Some thoughts shared by a long-time Opponaut.

"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction) 07/23/2020 at 11:13 • Filed to: None

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Just for your consideration. Hate to see a fellow OPPO getting disillusioned with this place, or feeling unwelcome.

I’m just as much to blame as anyone for the political/covid stuff... Hard not to talk about these things here, though, as it seems like one of the only places I can have a rational discussion about such things these days.

Be excellent to each other.

Wacko > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/23/2020 at 11:32

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The political posts don’t bother me one bit, hell it’s part of the life we live in at the moment. Just stick a Tag on it. If you don’t want to read them don’t click on them. and if you click and comment on them, please don’t bitch that some people aren’t on the same side as you are. Keep the dialog coming guys, just don’t be a dick about it.... Seriously a photodump, is basically the same thing as a shit post when you think about it.

That being said Oppo is the most civil place on the internet right now.

hillrat > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/23/2020 at 11:34

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It’s gotta be difficult to be a conservative these days, especially if you like to deal with facts and reality. The lie of conservatism has been exposed by 45, it was never anything more than a camouflage for a white supremacist patriarchal plutocracy that values the interests of the 1% investor class over any and all other considerations.  

I know white people don’t want to hear this, but the truth is the truth.

Just Jeepin' > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/23/2020 at 11:36

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I think Oppo has become an echo chamber politically. The problem is that the pandemic is painfully political thanks to reasons we don’t need to belabor here, and the pandemic is ultimately the top story for 2020 (and probably 2021), and it impacts everyone.

So I’d be fine with banning political content, since we’re not going to change anyone’s minds here, but it’s tough to talk about the pandemic without straying into that, and if we don’t talk about the pandemic, we can’t provide useful information and commiserate about the shit that’s impacting everyone.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > Wacko 07/23/2020 at 11:37

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Yeah, Cigar Lounge is right there. For the most part, Oppo mods have been good about... moderating.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Wacko 07/23/2020 at 11:37

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 Most civil place on the internet is absolutely right. I have many people that I correspond with here that I consider to be genuine friends.

wpudvah: GTI, Super Beetle, now with more 80-Series > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/23/2020 at 11:38

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Interesting - I certainly don’t post for views and/or comments. I come here for interesting cars, cool people, and funny shitposts. Save that popularity contest shit for facebook/instagram .

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > hillrat 07/23/2020 at 11:42

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I deleted my initial reply to this because it was not excellent.

But seriously , do you shit on everyone in your life who has a different viewpoint than you?

Wacko > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 07/23/2020 at 11:43

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My real friends suck compared to my oppo friends

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Wacko 07/23/2020 at 11:43

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His photo posts were very well curated, very Jalop/Oppo stuff.

Spaceball-Two > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/23/2020 at 11:44

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Life sucks get a helmet. It’s an off topic car blog. Those are real world issues and if subby wants to block off reality and expect a Pulitzer for posting here then they were never grounded in reality in the first place. I’ve been here a while and have seen plenty of folks come and go. It’s just the nature of it. 

Bryan doesn't drive a 1M > Just Jeepin' 07/23/2020 at 11:44

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The echo chamber problem is real, but this is by far the most reasonable place I’ve ever witnessed when it comes to discussing politics. And yes, I’ve witnessed some of the arguments here, but if that’s the worst of it, we’re doing ok.

Tough to ban politics when discussion of settled scientific fact such as vaccines or masks has become political.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > wpudvah: GTI, Super Beetle, now with more 80-Series 07/23/2020 at 11:44

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Same

Bryan doesn't drive a 1M > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/23/2020 at 11:47

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Maybe everyone is posting about Covid because it’s affected literally everyone? And a lot of those that have been affected suddenly have extra freetime to post on Oppo?

If Oppo is too unreasonable or political for someone, good luck to them because it gets way way worse just about anywhere else.

hillrat > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/23/2020 at 11:47

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No and I’m not gonna listen to conservatives whine right now. 

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > wpudvah: GTI, Super Beetle, now with more 80-Series 07/23/2020 at 11:48

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Same, but do you value the people here who do put in time for longer-form posts, and enjoy their content ? It has to be a let-down to spend a couple hours on something only to get a handful of views and one or two comments.

Wacko > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/23/2020 at 11:50

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I have no idea, don’t know who it is, it was a general comment. I put a lot of work In my shit posts(not monkeePuzzle dedication)

VincentMalamute-Kim > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/23/2020 at 11:51

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I actually do where I am currently. When I’m getting more irritable and less tolerant, that tells me my underlying anxiety disorder is getting worse .

hillrat > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/23/2020 at 11:52

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I certainly do. I come here (first) for information about cars/wrenching, so when I see a nice post about something I didn’t know about previously I make a point of dropping a comment saying thanks.

wpudvah: GTI, Super Beetle, now with more 80-Series > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/23/2020 at 11:52

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oh totally - I didn’t meant do discredit OP’s hustle and effort, and I very much appreciate the long-form posts and high quality photos. but I don’t think Oppo should be a popularity contest similar to one’s Facebook feed; re-share the post if you’re so proud of it! some people just miss it the first time around.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/23/2020 at 11:56

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It is tough getting about 100 views and a few comments on the long form posts. I always try to thank people who clearly put a lot of effort into their posts.

Politics isn’t in the description and I don’t come here for that, but this is one of the most reasonable places on the internet for discussing politics. There has been a lot of political posts here lately but life itself has suddenly gotten intensely political. I am not sure how much I agree with what was said but I can understand the sentiment.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > hillrat 07/23/2020 at 11:56

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I didn’t vote for Trump or Hillary (I’m in a dark red state, so I was not conflicted when I chose not to make a mark for either of them ) .

Nothing > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/23/2020 at 11:56

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If you’re on Oppo hoping for views, likes, and attaboys, it’s the wrong place to come.

I try to keep my authored posts mostly relevant to vehicles, although sometimes my dog is the star. If it gets views, cool. If not, again, Oppo is not the place to put in hours of editing on a post with any sort of expectation. And the longer winded the posts become (in word and picture content), the more likely it is for someone to click on your post, start scrolling, and say forget it.

Much like anything, I’ll click on things I like, skip things I’m not interested in, and enjoy the discussions. I don’t get riled up by internet discussions, so political and COVID posts  don’t bother me. Nor do I have a shit stirrer mentality, so I generally just read those posts and quietly move on.

DipodomysDeserti > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/23/2020 at 11:57

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I think everyone comes to Oppo for different things. I don’t really enjoy looking at pictures from car shows, but know other Oppos do. I know other Oppos probably don’t like looking at photos of ugly dogs, or cactuses, or mountains. However, there’s something here for everyone.

I don’t get bent out of shape when people post things I don’t like or don’t agree with. If I fee the need, I know I can have a discussion. Had many a great discussions with IM over things we don’t see eye to eye on. Sure, we have a few conspiracy nuts on here, and they should be called out when posting their lunacy, but most people on here are pretty rational.

I don’t think my world view or politics are in line with anyone on here, but I still feel comfortable in this virtual space.

What I don’t feel comfortable with is the policing of content because an adult can’t separate themselves from what a stranger posts on the internet. That’s absurd to me.

TheRealBicycleBuck > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/23/2020 at 11:57

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I’m not sure what his/her expectations are. As I understand it, Oppo was formed as a place for off-topic discussion, the “topic” being automotive-related stuff on Jalopnik. Several spinoffs have happened so that objectionable/political/other material can be discussed without restriction. I think some Oppos have made that separation difficult by sharing that content back to Oppo.

I think t he more in-depth content that used to be posted was often created in hopes of getting shared to Jalopnik. We’ve had several people who started out in Oppo and went on to bigger, better writing gigs. That made Oppo a kind of proving ground. T he opportunity for front page views disappeared several years ago.

Sometimes I fret about who sees the things I post, but then I remember that this isn’t Facebook, I’m not in competition with anyone, and I’m not here to generate “likes”. Don’t get me wrong, I like it when my posts generate discussion and “stars”, but if that were my measuring stick for success, I’d have been a failure a long time ago. I post because I’m sharing things I find interesting that other like-minded people might appreciate too. Sure, we have a lot of interesting automotive content, but there’s also people’s projects (automotive or not), lots of aviation content, some politics, some pandemic-related stuff, etc.

That diversity of content creates a wider audience. The wider audience gives more opportunity for any given post to get some attention. A photo dump might get more attention on another site . Or it might get fewer views because of the smaller audience.

In all my time here, I’ve only had one post get a lot of attention and that was a fluke. I’m usually satisfied when the few people who are really interested in the things I want to share throw a star my way or engage in a discussion.

I suggest that the Opponaut think about why  he/she posts in the first place.

ttyymmnn > hillrat 07/23/2020 at 11:58

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See: The Lincoln Project . I just read about it in a WaPo op-ed yesterday. It’s run by center right Republicans who despise what their party has become. 

Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/23/2020 at 11:59

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It’s hard to avoid the politics these days, but oppo has remained pretty civilised, I made a decision not to rag on america right now. Not that I don’t have opinions but this isn’t the place for them (I could be wrong but I’m not). There are probably more oppos like me, who only appear one place on the internet, don’t do facebook or insta or any of that, so sometimes their other internet business spills into nice neutral oppo territory. It’s happening in the real world too, folks a re just edgy these days and I’ve had to increase my own filter, whilst looking the other way on some increased general dumbness. I used to put in a bit more effort, but now share pics of trucks on country roads and nightmare dissassembled dashboards and cool cars I see in the wild. But I’m sure I’ve said some dumb shit myself, occasional reminders to be excellent to one another are always welcome.

Oppo is a special community, Love from Saskatchewan.  

PowderHound > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/23/2020 at 12:01

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I certainly appreciate that someone put that much time in to a post but, and I don’t want to seem rude about this, what is their end goal? Oppo isn’t some hub that automotive editors scan to look for new writers. If people are trying to get stories to a larger audience maybe they should be reaching out to website, blog, magazine, or whatever editors to have their pieces published rather than hoping that it will be seen here and someone will offer them a job. Personally, I’ll read most of the longer stuff and either throw a star their way, a snarky comment, or maybe even a question. Sometimes I read it and just go, “well that was neat” and move on. People want and are going to use Oppo for many different reasons and it’s not always going to mesh.

Thank you for attending another rambling from me.

i86hotdogs > Wacko 07/23/2020 at 12:02

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My fiance likes my internet friends (you guys n gals) more than some of my actual friends.

HammerheadFistpunch > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/23/2020 at 12:03

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Not to personally offend this person, but Oppo was never about content, it was about a bunch of people who wanted a place to post off-topic that was themed. Initially about Jalopnik, but then more car and hobby generally. While I understand how frustrating it can be to work really hard on something that doesn’t pay out what was put in, that’s just life. It’ s also why so many hard working writers and passionate amateurs like myself stopped writing such detailed “front page”worthy posts - I did the math on time in versus reward out and it didn’t add up. That’ s not to say it still doesn’t happen, and we certainly encourage it, but you have to be realistic about what this place is. If you want to work hard on something for Oppo it needs to be out of a desire to share, not for validation of your work.

I feel like to complain that a group like this not meeting your content needs is to miss the point entirely. While I will agree that the stuff here is often much better than paid sites and its almost always the first place I hear news I think the expectation needs to not be that of entertainment to consume. I think of this place as a bunch of folks who all stand around shooting the shit while one of us works on the car we all came over to help with. Some days that’ s us, some days it’ s not.

Political leanings? Well that’ s something we all have to deal with, and for the most part we do it pretty well I think. Again, we strive not to be a political echo chamber, and I genuinely hope people feel comfortable posting stuff that may be uncomfortable and to be open to the dialog. I also hope that people commenting will understand the intent of the post and comment accordingly. Have we had issues in the past and currently? O h hells yes. Here is the thing though, 100% of the issues stem from people not being willing to hear each other and instead choose to shout at each other. 100%. Be excellent is our motto, and it’ s a pretty good one, but honestly we should probably add “be cool, like a cucumber.” I don’t subscribe to the idea that because it’ s acceptable to be emotionally invested in an idea, to be furious even, that is socially acceptable to shout- down others for it. Not on Oppo at the very least. 95% of problems with disagreements can be solved by being the bigger person and simply staying frosty and if needs to be to walk away. Tempting to have the last word, or make your point, but that’ s what the other guys is thinking too. Probably not everyone’s social theory either but its the one that exists round these parts and it works pretty well.

COVID? yeah, we’re all going through it and while it may not being valuable to you to vent or hear other people vent or even chime in politically, it’ s certainly valuable to some and that’ s kinda the point. Seems a silly thing to complain about.

Has oppo changed? Yeah it has. Frankly? For the better. We don’t have as much straight up silliness like we used to and the people here are generally a great, interesting, supportive community. We’ve also grown up socially. I know I have.

It’ s cool to vent, it’ s cool to not be interested in Oppo anymore if its not doing for you what you need. Really is. people change and grow and this place and its users are not imm une to that. I really meant to write this not to call out this poster. They have every right to say what they feel. Hell, they have every right to post their vent as a self contained post so we can talk about it and they have the right to expect that people will, by and large, be cool in the comments about it.

daveIT > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/23/2020 at 12:06

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Definitely gone down hill...like Jalopnik.  Too much political opinion...STFU and talk about cars.

HammerheadFistpunch > ttyymmnn 07/23/2020 at 12:06

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I want to be a conservative, but I sure as hell don’t want to be a republican right now. I also try not to lump in social progressivism and governance in the same boat. Its okay to want to be conservative in relation to government AND be down with making sure there is social equity. I realise they are unavoidably entangled , but WAY more that they need to be in reality.  

user314 > wpudvah: GTI, Super Beetle, now with more 80-Series 07/23/2020 at 12:07

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Yeah, I can understand OP’s frustration. I know how much work I put into my longer posts, and I can only imagine how much ttyymmnn puts into TDIAH, so seeing them get one or two replies can be disheartening, but at the end of the day you can’t let “likes” dictate why you write.

Tripper > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/23/2020 at 12:07

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I definitely feel some of that, I think my only comment on a political post was about how the ones that blow up normally end with the loss of at least one oppo which really sucks.

As far as the covid posts, it’s not the posts that bothered me but some of the really harsh gloomy/doomy responses. There are a few comments that come to mind that kept me up a night or two (I barely sleep anyway). I don’t have “ no” in my heart, like we as a people are going to recover from this because we just gotta.

Sometimes though when it’s just constant deep negativity (FP is more to blame here) I think, “ I love Oppo and I need the car talk but man oppo makes me feel really bad sometimes ”

Obviously there are other times that are the complete opposite, Oppos helping one and other etc...

Definitely agree with the man/woman regarding spending time creating content only to have it pushed out by stupid shit. Some of my more thoughtful, lengthy posts have received the least attention. I’m not hear for attention, but I appreciate those sorts of posts from others particularly when its CARS.

I shorten almost ever post before I publish in hopes that more oppos will comment. I don’t care about the likes I’m just trying to spark conversation about cars and other neat things.

boredalways > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/23/2020 at 12:09

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This came to mind while I was thinking of a proper response and I realized it gets straight to the point I wanted to make, generally speaking:

I guess I could have went with taking the Blue pill vs. Red pill...or even The Meaning of Life....

Or maybe this individual just learned “how the sausage is made” in America. And they don’t like what they see behind the curtain?

Shit...I think I’m going off on a tangent now... because of their right leaning views.

The point is, your personal views are of no issue.  It's who you choose to represent them it what could be an issue.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > PowderHound 07/23/2020 at 12:10

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Everyone wants to feel respected. I’ve put time and effort into posts in the past for the Oppo community that get zero attention, and it’s not a great feeling. It definitely is the nature of the beast here, though - the “fire hose” of Oppo.

Consider this encouragement to actually make a comment when you read a longer post that you enjoy, as a “thank you”, if nothing else . It might be the difference that makes that Opponaut write another one to share in the future.

Party-vi > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 07/23/2020 at 12:10

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Thanks for the comment *slides Oppo Gold membership across the table*

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > HammerheadFistpunch 07/23/2020 at 12:11

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It is a tough year to have an uncommon combination of beliefs about society and the economy. There isn't anyone who I can vote for and not feel like I've failed my country.

ClassicDatsunDebate > HammerheadFistpunch 07/23/2020 at 12:12

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You, sir, sound suspiciously like a Canadian right now....

Tripper > Just Jeepin' 07/23/2020 at 12:12

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There are no politics on allowed on the Oppo discord and it’s pretty damn fantastic to be completely honest.

hillrat > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/23/2020 at 12:13

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OK cool. M y comment wasn’t about you specifically, it was about conservatives in general getting in their feelings these days.

Like I said, it’s tough to have to listen to rational and cogent arguments about why a political philosophy that you have believed in for most of your life is a lie. This isn’t an attack on conservatives, it’s an attack on the idea that political philosophy of conservatism in the USA represents anything other than their own power and best interests.

HammerheadFistpunch > ClassicDatsunDebate 07/23/2020 at 12:13

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I don’t know what your talking aboot. 

Future next gen S2000 owner > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/23/2020 at 12:13

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I’ve been on sides of a long post versus something thrown together in 5 mins. It is the way of the internet.

TheRealBicycleBuck > HammerheadFistpunch 07/23/2020 at 12:14

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“ I think of this place as a bunch of folks who all stand around shooting the shit while one of us works on the car we all came over to help with. Some days that’s us, some days it’s not.”

That’s probably the best description of Oppo I’ve ever read. I’m stealing it. Now maybe I can get some of the other people in my life to understand.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > HammerheadFistpunch 07/23/2020 at 12:15

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Thanks.

I hope he’s not upset that I shared this. It was really just meant to be a reminder to all of us to be excellent to each other.

boredalways > ClassicDatsunDebate 07/23/2020 at 12:16

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Eh, fuck you, buddy!

j/k

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer 07/23/2020 at 12:16

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Back atcha, from Oklahoma.

Just Jeepin' > Tripper 07/23/2020 at 12:16

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I remember being uncomfortable with the discussions there, but it’s been months and I don’t remember why.

DAWRX - The Herb Strikes Back > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/23/2020 at 12:17

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A couple thoughts on these thoughts. As a disclaimer I’m just commenting on a couple of things and how they come across to me. As a human being I might misunderstand the true intent of what I’m responding to so I apologize ahead of time.

1. COVID is a very real, very serious, once in a century event. This is an off topic forum where people talk about what’s important to them that ay or may not be related to cars. Everyone deals with problems differently, some people choose to ignore things, but others need spaces to speak their mind to process their thoughts. Being upset that people are venting or talking about something that took everyone by surprise and turned many people’s lives completely upside down is a little weird to me since it’s literally impossible to ignore as it bleeds into every facet of our lives. Nobody should apologize or feel bad for acknowledging it.

2. Kinja engagement relies on engaging, easy to digest short to medium length pieces that facilitate discussion in the comments, something open ended or opinionated does really well here. Long form content historically has relatively lower engagement on kinja sites (and the Internet in general) In my opinion, if you’re going to post high quality content on oppo, then posting to Oppo should honestly be it own reward. one should be self satisfied in the product they put out and the accomplishment of writing that long form article or those really well edited pictures. Counting views and comments seems a bit futile to me here, as Instagram is more suited to that kind of posting/reward structure.

3. Oppo prides itself on being welcoming to all types, but there is a certain demographic here (I think there have even been polls that prove that Oppo is mostly white males in their 20s-40s who are left of center). Hive minds and feedback loops are a thing on the Internet (and IRL) because people like to pat themselves on their back and receive validation from others on posting an opinion that obviously panders to the group demographic. This is just part of human social nature. Nuanced discussion and debate is a lot “harder” than a hot take that will get lots of likes or upvotes or stars. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to have discussions, but it’s understandable why there are LESS of them, and how that could make someone feel unwelcome. This is a societal issue though, it’s not unique to oppo. In my opinion Oppo does a far better job at being chill than any other place on the Internet. Trolls here get bored and leave, and most people try to be kind in their interactions MOST of the time. Compare that to the rest of the Internet...yeah Oppo does pretty good.

4. Distancing from from Jalopnik did kill a lot of the high quality content, and has made Oppo more of a social media platform, and like most social media, low effort funny, or opinionated content gets the most engagement.

To wrap this response that is way too long up: most people are here because of the community I think. It’s a place where people have come because of a shared interest, but stay because of the people. It’s not always gonna be about cars or long form interesting articles, and while there is some improvement that needs to be made in certain areas and this place won’t be everyone’s thing, it’s one of the better and safer places to interact with people you never would have met under other circumstances, and even have meaningful discussions that usually don’t devolve into trolling or name calling or outright hostility (most of the time), which again, is far ahead of most other social media.

All of the above is all my opinion of course. Opinions aren’t fact or binding, it’s just my take on things.

TheRealBicycleBuck > DipodomysDeserti 07/23/2020 at 12:18

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“ I don’t think my world view or politics are in line with anyone on here, but I still feel comfortable in this virtual space.”

Every one of us finds common ground, even when a lot of our thinking doesn’t necessarily align. That’s what makes Oppo special.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > daveIT 07/23/2020 at 12:19

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I prefer cars, but politics are fine if they’re hidden behind a buffer image.

Tripper > Just Jeepin' 07/23/2020 at 12:21

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Some one else said that, so I don’t doubt it. However I haven’t experienced any discomfort. I mostly hang on the “ rides of oppo” and “ f1 chat” threads

fintail > DipodomysDeserti 07/23/2020 at 12:22

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Here here.  If someone doesn’t like a post, just don’t click on it? And if someone wants to  intentionally step in dog poop, let them?  We are all adults, dealing with the biggest shitstorm in decades, one which due to incompetent corrupt leadership, is as much a political spectacle as it is an actual health crisis.  These are days for thick skin, wear it.

Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/23/2020 at 12:23

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you have earned one work truck on a country road!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > DAWRX - The Herb Strikes Back 07/23/2020 at 12:23

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I think it’s a quality take.

On 1 & 3 - I can see some wanting Oppo to be a respite from all the shit that’s going on the world, a place where they can just think about something they like (cars) and forget all the rest for a while.

That’s not what Oppo is, and never has been to my knowledge, but you can’t blame a person for wanting it.

PowderHound > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/23/2020 at 12:25

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I will certainly make a better effort to engage in posts to keep the goods around!

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > DAWRX - The Herb Strikes Back 07/23/2020 at 12:26

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TLDR

/s

ClassicDatsunDebate > boredalways 07/23/2020 at 12:27

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DAWRX - The Herb Strikes Back > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas 07/23/2020 at 12:29

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Lol honestly I probably wouldn’t read it, it just felt nice to put into words how I feel about the community.

I’ve seen some become bitter and disillusioned with Oppo due to their own behavior and blame it on the community, which I felt was really unfair. That frustration all tumbled out in this post.   

Brickman > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/23/2020 at 12:33

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I help keep Oppo LEGO ;)

plus other various projects ‘n vehicle related musings.

Like any good cut of meat there is some fat trimmings, but Oppo is a good New York strip steak. Outer edges are a bit chewy, but most of it is excellent. 

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > hillrat 07/23/2020 at 12:33

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And my point is, what good is it to shit on a fellow Opponaut here for the sole reason that he leans conservative? I get that he’s not here to ask the question of, but maybe ask why in the future . If you get to understand a person better, put yourself in their shoes a bit , maybe you’d better understand where they fall on the political spectrum, and why . You may still not agree with them, and it still may frustrate you deeply that they think the way they do, but at least you’ll know, and your thinking will be based on more than just what color they wear.

DAWRX - The Herb Strikes Back > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/23/2020 at 12:34

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Oh I get it for sure. Escapism even seems to be a luxury these days.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > wpudvah: GTI, Super Beetle, now with more 80-Series 07/23/2020 at 12:36

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We do our best to catch the best stuff here:

https://oppositeblog.kinja.com/

Cash Rewards > daveIT 07/23/2020 at 12:39

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Oppo is and always has been off topic. That's why it was created, to keep the non-car stuff out of the main page comment section. You want less politics, I get it, but Oppo should never be just cars

MM54 > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/23/2020 at 12:43

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I’m just going to say: Yep

CB > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/23/2020 at 12:45

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I think the issue is that the point of a discussion and dialogue is to have the other person understand your perspective. Maybe trying to sway them, maybe not, but to make them understand. The problem is when it becomes yelling and insults, trolling, what have you, where there’s no conversation, just “fuck you”s and whatnot. Which causes people to stand their ground further. Going into thinking it’s a debate that you need to win isn’t healthy, but that is unfortunately where we’re at right now.

HammerheadFistpunch > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 07/23/2020 at 12:45

3

Lets be honest though, the country has failed us in equal measure.

ttyymmnn > HammerheadFistpunch 07/23/2020 at 12:46

2

I would suggest you read this:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/07/22/lincoln-project-is-trying-save-republican-party-itself/

If you don’t have access to the WaPo, let me know and I can email it to you.

MM54 > Tripper 07/23/2020 at 12:47

0

I might have to figure out what “the Oppo discord” means and go there

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer 07/23/2020 at 12:48

0

Thanks!

Tristan > hillrat 07/23/2020 at 12:49

8

The political philosophy of small government , individual rights and sovereignty, equality for all and freedom of opportunity is a lie? No, the politicians who call themselves conservatives yet spend trillions of dollars ballooning the government and interfering with individual rights are a lie. Most conservatives I know are extremely disillusioned with the party. As for my own political beliefs, I’m beginning to lean towards the party of hang all the treasonous politicians fro m an overpass.

As a conservative/libertarian/ agorist, I rarely engage in political discussion on Oppo because the prevailing mentality amonst those who lean left is an attitude of “F—K YOU AND YOUR WHOLE FAMILY I DON’T WANT TO TALK TO YOU GO DIE YOU SCUMMY RACIST PIECE O...”

Maybe try to find common ground. I believe the overwhelming majority of people on both sides truly want what’s best for society, they just disagree on how to achieve it.

MM54 > Tripper 07/23/2020 at 12:50

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I discovered early on that if you have more than 2-3 paragraphs (and there better be 3-4 pictures between them if it’s that long) nobody will make it to the end of you post to even leave feedback of “hey that was really long”

Cash Rewards > Party-vi 07/23/2020 at 12:50

2

I had a grandfather who, if you ever annoyed him, would say “you’re out of the will!”. The response would be “fine, I don’t want to be stuck with your worthless junk anyway”.

Anyhow, something about you sliding Oppo Gold membership cards made me think of this.

By the way, who do I contact about my platinum membership status? The check cleared, but I don't see my benefits

boredalways > daveIT 07/23/2020 at 12:50

1

Just do what you would do on any other platform: skip the shit you don't care  for.  I do it all the time.  It keeps me from unintentionally generalizing my feelings one way or another.

Tripper > MM54 07/23/2020 at 12:51

0

Discord is like slack, kinda... Which is a another system that I can’t properly explain to anyone haha . It’s instant messages on steroids. You get a “discord” account and then you can join groups. Oppo has a group obvi, I have one with my pals that we use for chatting when were playing gran turismo together...

The Oppo group is really well organized. S hitposts have their own thread, others are motorsports chat, rides of opp, general...

There are also a few oppos on there that you haven’t seen here for a long time. I’m not sure how to get ya in but I will ask one of the overlords.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > MM54 07/23/2020 at 12:52

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Glad you’ve stuck around.

MM54 > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/23/2020 at 12:53

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Only barely, but here is here

MM54 > Tripper 07/23/2020 at 12:54

1

So a proprietary modernized IRC?

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Tripper 07/23/2020 at 12:54

1

“but man oppo makes me feel really bad sometime”

Yeah, that sucks.

I’m here for the good conversation as well (getting more than I expected from this post - LOL).

ranwhenparked > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/23/2020 at 12:54

4

On political stuff, I just try to ignore those posts and not click on them or participate. Sometimes, it’s hard because there’s so many, but it’s a discussion blog, not a bar with drunk people yelling at you, you can choose what discussion you want to get into, if you don’t like the topic, don’t click on it.

On COVID, well, the pandemic, and the effects of the response to the pandemic, is the biggest thing going on right now, it’s completely unprecedented in recorded human history. We’ve certainly had pandemics before, but we’ve never made much of an effort to significantly slow or stop one without a vaccine before, so none of this - social distancing, business shutdowns, separation of families, internal travel restrictions, complete disruption of daily life - has ever occurred before, ever, and people are still trying to figure out how deal with it mentally and emotionally. You’re talking about stopping thousands of years of learned human behavior, culture, and practice, its jarring, and sometimes people need a way to talk about it with others, and online is about the only place that can be done now.

As far as content quality, well, you can never predict what will and will not work. Lots of critically acclaimed and brilliant TV shows get cancelled after a season or two, but Jersey Shore lasted 6 seasons plus a revival. Its all just what catches the audience’s attention and grabs their interest, sometimes it will be a low energy shitpost that does it, sometimes people wan t some mindless escapism for entertainment that doesn’t take effort on the reader’s part. You just have to do you. If it’s enjoyable to do well crafted and engaging articles, do them, even if only for you and a few like minded others, if it is more of a job and a chore, then don’t, you’re not getting paid, so don’t bother if it isn’t fun on some level.

Tripper > MM54 07/23/2020 at 12:55

1

There ya go!

Party-vi > Cash Rewards 07/23/2020 at 12:56

5

No no, the benefits flow to us. That’s why it’s the “Platinum” membership. Like a catalytic converter, your money flows through the platinum membership and then into our Patreon account.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Party-vi 07/23/2020 at 12:58

0

Too much traceability. Should switch to bitcoin

jminer > HammerheadFistpunch 07/23/2020 at 12:58

1

You’ve perfectly described what Oppo is - thanks for putting it into words.

This is a special and awesome place and I’m perfectly fine if folks leave it because it isn’t exactly what they want.

Tripper > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/23/2020 at 12:59

3

I hate that I let some internet shit get to me like that, but I really like this place for the most part. S o when it’s mean it just takes all the wind out my sails.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > MM54 07/23/2020 at 12:59

2

Tripper > MM54 07/23/2020 at 13:01

1

If you want to give me an email address I can invite you. If you’re not comfortable posting here, you can send it to my burner trippere90 at yahoo

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > MM54 07/23/2020 at 13:03

3

I’d love to see the stats from newspapers & magazines still doing long-form stuff for what percentage of readers actually make it to the end...

Most don’t get past the headline these days.

jminer > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 07/23/2020 at 13:05

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I’m with you there - talk to a lot of us more than people I’ve met face to face.

boredalways > ttyymmnn 07/23/2020 at 13:06

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I appreciate what The Lincoln Project is trying to do. My main issue with them is WTF took them so long to realize there was a problem?!

They should have started, at the very least, right after the 2010 midterms.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Tripper 07/23/2020 at 13:07

1

I think it’s because you know how great OPPO can be (and is, generally), so when you see someone (or a back and forth) acting so contrary to that ideal, it hurts.

shop-teacher > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/23/2020 at 13:12

3

As somebody who is solidly in the center politically, I find politics utterly distasteful all around. I was so consistently quick to change the subject when my wife and father-in-law would start complaining about Trump, that he asked my wife if I was a secret Trump supporter. I very much am not, I just have no interest in talking about it.  It’s the same reason I don’t watch the news anymore.  Why ruin my day?

I don’t care for all the political posts either, but the solution for me is quite simple. I rarely click on political posts, and I even more rarely comment on them. Like maybe twice a year rarely.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > ttyymmnn 07/23/2020 at 13:13

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They’re trying to take down Trump and every R that fell in lockstep with him. Seems like that all but a very small handful.

In a couple decades, Democrats might look back at these 4 years as the best thing that ever happened for their party...

Cash Rewards > fintail 07/23/2020 at 13:16

3

I do not disagree with anything you or dipodomys said, I can understand the idea that politics and covid are everywhere, and someone might want a shelter away from that, and hopes this can be it. 

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/23/2020 at 13:17

2

I still enjoy my time here. As for the COVID posts, I can understand. I know this is a car site, but Oppo is also special because we talk about other stuff. COVID is a huge global event, the likes of which we haven’t witnessed in decades, so I can understand and forgive there being a lot of posts about it. People were posting about it here as a coping mechanism.

I’m not as big a fan of the politics though, but if I see a political post, I just tend to ignore it, though I’d like to see less of them and political comments. That’s what Cigar Lounge is for.

I don’t make all that many long-form posts. I’ve done a few over the years and have had people enjoy them. I enjoy doing them, but I don’t always have the time to write them and sometimes get less comments than I do on shorter posts....then again, I have a very particular favorite vehicle viewpoint (basic, quirky and weird stuff), so it’s possible people just weren’t interested in my articles , which is fair.

I hate to see us lose people :(

Cash Rewards > Tripper 07/23/2020 at 13:19

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I can definitely relate to that

MrSnrub > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/23/2020 at 13:20

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We live in politically charged times and that’s going to flow over into basically every aspect of life. Personally, talking about it is less stressful to me than trying not to think about it, so I’m not at all in favor of banning political discussion, but I realize other people work differently. If there were a way for individual users to filter out posts with certain tags, and require political-themed posed to be tagged as such, that would be a good solution, but I don’t think Kinja supports that.

That said, I also f eel like political topics here have become much less contentious since our resident Democrat-hating truth bomber was kicked out.

shop-teacher > ttyymmnn 07/23/2020 at 13:21

2

That was a good read, thank you for sharing that.  I am very much in the center politically.  I used to describe myself as Republican leaning, but have been disgusted by how insane that party has become.  I don’t care for a lot of the things that the Democratic party promotes, but they don’t scare me like the Republican party does these days.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > shop-teacher 07/23/2020 at 13:22

1

It is exhausting, for sure.

While I have little love for Biden, I hope he wins so that Trump can crawl back into his gold-plated cave just so we can get this moment in American history behind us.

Yes - as long as everyone follows the rules (buffer image and innocuous title), it’s easy enough to avoid here.

boredalways > Just Jeepin' 07/23/2020 at 13:22

1

Nah. Politics belong here. And so do opposing voices. Like it or not, they do have a heavy impact on our daily lives.

Examples : Politics has exasperated the pandemic. Politics have kept me without a job, but oddly, continue to provide a roof over my head...for now. Politics have delayed/cancelled sports I enjoy, especially racing. Politics have kept me separated from friends and love ones but individually kept us safe.

Having a political discussion that gets out of hand is not the fault of politics.  It's the fault of the individual/s that refuse to be civil.

My bird IS the word > Wacko 07/23/2020 at 13:23

2

That's been my problem , some days i'm just not up for it. Keep remindong people to tag their politics posts and it keeps coming across like I'm the bad guy. Mor recently, its been "this isnt politics, it affects everyone". Yeah, politics does affect everyone. Glad we could get that sorted. Takes zero effort to properly title a post. Like using a turn signal.