Reporter's Notebook: Who's Got Beef Now?
Whenever a subject gets thrown around for debate, the inclination to say something is perhaps left for those with thicker skins.
Observational articles like this are tough to write.
Whenever a subject gets thrown around for debate, the inclination to say something is perhaps left for those with thicker skins and a retainer at their attorney’s office.
Yet, they prompt reactions and responses. They warrant some attention because of how they’re affecting you. You may be in the industry or at some enthusiast’s group, for which some of these subjects either prompt you to either condone or condemn the actions of others.
When it comes to these topics, you can’t really have a public opinion one way or another without any blowback from the court of public opinion. That has happened before with us. It continues on occasion with our videos.
It’s tough not to piss people off. It’s also tough when you do. Nothing perfect in life and society.
If I said something about “takeovers” by some Mopar enthusiasts, I could be called a “racist.” If I say something about the divisions in the car community in the Twin Cities/Minnesota, then I get questioned which side am I on?
Electric vehicles? I said my piece about them. We still work with them.
Manual transmissions? We work with them, too!
Homophobia and transphobia in the car scene and the industry? That’s a triggering subject…
So, what about the beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar? Nah, Kendrick won. “Not Like Us” was the opus we were waiting for. He ripped a new one into Champagne Papi.
Some of us paid attention. Others could care less. That’s the way of the world.
Social media continues to be the way of the world. So does real life. The melding of the two have been a topic that has been covered for years on this site. It is because of the expectation that social media is to drive our content further to the masses.
It yields some unwanted trolling from people who appear to not be real. People looking for a fight. Looking to test the boundaries of the Terms of Service imposed by the social media platforms.
People disguised as attractive heterosexual women who are actors and agents of a more sinister plot. People who have nothing to do but switch between one unfulfilling and innate activity to another.
Let me stop there, because I could further into an abyss that might stir rage and a series of cancellations by the social media universe.
What does this have to do with the automobile? A lot. Join every group on Facebook to find out. Rather, check out any given page about the automobile to get your fill of trolling and absurdity. You might even find a nugget of honest knowledge and a moment of reason and clarity among the muggles, neophytes, and the mundane.
There is a line between “usage” and “abuse.” There are also the effects of the negative. Mental health professionals could dispense some sound advice to get off social media entirely if it has affected your ability to function in society.
It does come down to one thing: If you do not have anything nice to say about anyone, you can either shut up or sit by the graves of either Dorothy Parker or Alice Roosevelt Longworth. You might as well Google either one of them…
We do not live in civil times. It is evidenced by the way some of our messaging and actions both online and off. The only way to deal with this not-so-civil society we’re swirling in is to concentrate on the things we love the most. In this case, the automobile.
The automobile is my happy place. When I am dealing with the stresses of my professional and personal life, an automobile is my escape. It could be the V&R Machine or one of the vehicles we’re working with. Perhaps, the laptop I produce my work on.
I’ve discussed this subject several times on this website. Sometimes, I am reminded how much we can fall on our swords and try to get up, dust ourselves off, plea our mea culpa, and move forward. I have done this many times in my 60 years. I hope I have the capacity to do as long as I live.
That means navigating the muddy waters of this society.
And, just to reiterate, Kendrick Lamar won his beef with Drake.
All photos by Randy Stern