It Doesn't Matter - Does it????

I cannot count the number of times someone would say the trophies do not matter, or the competition does not matter. Or that the honesty and fairness of shows do not matter.
And no matter how many people may say such things, or how hard they try to justify bad behavior, they are always 100% wrong, because all of those things do matter. Maybe not to some. But they do matter to other folks.

Some folks do go to shows expressly to try and win trophies - it matters not if you think that is right or wrong. It just is. Others go strictly for the thrill of competition. And some people, even in this day and age, believe in honesty and fair play.

So, no one can say those things do not matter. They can only say they do not matter to themselves.

When the organizer at Telstar said the class jumping did not matter, he was wrong. It may not matter to HIM, but it obviously mattered to the particpants, since so many griped about it. So, it DID matter. And when someone says block voting does not matter, or stuffing the ballot box does not matter, they are wrong, because it DOES matter to some. Just because a person is OK with cheating does not make cheating OK. After all, Charles Manson was OK with murder. But does that make murder OK?

So don't try feeding me the BS that cheating at shows is OK because "it doesn't matter". It isn't OK, and it does matter, even if it does not matter to you, personally - the shows are not about you. They are not about me. They are about US - all of us. And as long as something is important to any of us, then it is important. And if it is important, then we have an obligation to make it fair and honest, even if we, personally, do not care. Because SOMEONE cares.

Your Uncle does not really matter to me, but he may matter a lot to you. So, I can say he does not matter to me. But I have no right to say he does not matter at all.

And the next time someone who registers to win a trophy tells me that the trophy means nothing to them, I think I will gag. It may not be the main reason he goes to shows, but it is not without some importance if he is bothering to register, wet his tires, polish the hood etc. So don't BS anyone with the old "trophies mean nothing to me." If they mean nothing, don't register and take votes away from people who DO want to win. If you register, clean your ride etc., you want to win. And it is nothing to be ashamed of - competition is what made America great. Competition makes us stronger, better.

Personally, the trophy does not bear too much importance to me - I toss them in boxes in the shed. What I find important is the FAIR COMPETITION - to compete fairly with others, and if I do win, it validates the work I have done, and that is satisfying. If I lose fairly, it tells me I have to make improvements to my ride. So, in that regard, the trophy, which is a symbol of the validation, is worth something. But only if won fairly. I would rather lose fairly than to win unfairly.

The point is this: you may think certain aspects of a show are unimportant, but that does not make them unimportant. One man's tea is another man's poison.

Trophies and competition may not be important to you, personally, but they are important to some. And that is why shows need to be fair and honest. Because it is important to some. And if a person is being honest about it not being important to them, then they should have no complaint in making shows fair and honest for those who need and want that.

But that is not what is going on here. Some people, claiming "it doesn't matter", are actually FIGHTING AGAINST making shows fair and honest, and fighting hard. Why would a person fight against honesty if, in fact, they do not care? The rest of us know the motives of those who fight against making shows better, and it has nothing to do with "it doesn't matter." In fact, it matters a great deal to them to keep the shows dishonest, because that is the only way they can win.

Or, as Shakespeare so aptly put it, "Methinks the lady protesteth too much." Those who are the most vocal about leaving shows as they are, are the same people who have the most to lose if shows become fair. Most of us want to earn a trophy. But others will do anything to grab one, even if they have to break a few Commandments. They do not care if it is earned or not. HotKarz has no interest in making those people more honest. We only have an interest in making the SHOWS more honest. The cheats can go cheat someone else.

The short of it: if fair play is one of your moral values, then help make shows fair - don't just leave it for others to do. Talk to organizers. Get others to speak up. And if it really "does not matter" to you, as some put it, then there is no reason to try and block improvements - let them happen. Don't fight them. Maybe even help them to happen, for the benefit of your friends who DO think it is important.

Any trophy not earned fairly is not worth bringing home. When I meet my Maker, I may have some 'splainin' to do, but one thing I will not have to explain is my desire and efforts for fair play. And I won't have to explain anything I won.

Because when all is said and done, a person can BS me, or BS you, or BS everyone. But he cannot BS the Big Guy.

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