The Curse of Internet Driver Bashing

The Car Guy of Benchfield

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by Steve Wingate

NO BASHING

I can't begin to tell you all just how much it galls me to use an image like the one above even for my purposes here. This tasteless brand of clip art has become the "calling card" of internet NASCAR driver bashing. Simply copy the image, paste your least favorite driver and/or car maker under the stream of urine, and presto! You're ready to host an "anti" site. Now wasn't that easy? And original too! I've personally visited many of these sites, and I've discovered some basic truths about all of them;

* All sites are either anti-Gordon or anti-Earnhardt.

* They all feature pictures of little boys peeing on things, or even more tacky, the animation where the little man walks across the page wearing nothing but shorts, then drops his pants and urinates on something.

* Misspellings are frequent, especially in the guest books and chats.

* Profanity is just as frequent.

* Misspelled profanities are commonplace as well.

What I have a really hard time understanding is why someone would put so much energy into hating something. It actually kind of scares me to think that there are people out there who hate something so much that they devote an entire website or webring to it.

Before I go any further with this, let me point out that I am not professing fandom to any of the drivers I discuss here. I like to consider this more of news and opinion site than a fan site. I would also like to point out that I realize these "anti-webmasters" are just as entitled to their opinion as I am to mine, but I do believe that an argument against something should be intelligent and well-reasoned. "Jeff Gorden Sucks!", for example, is not an intelligent or well-reasoned argument because:

1. Jeff's last name is spelled G-O-R-D-O-N.

2. The writer of this statement didn't supply any facts to prove he "sucks".

(In case you're wondering "Jeff Gorden Sucks!" did come from an actual anti-Jeff website.) I'm not saying these websites do not have a right to exist, I'm just saying that if the webmasters wish to be taken seriously, they should provide tasteful, intelligent presentations. Without this, these websites come off as just plain ignorant, and they are certainly not taken seriously by true fans. The words found on these pages are some of the silliest comments I have ever read on NASCAR. Things like "Jeff gordan sucks becuse hes a crie baby." or "Dale Earnheart is the anti-Jeff". The anti-Jeff? Please. I'll go fetch my crucifix, you try to get those Gargoyles away from him.

There are a few sites out there that are well-done and tasteful, but these are the exception to the rule, because most are just downright vulgar and/or juvenile. I ran across one site where the "webmaster" had drawn an eyepatch, mustache and goatee, and an earring on an image of Jeff Gordon. In addition, his teeth had been yellowed out and the legend "STUPID" had been superimposed on his hat. To top off this masterpiece, a green dot, obviously meant to represent a booger, had been placed in one of Gordon's nostrils. And this wasn't even a good photo alteration... I remember seeing guys in high school do similar things to their history textbooks, only with more artistic flair. I found another photo that had been similarly hacked, but this time, the word "homosexual" had been written on the chest of his driver uniform in a sloppy, childish script. My five year old son could have written neater. This is what you get when you combine natural-born meanness, hatred, and sophomoric means of expression.

A lot of the dates on these sites were from 1998 and early '99 when Jeff Gordon was running away with almost every race he entered, so I can understand the frustration these site owners must have felt. After all, I got tired of seeing him win, too.

It makes me wonder if people felt this way about Richard Petty in 1967 when he was doing the same kind of thing. The only difference then was the average fan didn't have access to a worldwide public forum like the internet. However, I don't think the fans of 1967 would be nearly as disrespectful as some of the ones we see today. What has caused this shift? Why is 2000 different than 1967? The answer is simple: Exposure. NASCAR has exploded in popularity in the past ten years or so and many new fans have come aboard. Some of these fans don't respect the drivers for the jobs they do. Each and every one of those guys out there on the track is risking his life for our entertainment. No fan out there has the right to belittle this sacrifice by spreading unfounded and slanderous propaganda about a driver's sexual preference or other aspects of that driver's private life.

C'mon people, being a race fan is supposed to be fun. It's only natural for there to be rivalries between fans of different drivers, but it's supposed to be good-natured and fun. It's so much easier and non-stressful to be a fan than it is an "anti-fan".

In closing, I would like to urge every webmaster reading this to copy the "no bashing" image at the top of this article and place it somewhere on your site to show everyone how you feel about "bashing". (That is, of course, if you agree with me.)

2001 Car Guy of Benchfield

Home + TCGOB NASCAR! + Photo Garage + Links + Mad Mad Automotive World + Driving Songs + Humor Pages + Reader's Rides+ All About TCGOB + Contact Us


	The Car Guy of Benchfield Home + TCGOB NASCAR! + Photo Garage + Links + Mad Mad Automotive World + Driving Songs + Humor Pages + Reader's Rides+ All About TCGOB + Contact Us The Curse of Internet Driver Bashing by Steve Wingate NO BASHING I can't begin to tell you all just how much it galls me to use an image like the one above even for my purposes here. This tasteless brand of clip art has become the "calling card" of internet NASCAR driver bashing. Simply copy the image, paste your least favorite driver and/or car maker under the stream of urine, and presto! You're ready to host an "anti" site. Now wasn't that easy? And original too! I've personally visited many of these sites, and I've discovered some basic truths about all of them; * All sites are either anti-Gordon or anti-Earnhardt. * They all feature pictures of little boys peeing on things, or even more tacky, the animation where the little man walks across the page wearing nothing but shorts, then drops his pants and urinates on something. * Misspellings are frequent, especially in the guest books and chats. * Profanity is just as frequent. * Misspelled profanities are commonplace as well. What I have a really hard time understanding is why someone would put so much energy into hating something. It actually kind of scares me to think that there are people out there who hate something so much that they devote an entire website or webring to it. Before I go any further with this, let me point out that I am not professing fandom to any of the drivers I discuss here. I like to consider this more of news and opinion site than a fan site. I would also like to point out that I realize these "anti-webmasters" are just as entitled to their opinion as I am to mine, but I do believe that an argument against something should be intelligent and well-reasoned. "Jeff Gorden Sucks!", for example, is not an intelligent or well-reasoned argument because: 1. Jeff's last name is spelled G-O-R-D-O-N. 2. The writer of this statement didn't supply any facts to prove he "sucks". (In case you're wondering "Jeff Gorden Sucks!" did come from an actual anti-Jeff website.) I'm not saying these websites do not have a right to exist, I'm just saying that if the webmasters wish to be taken seriously, they should provide tasteful, intelligent presentations. Without this, these websites come off as just plain ignorant, and they are certainly not taken seriously by true fans. The words found on these pages are some of the silliest comments I have ever read on NASCAR. Things like "Jeff gordan sucks becuse hes a crie baby." or "Dale Earnheart is the anti-Jeff". The anti-Jeff? Please. I'll go fetch my crucifix, you try to get those Gargoyles away from him. There are a few sites out there that are well-done and tasteful, but these are the exception to the rule, because most are just downright vulgar and/or juvenile. I ran across one site where the "webmaster" had drawn an eyepatch, mustache and goatee, and an earring on an image of Jeff Gordon. In addition, his teeth had been yellowed out and the legend "STUPID" had been superimposed on his hat. To top off this masterpiece, a green dot, obviously meant to represent a booger, had been placed in one of Gordon's nostrils. And this wasn't even a good photo alteration... I remember seeing guys in high school do similar things to their history textbooks, only with more artistic flair. I found another photo that had been similarly hacked, but this time, the word "homosexual" had been written on the chest of his driver uniform in a sloppy, childish script. My five year old son could have written neater. This is what you get when you combine natural-born meanness, hatred, and sophomoric means of expression. A lot of the dates on these sites were from 1998 and early '99 when Jeff Gordon was running away with almost every race he entered, so I can understand the frustration these site owners must have felt. After all, I got tired of seeing him win, too. It makes me wonder if people felt this way about Richard Petty in 1967 when he was doing the same kind of thing. The only difference then was the average fan didn't have access to a worldwide public forum like the internet. However, I don't think the fans of 1967 would be nearly as disrespectful as some of the ones we see today. What has caused this shift? Why is 2000 different than 1967? The answer is simple: Exposure. NASCAR has exploded in popularity in the past ten years or so and many new fans have come aboard. Some of these fans don't respect the drivers for the jobs they do. Each and every one of those guys out there on the track is risking his life for our entertainment. No fan out there has the right to belittle this sacrifice by spreading unfounded and slanderous propaganda about a driver's sexual preference or other aspects of that driver's private life. C'mon people, being a race fan is supposed to be fun. It's only natural for there to be rivalries between fans of different drivers, but it's supposed to be good-natured and fun. It's so much easier and non-stressful to be a fan than it is an "anti-fan". In closing, I would like to urge every webmaster reading this to copy the "no bashing" image at the top of this article and place it somewhere on your site to show everyone how you feel about "bashing". (That is, of course, if you agree with me.) 2001 Car Guy of Benchfield Home + TCGOB NASCAR! + Photo Garage + Links + Mad Mad Automotive World + Driving Songs + Humor Pages + Reader's Rides+ All About TCGOB + Contact Us