”!
All I know is from viewing this post, past post and your garage, just wish I lived closer so I could shake your hand. Jobs well done.
Regards, Marty Cook
Date: Sun, 12 Aug 2012 03:11:21 +0000 To: mcook2@hotmail.com
Thanks Marty, I appreciate the compliments!
Brian
Brian,
I agree with you to a point. Without having seen the original post, I can’t really comment on the situation you wrote about, so I’ll tell you whats going on here (San Diego, Ca), because we have people like this here too! Unlike most of the country, we have a plethora of car shows here, and we seem to have our fair share of people like this here too. We have some people who are just like the guy you wrote about (who should just stay home if their not having fun, that’s what this is SUPPOSED to be about) But there is also a grassrooots movement here that isn’t so much of a “I refuse to pay to show my car” as a “I refuse to pay to support promoters who are only in this to make a buck, don’t support the car community or any charities in anyway, and are usually stepping on some other well established, much longer running car show because there are more shows than available dates”. It’s more of a chose wisely where to spend your money thing here, because the economy is affecting pretty much all aspects of the car hobby here. Admittedly, this is a unique situation to sourthern California, where you can attend a show / cruise night pretty much every day of the week (Heck, it’s one of the very few reasons I stayed here after I retired from the Navy). I’ll close with this, Should you pay to go to a deserving car show? Absolutely, it’s a heck of a lot of work and expense to put on a first class car show. I’m personnaly involved with three long runnning car shows here, and they pretty much require year round planning to keep them fun, fresh and successful. All three of these shows are manned by strictly volunteers, and the only potion of the proceeds not donanted to charity is seed money to help cover the start up expenses of the next years show Which bring’s up another important point that it sounds like your “buddy” (I say that facetiously) is missing, be nice to the people putting on a car show. Odd’s are., they are unpaid voluteers, doing this out of the kindness of their hearts (Even the huge GoodGuy’s shows rely on host car club’s to man their events)! If this guy doesn’t want to pay $25.00 to take his car to a show, good for him. Chances are, the rest of us will have a better time WITHOUT him there! (Wow, I think my reply is longer than your post….you must have hit a nerve! 😉
Kurt, thanks for the comments, and thanks for reading. Keep going to car shows!
Brian