With utmost respect

[okierider]

(A lot of this all started to change when Obama got elected. In many ways it mirrored the polarization of society.

I've seen many people come and go. Some lost interest, others were driving off, some banned (and banned, and banned again). Many good people are still here, and as was said, it will continue to be the place that we make it. But gone are the days of threads about local news anchors floating the river, coffee tables vs vacuum cleaners, Godzilla gun mods and members who CCed a ball and cap revolver.)

People started acting like jackasses in the e-net long before Obama was elected to office!! The internet makes it way to easy for people to spout whatever they want with no chance of reprisal. When I was a kid and you talked **** you either backed it up or got your ass handed to you. Today people get on here to release their pent of frustrations, with anonymity.
On the other side of that it is hard to read what exactly someone is trying to get across sometimes, a lot of the time folks have a different kind of humor and it can be taken out of context and then escalate in to shitsville!! So if your going to be on the internet get a thicker skin and realize that if it is not directly harming you .... it does not matter. Hell I like watching the trolls, mostly just funny **** that gives me something for me to call in my son and show him what some dipshit is spewing. We get a good chuckle out of it and move on !

 

[mugsy]

I moved to Oklahoma 6 years ago and found OSA just about the same time. Honestly, this entire thread could have been created 6 years ago because my memory says that folks were griping just as much about the "lost culture of OSA" back then. I can't evaluate your subjective feelings and if some of you feel that the "good members" have gone, well, that's what you feel but I don't. I enjoy coming here, I enjoy reading and participating in the exchanges but I keep out of the controversy (generally) mostly because I find it silly for adults to act like rude jacka@@es toward each other - and that's coming from someone who has been told he's pretty much a tactless jerk at times.

I will also point out that 6 years ago it was made clear daily that if one was a newbie here then one had better mind his Ps and Qs or the woodshed was next. I found that a little tough to take - I'm not a kid. I'm a retired military officer, a father, grandfather and a still serving civil servant - I did not appreciate the high-school high jinks and cliques atmosphere. I will also be blunt, I have no use for allegedly adult behavior like (tee hee) using profanity in every sentence and posting pornography. However, all I asked was that there be clear warning of where such stuff was used so as to stay clear - didn't ask for anyone else to be banned.

I guess my bottom line is that, yes, things have changed over time but it isn't clear to my why I should regard what was here as better than what is here now rather than just different.

 

[OKCHunter]

I've learned a lot from members on this forum. I've also had several coffee out the nose laughs over some of the posts - I'll never forget the one about a guy posting he was hearing an owl each night only to see another thread by a member saying he has been sitting outside a guys window making owl sounds each night. Sure there have been moments of disagreement with a poster, and more than one entanglement where I was defending my opinion (or faith). But, I think a variety of opinions and different perspectives is good. Personally, I like this forum including the various evolutions over the last 8 years. There is generally something for everyone - topics on firearms, politics, religion, SHTF prep, classifieds, etc. Participate where you want and ignore the rest.

 

[OKCShooter]

I'm so infrequent anymore that I'm surprised I saw this post.

Over the last year or so; I got bored of the annoying OSA trolls and decided to spend my free time elsewhere...

 

[MadDogs]

I've learned a lot from members on this forum. I've also had several coffee out the nose laughs over some of the posts - I'll never forget the one about a guy posting he was hearing an owl each night only to see another thread by a member saying he has been sitting outside a guys window making owl sounds each night. Sure there have been moments of disagreement with a poster, and more than one entanglement where I was defending my opinion (or faith). But, I think a variety of opinions and different perspectives is good. Personally, I like this forum including the various evolutions over the last 8 years. There is generally something for everyone - topics on firearms, politics, religion, SHTF prep, classifieds, etc. Participate where you want and ignore the rest.

Well said.

 

[p238shooter]

I have been here a while longer than my date shows, it got jammed up in the computer crash a few years ago and I had to start over.

To me, another factor is that we no longer have the major legal battles as the "common cause glue" holding us together as tight as we once had. The getting CC passed battle was won and the fine tuning of the laws with that for a few years after, then the OC legal battle was up for vote where some agreed and some did not, but it still kept everyone focused on 2A vs the antis. While that has not disappeared, it is not as intense as it used to be. In some ways it seems we have almost gotten complacent and tend to wonder off on other things at times.

I have to agree, this forum has been and still is a wealth of information on a lot of firearm and additional topics. It does seem to get a little too personal at times.

 

[doctorjj]

I'm so infrequent anymore that I'm surprised I saw this post.

Over the last year or so; I got bored of the annoying OSA trolls and decided to spend my free time elsewhere...

Same here

 

[Seadog]

Let me start by saying that over the 10+years that I have enjoyed OKshooters, I have had thousands of communications and dozens of great transactions with the members of this community. With that being said, is it just me or has OKshooters gone down the drain? I used to check this great forum many times per day. Now, it is an after thought for me. I may get on here once or twice a week just to see that nothing is going on. There used to be tons more classifieds, hundreds of people online at the same time, and always some new and interesting topic being discussed. What has changed? Am I the only one that feels this way? This used to be a top notch community that I frequented, but now....not so much. Please don't ban me for posting this. I genuinely care about this community and it's future.

Dane

I agree. This place has slowed down quite a bit. There use to be a lot more going on. It seems like it is Almost dying out compaired to how it use to be. Not near as many posts or threads.

Of course I don't mis any of the drama that some other special members caused. That seems to have disapated.

 

[NikatKimber]

The early years were never about the politics of the members, or even their religion. There were discussions, and disagreements, but it was about a community brought together around shooting. In many ways it was a far more respectful place because people knew each other and could separate how they felt about the person from how they felt about an issue. Doesn't seem to be the case any more, sadly.

Shooting should, and does, draw from many different demographics. Having a place where everyone has the same views, faith, etc would be terribly boring, in my opinion. For many years this was a place where a person's political views didn't mean much if they were part of the community. Now there is an attempt to run off people who don't march in lockstep.

A lot of this all started to change when Obama got elected. In many ways it mirrored the polarization of society.

I've seen many people come and go. Some lost interest, others were driving off, some banned (and banned, and banned again). Many good people are still here, and as was said, it will continue to be the place that we make it. But gone are the days of threads about local news anchors floating the river, coffee tables vs vacuum cleaners, Godzilla gun mods and members who CCed a ball and cap revolver.

I think that's a valid point. However, that was also the first presidential election this board went through.

I think also a big contributor to the lack of gun/shooting content was the nearly continuous "gun scares" over the last 8 years. It seemed to be one thing after another that would sky rocket prices, which means a lot of "regular joes" can't afford to shoot / buy as much. If that happens, then there is less talk about it too. After the 2013 Connecticut shooting not only did guns (particularly EBR's) sky-rocket in price - if available at all, but so did ammo and components. Witness the lack of .22 still going on 4 years later. Less than a decade ago, when I graduated college, you could buy a brick of .22 any time you pleased for $15.

Now, with the economy slowly improving still, gun prices down, and ammo and reloading components becoming more available and cheaper; I think we will start seeing an improvement in the gun forums. I think we're already starting to see it here.

 

[donner]

I think that's a valid point. However, that was also the first presidential election this board went through.

Very true. And i really didn't mean that Obama drove a wedge between members, per se. It just has felt like that was a turning point in being able to disagree with someone's politics without it being personal. After that the 'with us or against us' attitude seemed to really take off. It was less about being part of a community and more about being 'right' and refusing to look at things from someone else's perspective.