Re: I stepped in the Pookie!

[Joe Berenbaum <joe-b@dircon.co.uk>]

At 07:56 24/09/97 -0400, you wrote:
<snip>
>>I have received some nasty, nasty mail from that forum. Its seems that >>there
>>are a lot of people that think - strike that - KNOW that I am an idiot for
>>having picked a Leica.
>
>Hmmm...I just went to the rec.photo.equipment.35mm news group, and checked
>out the thread.  Perhaps some of the responses are now missing (I see 5)
>because I waited too long, but I don't see anything that appears abusive.
>It is true that you seem to have generated some opposing viewpoints, but
>they were well written and thoughtfully presented.  I don't see where
>anyone called you an 'idiot'.  Maybe that was in a missing post.  People do
>have the right to the viewpoint that Leicas are overly expensive when
>compared to the competition.  I sometimes feel this way myself  (I haven't
>forgotten my Leica Challenge!).
>I have seen MUCH worse on the rec.photo newsgroups!
>Dan C.

Pete said that he had received nasty *mail* after posting about his Leica on
rec.photo-equpment.35mm. The one post I saw in that thread that was
insulting did say that the only reason someone would use Leica would be if
equipment was all that mattered to them, and went on to insinuate that it
was all about "bragging". Since that person had not used Leica equipment,
and had no basis for his comparison I felt that his comments were not
thoughtfully, but arrogantly presented. When I first talked about Leica on
the newsgroups I found similar responses but replied to them pointing out
the rather obvious flaws in their arguments- such as their never having used
the equipment they are criticising, and their never criticising in like
manner the purchase of top-of-the-line Nikon or Canon equipment, or
Hasselblad, Rollei, Linhof, etc, etc. This does seem to shut them up to some
extent, as no-one likes to have it publicly demonstrated that they are a
fool. In my opinion, of course...

I too have seen much worse on the internet newsgroups, but this ignorant and
condescending anti-Leica prejudice does somehow sum up all that is wrong
with internet newsgroups. Ignorance, arrogance, and the assumption that
those who do not share one's own priorities are fair game to insult in
public. My sympathy here is with Pete, who was innocently reporting his
discovery of the image quality attainable with Leica lenses. 

Joe Berenbaum