C Gattman
2009-10-08 23:19:59 UTC
From 1998 until 2008 I worked in the internet industry chasing
pedophiles, spammers, hackers and, after 2001, terrorists around the
internet. Being exposed to photos or videos of babies being raped or
people being beheaded, in the odd, sterile juxtaposition of office-
world and without -really- being able to do anything about it creeps
into your psyche and takes a toll. You'd walk into the coffee room or
a meeting after seeing something like that, trying to shake it off,
and some marketing geek would be upset about how much revenue we'll
lose if we shut down a host of known terrorist sites, or somebody
would make some flippant joke about how I got to look at porn while
others work for a living... After awhile, you become suspicious of
all of the people around you because any of them could be--might be--
pedophiles. An image that haunts me is a close-up video of how a young
man's mouth foams, and the way his eyes go, while his head is being
hacked off on a public street. I will not describe the child
pornography.
In those days the aviation newsgroups, and especially the wisdom and
kindess of gentlemen like Dudley and the adventures of Jay, Stephen
and others, offered a sufficient distraction and source of information
and leadership.
People assign far too much importance to all of the wrong things.
Often times, they bottle up their frustration and take it out on some
forum somewhere. Others take it out on their families or coworkers. It
becomes a habit, it diminishes one's character, and one doesn't have
to engage in it to see it. It solves nothing and only furthers the
erosion of civility.
I stuck out Dilbert-world, 50 hours a week living like veal, because
wisdom on r.a.p. convinced me not to leave the career until I was
financially able. Now, I work from home part of the day--I've got a
three year old on my lap--and I fly, teach, study or work on my house
with the rest. My household is happy, I fly regularly, I get great
feedback from my students and passengers, and we have yet to look
back.
So, when I came back to rec.aviation.piloting it took a very short
time to see the old patterns of bottled up frustration and abusive
banter that you encounter on almost all public, and particularly
usenet, forums. It's like a funk you get used to until you leave, but
it's instantly recognizable when you come back. It's like a Star Trek
convention. William Shatner can advise Trekkies to get a life, but at
any Trek convention there's always going to be some group angrily
jabbering at each other in Klingon.
There are not bad people on this forum. Beech, McNicoll, Al, are not
bad people, at least based on their behavior here. There are, to be
sure, some very good people here. But the interpersonal hostility that
flies around and, at present, seems to be flooding the only two
discussions I've started in a year, is not productive, positive or in
any way helpful to students, to pilots or to general aviation.
It's clear that many of the most inspiring contributors have moved on
and that these are not the forums they once were. In the meantime,
while I was engaged in the runway incursion flamewars, I lost a very
close relative and I am preparing to bury her on Sunday. I should have
spent all this usenet time with her instead of indulging people's
opinions of what kind of CFI I might be. When I said none of this
matters, I meant it.
None of what has been said about me here should matter to -anybody-,
but it is clear that in defending myself--which is my right--I am
contributing to a problem instead of devoting that time to aviation,
which was the point of coming back here.
Dudley, Mike, Mark, Mr. Ramapriya and the guy that called us wankers:
I am sorry my contribution caused the newsgroups to veer off topic,
and I am party to the blame. I hope the forum returns to what it used
to be but it is clear that my presence does not help so I am
unsubscribing from these forums immediately and permanently. I accept
full responsibility for the distraction and chaos.
It's a beautiful day out, and I intend to go be in it. I wish every
one of you safety, success, health, and the best of luck.
Chris Gattman
Commercial Pilot, CFI
(There's no door, and so you don't have to worry about my ass.)
pedophiles, spammers, hackers and, after 2001, terrorists around the
internet. Being exposed to photos or videos of babies being raped or
people being beheaded, in the odd, sterile juxtaposition of office-
world and without -really- being able to do anything about it creeps
into your psyche and takes a toll. You'd walk into the coffee room or
a meeting after seeing something like that, trying to shake it off,
and some marketing geek would be upset about how much revenue we'll
lose if we shut down a host of known terrorist sites, or somebody
would make some flippant joke about how I got to look at porn while
others work for a living... After awhile, you become suspicious of
all of the people around you because any of them could be--might be--
pedophiles. An image that haunts me is a close-up video of how a young
man's mouth foams, and the way his eyes go, while his head is being
hacked off on a public street. I will not describe the child
pornography.
In those days the aviation newsgroups, and especially the wisdom and
kindess of gentlemen like Dudley and the adventures of Jay, Stephen
and others, offered a sufficient distraction and source of information
and leadership.
People assign far too much importance to all of the wrong things.
Often times, they bottle up their frustration and take it out on some
forum somewhere. Others take it out on their families or coworkers. It
becomes a habit, it diminishes one's character, and one doesn't have
to engage in it to see it. It solves nothing and only furthers the
erosion of civility.
I stuck out Dilbert-world, 50 hours a week living like veal, because
wisdom on r.a.p. convinced me not to leave the career until I was
financially able. Now, I work from home part of the day--I've got a
three year old on my lap--and I fly, teach, study or work on my house
with the rest. My household is happy, I fly regularly, I get great
feedback from my students and passengers, and we have yet to look
back.
So, when I came back to rec.aviation.piloting it took a very short
time to see the old patterns of bottled up frustration and abusive
banter that you encounter on almost all public, and particularly
usenet, forums. It's like a funk you get used to until you leave, but
it's instantly recognizable when you come back. It's like a Star Trek
convention. William Shatner can advise Trekkies to get a life, but at
any Trek convention there's always going to be some group angrily
jabbering at each other in Klingon.
There are not bad people on this forum. Beech, McNicoll, Al, are not
bad people, at least based on their behavior here. There are, to be
sure, some very good people here. But the interpersonal hostility that
flies around and, at present, seems to be flooding the only two
discussions I've started in a year, is not productive, positive or in
any way helpful to students, to pilots or to general aviation.
It's clear that many of the most inspiring contributors have moved on
and that these are not the forums they once were. In the meantime,
while I was engaged in the runway incursion flamewars, I lost a very
close relative and I am preparing to bury her on Sunday. I should have
spent all this usenet time with her instead of indulging people's
opinions of what kind of CFI I might be. When I said none of this
matters, I meant it.
None of what has been said about me here should matter to -anybody-,
but it is clear that in defending myself--which is my right--I am
contributing to a problem instead of devoting that time to aviation,
which was the point of coming back here.
Dudley, Mike, Mark, Mr. Ramapriya and the guy that called us wankers:
I am sorry my contribution caused the newsgroups to veer off topic,
and I am party to the blame. I hope the forum returns to what it used
to be but it is clear that my presence does not help so I am
unsubscribing from these forums immediately and permanently. I accept
full responsibility for the distraction and chaos.
It's a beautiful day out, and I intend to go be in it. I wish every
one of you safety, success, health, and the best of luck.
Chris Gattman
Commercial Pilot, CFI
(There's no door, and so you don't have to worry about my ass.)