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[Sixpotsuz]

Interesting comments from Matt ^^^^^
As a boomer myself we were brought up to be polite and respectful. 

Actually, the Board is chewing over what to do about us looking like a bunch of grumpy old codgers, coz the reality is not that at all, with growing numbers of younger people and women, which is great to see. And it’s a perennial topic of discussion, and a huge amount of work takes place, on moderating comments on forums and FB.  I think covid made us all a lot grumpier at times. 

Like Matt, I cringe at the “just Google it” comments and the brush offs and put downs.  Especially on FB these are often not club members, and beware of assuming grumpy comments must be from old people… it’s hard to know the age of the writer for sure. 

Totally agree on the Sankey, those things spin on a sixpence moved by hand, great bits of kit!  Why hook em up when you don’t need to?

I think we need to focus on “Be Nice” and a “If you can’t think of anything nice to say then don’t say it”. 

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[Clifford Pope]

I suspect that is pretty much the graph curve you would get for any hobby or interest, especially those requiring a moderate degree of surplus income.
Young people, in general, have better things to do with their lives. Old people are tending to draw in the range of activities they take part in, for health or other reasons. In between at about age 50 you get people with most disposable income, more free time, possibly wives similarly pursuing their own interests (yoga, etc) and a general feeling of now at last they can indulge in some of the things in retrospect they would have wanted to do when younger, and are still fit enough to pursue.
So you get a bell-shaped curve, as with most things.

[A-Ro]

Finally Alan if you are referring to the comment I made about a Sankey being easy to move around the yard by hand perhaps I should provide some context. My yard is fairly small and with a number of vehicles parked it is simply quicker and easier to shift the trailer by hand. Living a mile from the main road up a single track lane reversing a trailer for long distances is a skill I soon learned

That’s interesting you said that because I read it as it was Alan who found it easier to turn a Sankey trailer round by hand. That’s the problem with a forum, the meaning isn’t always perfectly clear and that could easily apply to grumpiness as well, some posts my come across as grumpy but were never intended to be interpreted that way.

I’m a great believer in what Sue said as well, if you can’t say anything nice then don’t say anything.

Unless your spelling is atrocious then you deserve everything you get.

Don’t panic, I’m only joking.

😂😂

Andrew

[diffwhine]

Some really interesting comments in here...

First point from me is that there is no substitute for experience. That said, you can't get experience without opportunity. I was lucky, in that early on in my LR interest, a wonderful Ghanaian man who is now one of my oldest friends, took this spotty nosed enthusiastic kid under his wing at his workshop in London and taught me a great deal. Most importantly he taught me how to get round problems with limited resources and that is something I still hold dear. We as older people, must give that opportunity to younger people or they will never get involved.

It does distress me when people make unhelpful comments on line. The ethos of any club should be to make all welcome and to support all. The confidence gained from people supporting as a team is vitally important. Many of the mechanical skills that put these vehicles on the road in the beginning are being lost and its vital that those of us with the knowledge pass it on to those less able or confident. As I said in a previous post, there is no obligation to answer any post on a forum, so in my view, if there isn't anything productive or positive to add, its best not to comment. That way, the useful stuff gets through and all feel supported and welcome.

There will be times when some will take the proverbial, from my perspective, encouraging younger people to get involved in this is vital to the survival of our vehicles and our Club. I for one will do all I can to encourage that. I don't get a feeling of this club being stuffy although there are similar clubs (which I won't name) which definitely impart that image. What does concern me is the fact that the demographic shows that most members are around my age (53) and we seem to be struggling to bring younger members on board. My guess is that this is mainly due to the ludicrously inflated prices of old LRs at the moment, and also from what I read from another post on young people's insurance. Neither was an issue 30+ years ago when I started this game.

As an aside, I shudder when I see some suggestions on line when using any search engine or You Tube. Some actions are downright foolhardy and dangerous. The more we can do on this forum to counteract this has to be positive.

[Genem]

...., possibly wives similarly pursuing their own interests (yoga, etc)

Nice bit of random sexism there, well done.

 

[Sixpotsuz]

^^^^^
 
 
If I had a husband I wonder what interests he would be pursuing?
Don't anyone answer that!!!


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[Wittsend]

That’s interesting you said that because I read it as it was Alan who found it easier to turn a Sankey trailer round by hand. That’s the problem with a forum, the meaning isn’t always perfectly clear and that could easily apply to grumpiness as well, some posts my come across as grumpy but were never intended to be interpreted that way.

😂😂

Andrew

That's exactly what I meant. I was denigrating my own towing skills.
Anyone who has a Sankey knows that revering with it is like pushing spaghetti.
I don't tow much these days.
At our tip it is easy-peasy to unhitch and push the Sankey over to the skips.
Less time and inconvenience to other tippers.
My Sankey tows level and straight - it's a delight to tow. Whereas you see all sorts out on the road; nose up, tail down, wiggle - waggle. Maybe the modern towing aids make bad towing too easy 

Regarding grumpiness:
I read somewhere a few weeks ago (Mail online so that invalidates anything) a big survey that concluded grumpiness doesn't get worse with age. Grumpiness is with you from the start vs happiness and calmness.

I think this forum is very kind and tolerant to newbies. More so when you look at other forums and the Wild West of Facebook.
Over the years we've had thousands of posts from hundreds of users. For sure we get the odd one, Some people just take the biscuit but they are the exception.
This is regarded, as one of the best moderated forums, and has been for some years.
It's not just down to me and the helpers - it's down to our forum community at large 

The forum is massive and no one person can read all the new stuff that comes in every day - we try.
It is sometimes hard to put things into context, as per my towing comments.

I do wonder how long a forum such as this will keep going and be relevant when up against other online outlets.


 

[GHOBHW]

well, me and my brother are early 20s, we've had and been around land rovers all our lives and we have our own we are building up now, thankfully got them before prices went insane. the real problem is finding time to actually work on them, between other things and the rain.

the thing i see with land rovers is this, at least series and old defenders, is young or old, rich or poor, they will have a land rover. its a universal bridge between everyone, or at least it was.
we'll see how the future holds for that statement.

[Alan Drover]

Being a Site Administrator on the Series 3 forum I welcome newcomers with the mantra. "No question on this forum is ever  thought of as being a stupid one so ask away. " That's what we're here for, to help and encourage others in our pastime.
There is one annoying thing and that's when you offer help to anyone and they don't respond.
I am NOT an expert, I hate that word. There's far too many of them about each contradicting the other. I class myself as "knowledgeable but willing to learn" and I' m not too proud to admit that I don't know the answer or that I'm wrong.
No age admitted but I have to renew my driving licence every 3 years.
Oh, and I haven't got the knack of reversing a 4 wheel trailer where the front wheels steer. I've tried reversing one once behind a tractor and ended up in a z shape.

[Genem]

That's exactly what I meant. I was denigrating my own towing skills.
Anyone who has a Sankey knows that revering with it is like pushing spaghetti.

Exactly, Being short and difficult to see a Sankey is not ideal for reversing but easy to move on a hard surface, if unladen!. I also treat the 8x4 unbraked trailer as an overgrown wheelbarrow, generally far easier to detach and twirl about than try to reverse. The twin-axle Ifor Williams, being that bit longer, is easier to reverse, not least because the tall ramp on the back means its easy to see where it is relative to the vehicle !  ( Annoyingly difficult at night tho, with the white "position" lights on the front blinding any attempt to see the back... I've disabled mine for that reason).

[Clifford Pope]

Nice bit of random sexism there, well done.

 

Sexism means judging people's actions etc by reference to their sex. Observing that 90% of the people in my wife's yoga group are women is simply a fact, not sexist at all. One of the factors behind my time spent in the shed is that quite rightly, she has her own interests that often differ from mine.

"Nice bit of random ----ism there" is simply ismism, and a hackneyed  old one at that.  :)

[Eve]

Does Gene's graph include the ages of all the members in a family membership?

If it doesn't then the ages of the teenage enthusiasts in the family will not register and the club's age profile will be skewed upwards.

Club policy based on age may then be misdirected. Too many Zimmer frames and incontinence pads for example.

[diffwhine]

Does Gene's graph include the ages of all the members in a family membership?

If it doesn't then the ages of the teenage enthusiasts in the family will not register and the club's age profile will be skewed upwards.

Club policy based on age may then be misdirected. Too many Zimmer frames and incontinence pads for example.

Would the incontinence pads be for the Land Rovers or their owners? Even with all the oils drained out, one of mine appears to be requiring two pads...

[Genem]

Sexism means judging people's actions etc by reference to their sex. Observing that 90% of the people in my wife's yoga group are women is simply a fact, not sexist at all. One of the factors behind my time spent in the shed is that quite rightly, she has her own interests that often differ from mine.

"Nice bit of random ----ism there" is simply ismism, and a hackneyed  old one at that.  :)

You made no such observation, your comment was a sexist stereotype.
   

[Exile]

Oh for heaven's sake let's stay away from accusing people of stereotyping. (Stereotypes do not come from nowhere).

I was almost always the only male in my yoga class. Am I even allowed to say that!

One person's "liberalism" is another person's fascism.


I actually came on here to say that, after quite a few years on this and the earlier forum, I have seen remarkably few rude comments to new or young people.
Such remarks would be heavily moderated anyway. (Can't speak for the FB page though).

It has also been clear that the Club forum has been a huge source of freely-given help to so many people, young and old over the years.

And I don't think it is particularly grumpy on a specialist Land Rover forum to wince at them being described as Jeeps!