Why do DUers who don't know a god-dam thing about NASCAR voice their opinions here?

[Elwood P Dowd]

I won't respond to a post about chess or tennis or speed skating or many other sports or games that I know nothing about, yet complete idiots when it comes to racing are always interjecting their totally ignorant opinions about NASCAR.
This elitist snobbery by Democrats is one of the reasons we are in this fucking mess.

[Mythsaje]

1. I think it's stupid?

Of course, I also think football, wrestling, hockey, and basketball are stupid too.

So I'm probably not the person to ask.

[fenriswolf]

2. dont have a problem with nascar

but chess doesnt add to the Co2 emmisions, I know that in the scheme of things this is a small portion but it is also an uneeded one as well.

[Elwood P Dowd]

5. They waste more fuel in LA traffic on any given day than NASCAR

does in a whole fucking year.

[fenriswolf]

6. yeah but imagine how much fuel a war consumes.

makes LA look like a joke.

[mark414]

7. can you prove it?

[Elwood P Dowd]

13. 43 cars running for 3 hours in 37 races versus millions of cars a day?

Are you serious?

[Mojambo]

21. Well, there's also all the transporting of these cars from track to track

Qualifying etc..

It still doesn't come close, but it's a silly comparison anyway.

[Elwood P Dowd]

31. Major League Baseball has over 30 teams playing 162 games.

Then you have hundreds of MLB's minor league teams. NASCAR's energy usage is not a drop in the bucket when you compare them.

[Mojambo]

37. Like I said. It's a stupid comparison.

It's stupid to have a problem with Nascar based on environmental concerns.

The problem with Nascar is that it is boring as fuck.

JMHO. Others obviously disagree, my dad included.

[mark414]

28. i'm not saying you're right or wrong; i'm just asking for proof

i don't hate NASCAR, i don't like NASCAR; i don't think about it period. i like a lot of things that many find stupid and vice versa, but more power to them (and to me).

what i don't like are statements made in argument of a position that are based more on guessing than fact.

so, i repeat.

can you prove it?

[Elwood P Dowd]

35. Do you want proof the earth is not flat?

Think!!!! Do you really need proof that millions of cars in the LA area each day use more fuel than 43 NASCAR cars?

[varkam]

51. Well, not that I have a dog in this fight...

but it's really more than 43 cars, because then you've got all the fans coming to see those 43 cars, vendors coming to hawk their wares, etc. etc.

[AZBlue]

74. And what about all the tires burned in one race?

It's disgusting.

[TSIAS]

3. I know a lot about NASCAR

I'm not even a NASCAR basher. I just point out what I see. I've watched races pretty much for 10 years. But I don't think it's out of line to point out that the sport does tend to attract a majority conservative audience. I still watch most races, but Tivo through all the God and military talk. I do cringe when I see cars sponsored by Army, the National Guard, and the Marines.

[Renew Deal]

4. Wow

It looks like this Nascar thing is going full fledged flame war 3 day distraction. Bring it on!!! :evilgrin:

[NaturalHigh]

65. Surely it won't rise to the level...

of porn or breast feeding. Then again, I've been wrong before.

[Bluebear]

8. Why do pro-NASCAR posts have to include "goddamn" in them?

Just ruminating.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=1897119&mesg_id=1897119

[Hekate]

30. Why do anti-Bush/Cheney posts so often include 4-letter words? Just inspiration, I guess.

:rofl:

[Catherine Vincent]

9. What's NASCAR?

:)

[CoffeeCat]

17. NASCAR...

Nimble
Aristocratic
Skateboarding
and
Rug Making

It's a very tiny crowd...

[undeterred]

10. Why are you posting about NASCAR here?

I'm just askin'. :shrug:

[MADem]

11. The same reason why people who don't know a god-dam(n) thing about other cultures get

pissed at people who do, and who correct them, perhaps?

People dislike NASCAR, too, because some polls have indicated the fans are mostly GOP, and they feel they have nothing in common with those who cheer it on (as a group). That trend might be changing, though. We'll see.

I object to it only because I hate seeing people waste gas and pollute the environment for sport. If they had an all-electric NASCAR, or even a HYBRID NASCAR, maybe I'd be more enthused. I also find it incredibly loud and boring--how many times can you watch cars go in a circle, waiting for them to crash?

That said, for people who like it, well, knock yourself out. So long as I'm not strapped to a chair and forced to watch it, I could really care less about it.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

12. John Force Racing

I worked with a client who was a corporate sponsor of John Force Racing. One of my colleagues, based in Atlanta, attended the Southern Nationals and stood a few feet away from the John & Ashley Force cars when they fired them up. He called me on his cell phone so I could hear it. It sounded like the world was being split in half. My colleague was in a state of bliss (I Fed-Exed him the cost of his tickets).

I know enough about NASCAR to know that it's worthy of my respect.

:toast:

[Paulie]

40. John Force is Drag Racing - NHRA

Not the going around, most of the time, in a circle. That's NASCAR.

[ConsAreLiars]

44. John Force is in Drag Racing, not NASCAR. You may not have heard he was seriously injured

this Sunday, two broken legs and a broken arm, and who knows what else. (Heard the news while watching the NASCAR race - while listening to Sam Seder.)

The OP is right in dumping on those who lump any particular group (like fans of some sport or music) into a steretypical whole and shitting on them all. That sort of "thinking" is FAR more common on the right, but it displays both ignorance and blind bigotry more than "elitism."

[rawtribe]

14. NASCAR Coach Reveals Winning Strategy: 'Drive Fast'

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/nascar_coach_reveals_winning

[Bluebear]

16. And turn left!

:)

[baldguy]

18. Come on! Its a lot more complicated then that!

Its about who can go FASTER and turn LEFTER!

[Mojambo]

39. And change tires! n/t

[porphyrian]

15. But elitist snobbery about who can voice their opinions about NASCAR is OK?

:eyes:

[MedleyMisty]

53. Come on, you know it's not just opinions about the sport

They generally include references to everyone who happens to live in the South. It's not expressing an opinion about a sport. It's stereotyping and hating on a group.

[porphyrian]

60. I can see that, but it doesn't make it right to say who can and can't talk about it.

The OP said, "Why do DUers who don't know a god-dam thing about NASCAR voice their opinions here?" That isn't defending NASCAR people as much as lashing out at other people. And I'm not saying there isn't a reason to lash out, I'm taking issue with the method of doing so.

[Mojambo]

19. My dad is pretty liberal and he's a HUGE fan.

He even plays Fantasy Nascar or whatever.

I don't even come close to getting his fascination with it, but whatever.

People like different stuff.

[Lugnut]

78. Same here

I've been a liberal Democrat forever and I'm a NASCAR fan. It's the stereotyping of NASCAR fans that ticks me off.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

20. Just to piss you off. Why?

:P

[Paulie]

22. It's silly, they go around and around in a CIRCLE!!!!

Not serious racing, like 300mph in 4 seconds without a rocket. NHRA/IHRA all the way! :D

[BlooInBloo]

24. Except when they're on a road track, o-knowledgeable one.

[Paulie]

36. Oh yeah, a couple of times a year. The rest is on an oval.

Yawn. Stick some nitro in those puppies, lets see some real action! :D

The cars in NASCAR go Round and round. Isn't that a song? LOL

[Elwood P Dowd]

38. That's not true.

Some tracks are oval, some are tri-oval, and then there is the triangle at Pocono, Pennsylvania. Horses races on ovals. Why don't you make fun of horse racing fans? Drag racers race in a straight line for a few seconds. Why don't you make fun of that?

[Paulie]

45. Because I like going in a straight line for a few seconds!

One point I was doing it 20-30 times, 4 days a week. And it was alot of fun. Took out the back seat to make room for the roll bar and the slicks. Check the barometer several times a day, when it looked good, off to the track, swap 4 tires and started making some runs!

The only left turns was to get off the track! LOL

IHRA/NHRA > NASCAR = Merry-go-round :) :) :)

[leveymg]

75. Don't forget the Glen! Guess road courses are just for sissies.

[entanglement]

81. Tri-ovals? How many left turns is that?

:evilgrin:

:hide:

[cherokeeprogressive]

42. Okay, so you don't get it. It's about covering a set distance faster than anyone else.

It would make no difference whether they turned right or left, or right AND left. It's about getting from Point A to Point B faster than anyone else. That's pretty much it.

[Paulie]

46. 300mph > 150mph

<wink wink> :)

[cherokeeprogressive]

58. Don't wink at me LOL.

How about a heartrate of 140+ for 3.5 hours in 120 degree temps.

B-)

[Paulie]

70. No thanks!

That's why I don't go in circles. LOL

Bad enough waiting in the staging lanes then someone breaks, so you're there roasting with no airflow to help for an hour. :)

[BlooInBloo]

23. (shrug) You take the good with the bad on DU. Meat-eaters, sports-lovers...

... and all sorts of other things get ripped on. Just consider it an overhead cost of being here.

[IndianaJones]

27. you're still steamed about Jerry Lewis. nt.

[BlooInBloo]

33. lol! Forgot all about that. I don't keep much in memory. That's what computers are for.

[fenriswolf]

25. let me ask you a question please

why do you like nascar? don't wanna flame I just want to know why it draws people to it. I personally have not seen any redeaming values in it (besides the hero worship (ie fav drivers)) but is their any other reasons why you like it?

[A HERETIC I AM]

72. As someone who worked in the Motor Racing industry for 12 years...

I can tell you one or two of the reasons why people in general like auto racing in general, be it NASCAR, Drag Racing, Indy Car, Formula One or your local dirt track.

People like automobiles. Most people own one. Most people like the idea of driving an automobile fast. Most people that like automobiles and like the idea of driving one fast also like the sound of a powerful internal combustion engine.

It is a way for people to enjoy all of the above vicariously.

While i am not a "Fan" (Fan is short for fanatic, and i am not a fanatic anymore) of Nextel Cup Racing, i completely understand its appeal and marvel at its popularity. The enthusiasts identify with the drivers and the cars because they see the cars as something attainable and the drivers as approachable, whether they truly are or not. The idea that "I could do that" is appealing to many, many millions of people. Those are just a few of the reasons it's popular.

I have been to almost all of the major race tracks on the NASCAR calender (notable exception, Talladega...driven by the track, never been on the property) From Daytona to Sears Point, Fontana to New Hampshire, most of the major NHRA Drag strips, and just about every track that Indy Cars have run at, in a working capacity, doing promotions and marketing. Going to a major racing facility is generally a safe place to be for a weekend for the entire family. If you RV, there are usually decent places to camp right on the grounds of these facilities and you are able to make a weekend of it with thousands of other people who are there for one single reason - to have a good time.

I have made some disparaging remarks on this board about NASCAR in the past ("NASCAR is the professional wrestling of motorsport", one of my faves!) but i hold no animosity toward the fans nor to the series itself. It is HUGE business and employs thousands and thousands of people.

[BringEmOn]

26. Is there shame in not knowing a GD thing about NASCAR?

[Hekate]

29. Beats me. Everything I know about NASCAR I learned from Sharyn McCrumb's "St.Dale"

It's a great fictional read about a modern-day pilgrimage to "shrines" to one of NASCAR's greatest, patterned after Canterbury Tales.

McCrumb is tender and funny and knowledgable about the people who inhabit the world of NASCAR fandom. It reminded me of the time I watched the Elvis pilgrimage segment of "Designing Women." These aren't my worlds, but the people in them suddenly became real to me.

I wasn't aware of the latest DU flame-fest, because, as I said, this isn't my area of interest. Sometimes I wonder why some people can't just let things be.

Hekate

[BlackVelvet04]

41. I hosted a book signing of St. Dale

for Sharyn McCrumb at my last job. We had a nice lunch out and I found her fascinating.

St. Dale is a good book.

[Hekate]

49. She also wrote Bimbos of the Death Sun. I think she really "gets" oddball people...

...and likes them. She's an acute observer. I wouldn't mind having lunch with her myself.

Hekate

[BlackVelvet04]

50. She's different......

she lives in the mountains, dresses like an earth mother, is intelligent, funny and endearing.

[Hekate]

56. What a great description. Now I *really* want to have lunch with her! nt

[TSIAS]

32. Why does NASCAR openly support GOP candidates?

They had a campaign for their drivers to support Kevin Triplett's failed bid for the US House in Virginia. In 2000, they banded together in support of Sen. Jon Kyl in Arizona.

Could you imagine if the MLB or NBA came out in support for a candidate? The closest thing happened when many NBA players came out for Bradley, but it was no where near as orchestrated as NASCAR's efforts were for those 2 Republicans.

[BlackVelvet04]

34. Well those who don't like NASCAR are superior.....

and therefore feel entitled to tell NASCAR fans how redneck, stupid and politically incorrect we are.

How come they don't talk about the environmental impact of hundreds of thousands of football, baseball, hockey and basketball fans flying and driving all over the country to see their team? If you want to talk about redneck let's look at some of the football fans we are graced to see on our television sets....big fat beer gut men painted blue, or orange or whatever color. Yeah, football is so much more intellectual than car racing.

Anybody that thinks that all that is involved in NASCAR is driving fast and turning left show their ignorance and obviously know little to nothing about it.

With all of the NASCAR fans, southerners, and smokers bashing that goes on around here I think it's time to re-evaluate where I spend my time.

[alfredo]

47. I'm from the south, I feel I can bash southerner if I want to. I've been

around auto racing all my life. Many of my happiest times was at a local quarter mile track. Liked the drags too. My dad knew all the gear heads because he was the top custom interior upholsterer in the east. One day he had a 1907 Renault, the next day Eddie Hill's twin. I never knew what would be parked in his garage or driven home from work.

We had to deal with our share of mean red necks, corrupt local cops, unenlightened people of all stripes. Of course there were some of the finest people you'd ever meet. They more than made up for the assholes.

I'm not a big fan of Nascar, but I appreciate the sport. I appreciate that it is still personality centered. It will be interesting to see how Toyota does next season. The learning curve is steep.

[DemGa]

43. It's the way it's presented conceptually

If someone talks about a particular driver or something, I'll certainly leave that alone, because I don't know a thing about it. I won't share my disdain.

But if someone asks an opinion from a more macro-perspective, it's open season so to speak.

[JackRiddler]

48. What's to know?

A few dozen juiced up cars covered with billboards run around a track for a million laps in celebration of our mighty nation's ability to burn tons of oil for no reason whatsoever and it's considered a sport.

[BlooInBloo]

52. Most. Ignorant. Question. Of. The. Night....

http://phors.locost7.info/contents.htm

Note that this, while EXCELLENT, is a dumbed-down-for-Americans version of the full truth, which would contain variational methods and a lot of linear operators. (Translation: mathy stuff far beyond calculus.)


EDIT: Standard American-nature. "I don't know it, so there must be nothing to know! Duh-ERR!".

[JackRiddler]

69. Totally. Self. Important. Posturing.

Yeah, a lot of knowledge went into the invention of the automobile, which is the greatest thing ever.

Does this make NASCAR any the less boring to me?

[Elwood P Dowd]

57. Automobile racing has been a sport on this earth for almost 100 years.

You are just another example of someone who doesn't know what the fuck you're talking about. There are 75 million NASCAR fans in this country. Over 35% are democrats. Close to 10% are Hispanic or African-American. 40% are female. There are actually more NASCAR fans that live in states not located in the South. Posts like yours are one of the reasons we no longer have the party we had 40 years ago.

[GoodSpud]

61. Picking nits here, but it is more like 110 years.

First Paris to Bordeaux race took place in 1895.

Not that it is really relevant to the discussion, but I thought I should point it out.

T.D.P.

[JackRiddler]

68. I confess

My utter lack of interest in NASCAR (a subject on which I have never posted before, never wrote a line about in my life until now) caused the decline of the Democratic Party over the last 40 years.

Do you know how whacked your claims of persecution by people who are insufficiently respectful of NASCAR are?

35% of NASCAR fans think you should lighten up.

Automobile racing has been a form of competition on this planet ever since motor cars were invented. (Which means what, I don't know.)

It's not a sport, however.

[BenDavid]

54. Liberal and a #48 fan.A graduate of Ole Miss!

[Elidor]

55. It all comes back to NASCAR, doesn't it?

If it weren't for all this elitist snobbery by Democrats, the NASCAR fans would long since have stopped the war. If only Hillary would come out in favor of Jeff Gordon, the big multinationals would solve the health care crisis and reverse global warming. Homeless people would find shelter with generous fans, and the directors of Diebold would be too busy watching races from their box seats to tamper with elections. NASCAR is the nexus of it all. I think you've hit the nail on the head.

[Beausoir]

59. I know plenty about NASCAR. Coors #9, Bill. The spectacle has been over run with eedjit Bush bots.

NASCAR needs to modernize.

Lately, the average NASCAR fan is a moron with tattoos, voting for GWB and sporting a "Freedom Isn't Free" bumper-sticker.

If I am wrong....please tell me why.

Don't you DARE tell me I don't understand NASCAR. I've been going to dirt-tracks since I was a child.

[Elwood P Dowd]

63. NASCAR's problems have been caused by Brian France and some of the corporate/military

sponsors. The TV networks have also ruined the production quality and excitement since the days of ESPN and CBS in the 80s and 90s.

As for most NASCAR fans being morons and GWB rednecks, that just depends on the location. My nephew is a democrat and NASCAR fan. My niece's husband is Hispanic, hates GWB, and is a huge NASCAR fan. Both have college educations.

[Beausoir]

66. Yeah. Over exposure has definitely harmed NASCAR.

The races were better when nobody was watching.

Now? It's trashed. Completely trashed. Nobody watches anymore.

And all those #3 bumperstickers? Gone.

Dale Earnhardt was the Princess Diana of NASCAR.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

62. The thing I do know about NASCAR is that the heads of NASCAR are Bushbots and

at the 2004 Daytona 500 gave him a huge photo-op. Fuck them.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/02/16/elec04.prez.bush.ap/index.html

[Elwood P Dowd]

67. Corporate republicans/sponsors run all the major sports and their TV networks.

We can change that, but not if we constantly bash the fans with an elitist attitude. Average Joe-Six-Pack will never support a democrat if they read a few DU GD posts about NASCAR and other professional sports.

[NaturalHigh]

64. I don't enjoy watching NASCAR...

but I have no problem with those who do. Many of my friends are big NASCAR fans. I don't really like basketball or mixed martial arts either, but I don't criticize people who enjoy them.

To each his or her own.

[hiphopnation]

71. it's just as deserving of mockery as tennis

or pop stars or "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy", or "Family Guy" or anything else.

Buck up, get a thicker skin, and stop wasting GD space.

pffffffft

[WildEyedLiberal]

73. Because it's a cheap and petty way to feel superior to other people

:shrug:

[RB TexLa]

76. Agreed n/t

[HowHasItComeToThis]

77. RELATIVE OF A DRIVER CHECKING IN

DON'T ASS SUME THAT THEY ARE ALL STUPID BUBBA'S

[Siyahamba]

86. Priceless.

[uppityperson]

79. My not liking NASCAR is 1 of the reasons wer are in this fucking mess? Or must I be superior?

Will just not liking it and being generally uppity do it? I don't know if I can do elitist snobbery though.

[hfojvt]

84. I can

The OP admits to knowing nothing about chess and is an expert in NASCAR. That's about a 6.5 on the irony scale. :evilgrin:


Chess, as somebody once said, is not serious enough to be real life and not fun enough to be a game.

I bet it was Staunton who said that.

Is it okay if I take a few whacks at people who watch 'reality' shows too? As Hobbes once asked Calvin 'Is ignorance a right?' and Calvin raised his fist in the air and shouted 'I don't know, and I refuse to find out!'

[Warren DeMontague]

80. Let's see. What do I know about NASCAR. I know that Bob Weir's sister-in-law is a NASCAR driver.

Yowza.

http://www.leilanimunter.com/

Hey, she's promoting environmental awareness, too. :thumbsup:

[MadBadger]

82. They drive around in a circle, constantly turning left....how fun.

The only interesting part is when there is a crash. Isnt that a little fucked up?

[Warren DeMontague]

83. A lot of people think the most interesting thing in Hockey is the fights...

Hey, takes all kinds.

[SidDithers]

Not knowing a goddamn thing is usually a requirement ...

for having an opinion around here :)

Sid

[Ghost in the Machine]

85. We have to know something about NASCAR to voice opinions here?

Who gives a fuck about NASCAR? :shrug:

Meanwhile, back at the WAR.....

[Raine]

87. Because opinions are

like assholes, everyone has got one. x( Not knowing a G-D thing about something has never stopped a DUer from expressing an opinion. :shrug: