Comment

"John" sent the following comment:

"Can we just go to a show and relax and have some fun without feeling like we'er back in school or the military with all these rules and regulations you feel we need to abide by?? I go to a show to be with friends and forget about the weekly stress and bull of having to go to work and earn aliving and deal with all their rules car shows should be fun!! and no one is perfect and I'm sure there will always be complaining no matter how a show is run. Just my opinion. "

While I do understand what John is saying, dishonesty is dishonesty, and cheating mars everything. We all want to relax and have fun. But it is not relaxing nor fun if you are the one being cheated. We should take a moment to realize that no matter how much fun we are having, if there is a skunk in the woodpile, we need to get rid of it, so everyone, and not just ourselves, can have fun.

We have a good life in this country. But should we just ignore that other people around the world are not as fortunate? Should we turn a blind eye to injustice, just because it is not affecting us, personally? I do not think that is the answer to anything.

I had a great time at Shaw's Ridge. But I saw a few people who did not, because they were victims of a rat pack. Neither I nor HotKarz will turn a blind eye, simply because it did not affect me.

Perhaps if you, John, were to be the victim, you would not be so quick to ignore the problem. If it was your day that was ruined by some selfish, small people, you would be more willing to stand for what is right.

Yes, we want to be able to relax and enjoy. But not just some of us. ALL of us.

Even in the "little" things, like not breaking up until 4:30. That may be a little thing, unworthy of stress, for some of us. But for the person who needs to be back at a certain time, it is a cause for stress, and is not a "little" thing. For example, getting out at 4:30 may be fine with you. But what if a show were to not get around to the awards and the 50/50 until midnight. Would that still be fine with you? Somehow, I doubt that would make for a relaxing time for you, even though it would not bother me - I don't have to go to work, and I don't need a babysitter to watch my kids. The point is simple: certain things do need to be regulated, for the benefit of all. And certain rules of conduct must be in place. After all, one such rule, for spectators, is to not touch the cars. Would you like to do away with that rule, also? You say you want to "get away from rules and regulations."

Just because a problem does not affect you, it does not mean there is no problem, and does not mean we should ignore it. There is an old saying, "If you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem."

HotKarz has no intention of becoming part of the problem. We want shows to be an enjoyable experience for all, and not just for ourselves. It is neither relaxing nor enjoyable to go to a show where a rat pack is speading its vile infection. It may be fun for those who are not affected, but what about those who are? Are we to be unconcerned for our fellow car buffs?

Yes, we should relax. We should enjoy. But we should also address wrongs when they rear their ugly heads, so that others may also enjoy what we enjoy without being victims of our own willingness to allow cheating, or our neglect of certain rules of conduct.

If you want to go somewhere that does not have any rules of civilized conduct, become a mercenary and ship out to Darfur. But wherever there is peace, wherever there are civilized people, there will always be rules to live by. When you decide to do away with rules, you do away with civilization.

After all, if there were no rules, as John suggests, we could simply punch out the folks we disagree with. Would that be relaxing, John? We could piss out behind our cars instead of going to the facilities. Wouldn't that be fun, John? And we could drop our litter everywhere. We could say "To hell with paying to get in". We could just steal the food from the vendors. No rules, right John? Hell, we wouldn't even have to win trophies - just walk up to the table and take 'em. Of course, we may have to punch out the other folks who also want to take them, but that's OK because we don't need any rules, right?

Civilization REQUIRES rules. Rules provide the opportunity for relaxation, fun and enjoyment. Without rules, we could have none of that - we would always be looking over our shoulders to see who is sneaking up on us to siphon our gas, pick our pockets, or do us harm.

And that is no way to have a good time!