In Reply to: Why would you ever ask Chris? posted by Elaine on August 31, 2006 at 15:46:15:

Because he's the owner of the list. The same way that if someone has problems/issues with Reef Seekers, they ask me, even though I may not be the who did whatever action they're complaining about.

The buck stops here and all that good stuff. As an owner, you take responsbiloity for what you own. Period.

The case in point was that you made a post in your Farnsworth thread (which, quite frankly got WAAAY out of hand - IMHO you and Michael are whiping each other into a frenzy) where you said something on the order of you wish some of this stuff could be deleted because you felt the attacks were getting personal, or something like that.

I replied (and I phrased it much better than than I will now) that if all you were going to do was post photos and trip reports, that was one thing. But when you start explaining diving practices, justifying diving behaviors others might question, and generally wading into areas that may be somewhat controversial or at least open to other opinions, then don't be surprised when people challenge your statements.

Some may do it politely (as I think I'm doing now), some may do it rudely, and some may take a tack that's in-between. But to express surpise, shock, and dismay that people don't just accept what you have to say (especially about the divers-laying-on-the-reef pictures) is simply not (IMHO) a realistic expectation. (The same way I don't expect you to simply read my comments here - even though I think they represent the "correct" view - and not have a rebuttal.)

I think I ended with some pithy comment like: If you want to play in the sandbox, expect to get some sand kicked on you every now and then.

One final thought. You said: "If posting accounts of my experiences only cause 'heat' . . ."

But that's not what you did. You went beyond that. You said people weren't laying on the reef when it appeared they were. You said that if they were, it was okay because it was just rock. You talked about ankle weights being a necessity. These type of comments, valid or not, go beyond just describing your experiences. You're now commenting on and taking a position on environemental issues (laying on he reef) and equipment issues (ankle weights - necessity or excessive??). Don't be offended when someone disagrees with you, regardless of the tone they take. Everyone's an expert on the Internet and when you presetn yourviews as you did, that's what generates the "heat." (And you know what Harry S Truman said about heat . . .)

And of this explantaion of mine causes you again to say, "I really don't understand that," then mybe it's a train of thought that simply will never pull into your station.

Ken Kurtis
NAUI Instr. #5936
Co-owner, Reef Seekers Dive Co.
Beverly Hills, CA

• Ken Kane ~eJ 22:35:13 08/31/06 (6)
  • To heck with this stuff Elaine 22:45:40 08/31/06 (5)
    • How did you eat it? ~eJ 22:58:11 08/31/06 (4)
      • No, I'm a recreational popcorn eater Elaine 23:11:34 08/31/06 (3)
        • No, I'm a recreational popcorn eater - are you certified? I_AM 08:08:38 09/01/06 (1)
          • New PADI Course: Popcorn And Diving Instruction Ben T. Over 16:27:19 09/01/06 (0)
        • Re: No, I'm a recreational popcorn eater Max Bottomtime 04:19:31 09/01/06 (0)
• What I see wrong with the post Elaine 18:25:02 08/31/06 (2)
  • Re: What I see wrong with the post Ken Kurtis 19:13:11 08/31/06 (1)
    • I will restate my comment Elaine 19:39:08 08/31/06 (0)
• What I see and what others see Elaine 18:09:05 08/31/06 (1)
  • Counterpoint to that Ken Kurtis 18:18:27 08/31/06 (0)