A Serious Concern

It's time to stir the pot a bit! And even though we took a 1st place award at Shaw's today, that will not placate me into silence when something is wrong.

There are only a few serious issues when it comes to fair, honest and worthy car shows. But those issues should not be ignored. They need to be addressed. And if we want better shows that benefit all parties, they need to be faced head-on.

In entries past, the issue of class jumping has been pored over. And while we still need to work on that some more, good changes are happening and our efforts are beginning to show.

We have also uncovered other issues, with the same result. More work needs to be done, but progress is being made.

So now it is time to address a serious problem that is not the fault of organizers. The fault lies among us, the participants.

There are two major forms of cheating, often referred to as "trophy poaching". But trophies or not, cheating is cheating, and it is always disgusting. One method of cheating is class jumping, as mentioned earlier. It involves either registering in an inappropriate class, or changing class, simply for the purpose of increasing the chance to win a trophy - at someone else's expense.

But the purpose of this entry is to bring the other form of cheating out into the light of day - the "Buddy System" of voting.

It is understandable that a person would want to benefit their friends. But in the case of voting, that is dead wrong, and dishonest. In a peer judged show, it should not be forgotten that it is still a JUDGED event - you, the "peers" are the judges. And a "judge" is a person who remains unbiased, fair and unaffected by personal interests. In a peer judged show, each participant who votes IS a judge, and should conduct themselves accordingly. To do anything less is a disservice to everyone, and whether you accept it or not, it is cheating.

Every car on the field should be allowed to compete FAIRLY with others in its class. But the competition is not fair if the buddy system is used to alter the outcome in favor of certain people. This buddy system is no different from the guy who steals the answers to a final exam, then passes those answers on to all his or her friends.

The "buddy system" abuse of voting power was overly prevalent at Shaw's Ridge earlier today. We observed two severe cases - two different types of "buddy system" abuse. In one case, it was actually rather innocent - though that does not make it OK. It was a case where several people copied the ballot of someone else, because they were tired and wanted an "easy" way out. There was no evil intent, but it is still wrong, and unfair.

The other case did involve evil intent. A certain club that had several members present all gathered and made two decisions. One was to vote for their own members wherever a member had a vehicle in a class. It did not matter if the vehicle was the best in the class or not. By "ganging up", with an intent to win by swaying the vote by sheer numbers, several of those members won trophies they could not have won otherwise, which effectively cheated others out of their rightful honors. The other decision was to make it a point to NOT vote for certain vehicles that were owned by people they viewed as "enemies", effectively preventing them from taking their just places.

In the first case, some cars that should not have won did win, and some cars that should have won did not. This club used their "voting bloc" power to affect the outcomes. This is not simply unfair - it is unethical, despicable and absolutely wrong. It is intentional cheating.

I do not have to identify you - you know who you are. And so do the rest of us! You do not fool anyone. You have sold your integrity and self-respect for a small piece of plastic that you did not even earn. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard that your club has one purpose - to create a voting bloc that allows you to poach trophies for your own members.

The only thing more despicable than voting in a bloc for a member or friend is to vote in a bloc AGAINST a person, to intentionally deprive him of his rightful prize. That is not just despicable - it is downright evil.

Now, this is my personal opinion - such a club has no right to exist, and deserves whatever fate befalls it. Such a club does not deserve anyone's respect or consideration. Such a club should be shunned by all.

I must admit, when I first starting showing in Maine, I, too, fell victim to a type of buddy system. While there was no intent to cheat anyone, that was the result. Fortunately, I caught myself in short order. I realized that, while friends are friends, there is an obligation as a judge to judge FAIRLY, regardless of friendship. True friends would understand and respect the honesty and integrity. Any "friend" who does not is not a true friend, so I need not be concerned with what he thinks of my choices. Now, I vote strictly according to which vehicle I truly believe to be the best in the class. I won't even vote for my own unless I honestly believe it to be the best in the class. And that is how we should all be voting.

After all, what good is a trophy if every time you look at it you know in your heart you did not earn it? Of what value is it?

Whenever a person votes in a way that is less than honest and fair, he is breaking one of the Commandments, "bearing false witness". You are saying, "This vehicle is best" when you know it is not.

Minor "buddy system" infringements, where one person casts a ballot for one friend are not a true threat. To an extent, that may be chalked up to human nature. But organized, intentional cheating is a threat. It destroys the value of the competition, which robs the entire show of credibility and validity.

First, we should look to ourselves, to insure that we take the responsibility of being a judge seriously. We should respect ourselves enough to take our obligation as judges more seriously. Second, whenever we see blatant examples of "voting bloc abuse", we should shun those involved.

Show organizers can at least reduce the "buddy system" effect, and virtually eliminate the "voting bloc" power by creating sensible ballots. In any peer judged show, classes should be randomly selected and divided into at least three different balloting forms. Each participant only gets to vote for 1/3 of the classes, which would not include his own. In this way, buddies are less likely to be able to vote for one another, and it would be virtually impossible for whole groups to do so.

I have said this before, and I will say it again: while it is not "about the trophy", the trophies do carry some importance. They are recognition of your efforts and accomplishment. If you earn one, you should get it. If you do not earn it, you should not get it. This is why there is a Baseball Hall of Fame. It is why the Scouts have merit badges, why the military issues medals and why there is a Nobel Peace Prize. It is why schools and universities have a grading system. Like all those others forms of recognition for a job well done, trophies are the same thing for car buffs.

To earn one, and watch someone else get it by cheating is abhorrent because you have lost something you earned. But to get one by cheating is even worse, for you have lost far more than a trophy - you have sold your soul!

"For what good is it to gain all the gold in the world, only to forfeit your soul".