Why do we as humans prefer to talk to each other face to face rather than over the telephone? Or why do we desire to talk to someone on the telephone rather than in an email or a letter? The answer seems simple enough, it is because we as humans like to be able to read what the other person is thinking, and when talking about a phone conversation there are many non-verbal cues that are in place that we simply do not even give a second thought to. If you listen carefully you can tell if a person’s voice goes up or down, or if they seem to talk very fast or very slow, or if they sound sleepy or wide awake. So many parts of communication are transmitted non-verbally that it is almost imperative that we speak to each other face to face when discussing something that we feel is important. When you are face to face you can see eye contact, or lack there of. You can see body movement, nervous gesturing, hesitation in movement and speech, facial expression, and so much more. The point that I am trying to get at has to do with the overall needlessness of internet message boards as a tool for destruction.

I can’t even start to comprehend the amount of message boards that are out there in just the drag racing community alone. I see people talk to each other in mostly negative ways, and granted many of the times it is nothing but just joshing with another person or playing around, however there are a lot of times that arguments seem to start for no apparent reason, or something someone has said becomes misconstrued into what another person wants to hear or doesn’t want to hear. Most people are quick to say that the drag racing community is a close-knit bunch of individuals with a lot of things in common and filled full of good citizens. Is that true? Many people seem to take to heart everything that is said on an internet message board by someone who doesn’t even want to post their real name, and instead elect to use some sort of alias usually relating to a car or car part.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions, and should feel completely free to voice them, however sometimes it should be taken into consideration the feelings of others involved and the stakes that each person has in the so called 'Big Game'. The reason I started this all off with the discussion of non-verbal communication is that it is very simple to realize that you can not tell what a person means, or suggests by just given words on a random typing that usually takes less that 5 minutes to compile. I have many times been told by many people how much respect is lost for people who do nothing more than spend all their time on the boards talking trash and lobbying for changes to help them. I might be young, however I can remember the days when internet message boards were not even in existence and you talked about rule changes at the track or on the phone, and didn’t air your dirty laundry in public. I come from that line of thinking and don’t see a reason for there to be any change. I do believe that the message boards have their place and have done a large amount of good. I do however seem to see more negative thread topics than positive ones. How often do you see the congratulations threads in comparison with others that is usually talking about the what ifs and could be’s. I mean how important is it to talk about how rules should be changed because so and so went so quick or so fast at a certain place at a certain weight and that means the world should change right then and there. People tend to speak with little more than an opinion and an unbased lack of knowledge on the subject at hand.

We seem to be hell bent on making people see things the way we want them to be seen. What is the point of making other people feel bad, or putting other people down only to build yourself up. I can’t even start to talk about all the people who have become famous by doing nothing more than start crap on the message boards. The important thing to realize is that most of these people who will not even tell their real names, are nothing more than people who care nothing about the sport but only about their own personal ego.

I can’t start to talk about all the racers who I have known for years who come to the tracks and work at home everyday, and do the driving and everything else that goes along with the territory, who deserve credit for just being there and putting on a show. I have now raced with Fun Ford Weekend for a little over two full years and I can tell you that when I am there, I feel like I am at home. I am not worried about the he said, she said stuff, and the people would almost all give you the shirts off their back to see you do good.

In the end, my point is this, you should not spend all of your time hiding behind a keyboard telling the rest of the world what to do and how to think. If you feel you should voice your opinion, do so and let it go at that. I have learned that you can’t change the world, but you can sure live in it and go along with the flow. We seem to live in a time when things like Jerry Springer and The Real World are what people thrive on. People want to see failure rather than success. How many people have we all watched in the past five years go onto television and make an ass out of themselves just for the attention? We need to realize that success is not only measured by what you win, but the friends, family, and happiness you accumulate along the journey we call life. I was once told, “You win one race you are a hero, you win two races you are the a-hole”. I thank everyone who is constructive in their opinions and work to build the sport. I simply want to see a more positive feel from what we call “Our Family”!