Am I naive? too idealistic? Two life lessons - at a farmers market and from lunch with a friend.
I was happily heading for the farmers market this morning for my usual Saturday morning produce run. As I approached the market, one of the plant vendors called me over. He asked me to go to a competing vendor and buy 10 of a particular rare plant - he would pay me to do so - so that he would have it and could propagate it and undersell the other vendor. The person that asked me this is a typical volume supplier whose goal (from speaking with other vendors- this is the market where I sell my tomato plants each spring) is to put other vendors out of business by offering their exclusives and selling them for less.
It didn't take me long - a few seconds - to say that there is no way I could or would do that - it is a process I want no part of. I experience it myself - heirloom tomato plants are no longer hard to find, and being a tiny occasional seller, there is no way I can match the prices of the box store volume producers....most people won't pay a premium for expertise and knowledge, it seems, which is fine - the plant thing is more of a hobby than anything that sustains us. Anyway, I just got home, but have to say that the event colored my morning - and fits nicely into the next part of this...
My wife and I had lunch a few weeks ago with a local garden writer and friend who is somewhat taking me under her wing and providing whatever wisdom and advice she can, since my first book on gardening will come out next year and this means entering a whole new world from my previous endeavors. She shared with me how cutthroat it is - that I should expect bad reviews from people who don't care for me, my methods, or because I don't play the "with us or against us" game in gardening cliques (of which there are many). Which I don't - I try to get along with all, and don't join this or that group. She also shared how much effort will go in to stealing the images in my website, distort my stories - whatever it takes to cut me down and elevate themselves.
Once again...am I too naive or idealistic - it makes me self reflect on why I think things could or should be different - open, sharing, rooting for each other rather than tearing each other down due to envy...
Anyway - My Saturday morning jaunts to the market always give me something to reflect on, and I never know which way it will go. Today is was another chapter in my effort to figure out why people - all of us - are like we are....
And as always, I come up stumped! I guess all we can do is tend our own gardens (no pun intended) - set an example for others of how we see things, treat people as we wish to be treated - try not to give into the anger and disappointment, and find those good things in each day that make it all worth it, when it is all counted up.
Just thought it was something to share.....
= new reply since forum marked as read
....and you reminded me of a chat I had with a superb bread baker bemoaning interactions he had with another vendor - we talked about projection. It resonated with him; he'd not thought of it that way before.
Nothing wrong with that.
And generous. I have tomatoes growing outside and it all started with a simple PM to NRaleighLiberal. 
Wish I could be growing some of his tomatoes, but I live in a condo and have no place to grow them. How are you doing?
Birders are some of the worst. 
Maybe you are naive and idealistic. 
Were I confronted with similar situations I hope I'd behave with the same integrity as you have.
As for the second event, the heads up from the writer, it seems she's doing you a favor so if the bad reviews and so on do happen, you'll have been warned.
Futile to the overall goal of letting the original seller maintain his specialty, perhaps, but certainly not futile.
This is just MHO, but all NRaleighLiberal has to do is live up to his own standards, which he did. He was true to himself.
I just think your outlook on this is a tad negative and wanted to put in my two cents worth.
Cher
It seems we went through a brief period where there was more of a "we're all in this together" attitude. Yeah, it actually didn't include everyone, but it felt like we were moving in the right direction. Then came Reagan & "greed is good" & we have become more focused on the individual. Also, the digital age ushered in 'virtual' communities, Many people are more connected to their virtual communities than their here-&-now community.
I paid $5.89 a pound for two heirloom tomatoes at my local health food store. I chopped one & ate it with a little pepper & put the other on a Hoagie. It was the best Hoagie I've had in a long time! 
There is no such thing as good tomatoes in Florida.
First, I view humankind as swimming or existing in a big ocean. Like fish, humans swim in groups. I exclude myself from the pools of people who are exploitative, liars, thieves, etc. I only have anything to do with people who I consider at the same level of integrity as I. Those are the only people who count to me and I don't pay much--if any--attention to the people in the other groups.
So it doesn't bother me that they do things like what your friend says:
bad reviews from people who don't care for me, my methods, or because I don't play the "with us or against us" game in gardening cliques (of which there are many).
She also shared how much effort will go in to stealing the images in my website, distort my stories - whatever it takes to cut me down and elevate themselves.
The one thing I might do is see if criticism might be valid and thus make me better.
If a person copied my stuff, I would just feel sorry for them for cutting themselves out of the creative process.
I think your friend did you a favor in tipping you off to what could happen. It gives you plenty of time to construct a mindframe that will keep you from too much aggravation.
Anyway, if you take anything from this at all, it's to try swimming with your own and removing yourselves from the ones who aren't there yet. They'll eventually get there, but I don't think you necessarily have to be involved in it.
Cher
and p.s. re the vendor who asked you to make the purchase, a republican would say "that's how the free market is supposed to work."
I used to be an active member of a general discussion forum. One of the regular posters used to discuss his experiences on a baking community website. You would not believe the infighting and backstabbing going on in that forum. People would try to destroy each others' reputations over something like the proper temperature for butter before folding it into other ingredients; stalk other member's private websites/blogs and make nasty comments etc. It was eye-opening for me. I would have thought it would be about sharing techniques and enjoying a hobby.
Don't get pulled down by the mean ones. Enjoy your craft. 
